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I’m at my wits end and my doctor hasn’t been overly helpful.? I’m 38, 6′, and probably a little overweight at 260#.? Before my job took over my life last fall I had a combined power lifting total of ~1300#, just to give you an idea of how I carry my weight.? My diet is pretty good and this problem started when I cut back on my normal consumption of beer, which was maybe 6-8 beers spread over a week with 4-6 of this on Friday night.
A little over a month ago my ankle started to get sore and swell for now apparent reason.? I haven’t been very active so I didn’t really worry about it.? It progressively got worse so I went to the doctor.? He prescribed indomethacin 3x a day calling it gout.? The indomethacin didn’t really do much, the swelling seemed to get worse and my other ankle/foot started to get sore from either favoring or possibly the spread of gout.
During that time period I spoke to my mother about it; I come to find out my father is currently dealing with a gout attack and she occasionally will notice it in the spring when she eats asparagus four or five times a week when it is in season.? My fathers gout is an on going issue and has been for some time.? It clearly runs in my family.
At the end of the first 7 days of the indomethacin I was pretty fed up with the pain so I called the doc up hoping he would prescribe one of the gout specific uric acid lowering medicines…no luck, he wanted me to stay on the indomethacin until I returned for a follow up the next week.? I decided to take matters in to my own hands; following a bit of research I walked out of our local crunchy-granola Co-Op with a couple of bottles of cherry juice and some cherry juice extract.? Low and behold, three days latter I’ve seen the swelling go down and the pain and stiffness reduced by 50-75%.? The only strange thing is that now? the joints related to big toe are a little sore, whereas before they were not or at least I didn’t notice it.
To finally get to the point of my post, what should I demand that my doctor do at my upcoming visit.? He isn’t a bad guy but I find it helps if I go in with my own game plan.?
This may sound weird but I’m actually hoping that I have gout since it is manageable compared to the other possible problems I might have.
Thanks in advance,
Dan
Family history is a strong indicator of gout, as it is largely genetic. Bad diet might make it worse, but that is not the same as hoping that good diet will fix it.
For anyone who cannot get a clear gout diagnosis from their family doctor, I strongly recommend a rheumatologist. Some family doctors know about gout, and some do not. All rheumatologists are trained in diagnosing and treating gout.
You must be aware that gout is not an intermittent disease. Acute gout attacks come and go, but gout is permanent. The gout attacks are a warning – the real damage comes from uric acid crystals spreading throughout your body, destroying joints and damaging organs.
Having said all that, it puzzles me that you have not mentioned your uric acid levels. The way to control gout is to control uric acid, so the medicines you have asked for might be correct, but what is your current level, and what is your target?
I wish I could have mentioned uric acid levels but we haven’t gotten that far yet.? I was not overly worried about it until I stumbled on this forum while trying figure out what is going on with my body.? It became pretty clear that I am dealing with gout and controlling it is a serious endeavor after browsing a number posts on this forum.? This place is a great resource.
My follow up with the Dr. is tomorrow afternoon.? If he can’t help me I will request a referral to a rheumatologist.? It seems like that referral would be the obvious next step, my fear is that I’m going to end up waiting several weeks before I can see the rheumatologist…there are probably only handful of them in the tiny state of VT.
Thanks for the advice.? I will check back in as things progress.
Dan
When you say “we haven?t gotten that far yet,” do you mean you have not been tested for uric acid, or you do not have results yet.
If you haven’t been tested, then that is poor given your family history, but it is not too late. I always think that anyone who suspects gout should arrange a blood test every 2 to 4 weeks. You might get some resistance from your doctor, but the reason for this is to get a good history of changes to uric acid level.
In most cases, a history of uric acid test results, a family medical history, and an examination of the affected joints is enough to get a reasonable diagnosis. A rheumatologist is not vital, but they are best if there is doubt, as they can run better joint tests to determine if it is gout or something else.
Phong,
He prescribed indomethacin 3x a day calling it gout.
If he did this without testing your uric acid, he is a quack who should have his license revoked.
You are classic for gout…weightlifter, overweight, obviously on a vey high protein.meat diet.
He was not a fool prescribing indomethacin, it’s a good pain reliever for gout, some doctors overlook it in favor of the latest drug brochure some gorgeous woman dropped off at his office, along with a pile of cash.
He/you should try colchicine but PLEASE check your uric acid. Control of your uric acid is the only long term treatment for gout.
Well, he would not give me anything to address uric acid.? “They only give meds for uric acid when there is a second gout flare up.”? That is all fine and dandy but this was not the standard short attack.? Are uric acid reducing meds that serious and/or accompanied by major side effects? I’m very annoyed.
I got a referral to a rheumatologist…lets see how long that takes.? I’m not sure what to do at this point.? I could get a second opinion but my ankle doesn’t scream “hey there is a huge problem” right now.? My ankle remains mildly swollen and my ankle and mid-foot remain sore with the pain when walking subsiding little by little every day.? Not sure what to do…
Thanks,
Dan
I’m confused, Dan. Have you had a blood test for uric acid or not? If so, what are the results. If not, why claim: “He isn?t a bad guy?” 😕
Well…turns out I don’t/didn’t have gout. My problem stemmed from begin muscle bound last fall and then stopping abruptly. That combined with 60-80 hours a week of sitting at work/hypertension (attorney) resulted in over tight muscles running from my neck to my toes caused acute tendonitis in my ankles and feet.
Lots of stretching as prescribed by the foot and ankle specialists at UVM/Fletcher Allen is beginning to show results. Next up is…gasp…yoga.
Still have an appointment with the rheumatologist in order to completely rule out arthritis/gout.
My time here hasn’t been a wasted though, I’ve turned my mother on to all of the natural remedies/aides that I found on this site for helping my father deal with his gout (caused by kidney damage from heart meds and other related problems).
Thanks,
Dan
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