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My 1st attack was back in Nov 09, which i mentally denied to be gout after having been told by the doctor that it was.? At this point he loaded me up with some Indomethacin and Colchicine.? I used very little (read about side effects) so i therefore suffered through what i really thought was a toe injury due to some aggressive tread mill work outs at the time.? Now having a second attack 4 weeks ago i must accept the gout diagnosis and deal with it.? I have started drinking water regularly, at least a glass every hour during the day and am also taking a 4 oz shot of cherry juice morning and night.? Have stopped eating sushi which is what triggered?this second attack after having had it 3 times in four days and then the attack.? So now i'm at the point of reading everything i can, ?about the subject and would like a natural approach to dealing with this, but am starting to realize that meds may be the right way, at least during an attack period.?
My thoughts are to get a home meter for UA to test on a regular basis so that i'll know just where i'm at on my levels and based on what i've seen in your posts in GoutPal, i have to assume many of you have a meter for home. Or are you using some kind of test strip, like i said i'm still trying to figure all this out.? What i'd like to know is whether this is the right thing to do, i can't find any test meters locally and am going to have to purchase one via the internet.? Can anyone comment on the meters and or test kits available on the market to steer me in the right direction here.? I really want to get moving on this but am desperate for some real feed back on the test kits, before i buy blindly on line.
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Also does putting lemon juice in your water help, currently just using filtered tap water but am looking around for alkaline water at grocery stores locally.?
I was using lemon juice from, local stores, but have been told these have preservatives within, that are very bad for you.? Any comments on this?
I sure miss the sushi, and bbq salmon which is one of my favs.? This is like a complete retraining of diet, with a hit and miss system that could trigger an attack. So once i have a test kit, i'll start documenting everything i injest while i figure it all out?? I have to assume some common sense, some dicipline and an open mind in going?forward.
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one final question when you get the twinges in my foot, should i?start taking the indo right away. I still have to go see the doc again, as i want to discuss the allo daily dose to bring down levels at this point, and then try to stay off the meds by using a weekly test kit.? Does this all make sense.?
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Thanks for any help and comments
Cas- Look under 7 top right this page for UA meter.
You can't stop &?start UA lowering meds without proper monitoring, though once on steady low SUA?levels and the right lifestyle a 'holiday' could be risked -if you monitor SUA frequently. You won't be able to?do this on the wrong diet?or with?other risk factors for long, IMO.
My guess is this would lead to forgetting the pain of an attack and it's too late when UA rises and is further salted away in tissues. The hidden damage goes on even whenyou feel OK in the joints.
One thing at a time is the best way -and read up more here. There's no 'cure' for gout, only good management and meds under correct usage for your SUA?condition, that's what you need to establish.
Thanks for the comment Trev, ?it seems to be general gist of things in here ? get on the meds full time asap ? .? So i'm making the doc apt. for another blood test and to get put on/discuss the allo solution for going forward.? If I summarize all this correctly, I can expect to be able to enjoy most all foods again, but in moderation.? Would that be correct?? I've only read a portion of the posts, but am trying to get through them all over the next week. So hopefully not asking stupid questions in the interm.
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Oh yeah, i also ordered a home kit for monitoring levels.? Went with a different one than on the link #7, found one that did the glucose and uric acid as well as cholesterall.? May as well keep track of everything starting now, no such thing as too much information.
Don't get me wrong Cas- I'm for natural methods if possible, but I got the gist that you'd decided for AlloP anyway and that [or equivalent]?is often the best way eventually.
You haven't posted any SUA figures so it's hard to gauge where you are on the scale of things. If you're prepared to really get stuck in and monitor SUA below 6mg/dl and watch diet and beer, seafoods etc it's possible to do without Urate lowering meds but not easy. Losartan and Lasix did help me [BP meds] but are long term too, and nothing like as effective as AP or my current med, Sulfinpyrazone.
Probably if you do try and get along with AP you won't go back- but it depends on your history of attacks, age etc and how things might progress from now.
Really, it's up to you and your med advisor to measure up options- but whichever route you take, you can't chop and change.
Swings in SUA are what destabilizes your system- and permanently high SUA has only one result in confirmed gouties.
If I summarize all this correctly, I can expect to be able to enjoy most all foods again, but in moderation.? Would that be correct??
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Yes, Once your meds get your uric acid down below 5.0 you will be able to eat pretty much anything you want. Probably just below 6.0 not quite so safe.
The meds give us a good semblance of a normal life.
casman said:
… So hopefully not asking stupid questions in the interm.
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The only stupid questions are the ones we don't ask.
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As zip2play has said, allopurinol allows an unrestricted diet, though sensible eating with what is generally considered to be a healthy diet is best. Uric acid is generated by our own meat (as cells die through normal metabolism), as well as from purines in the food we eat. Allopurinol eliminates all uric acid from food (exogenous), and about half the uric acid our own bodies produce (endogenous).
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For anyone else looking for dietary controls to avoid medication, not only do you need to be aware of the self-generated uric acid, you also need to be aware that excess iron and calories have as much (if not more) to do with gout than purines.
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