Gout and the wonder drug Colchicine

Greetings

The last several times that I've had gout it was serious enough that I had to resort to pharmaceuticals (ie) Colchicine. Let me tell you how this occurred.
Back at the end of July I got the flu and it progressed into pneumonia. The doctor prescribed antibiotics, shortly after I started taking the antibiotics I got one of the worst cases of gout that I have ever had. I got it in both knee's, my right ankle, and my right toes. It even was in the left ankle but not too seriously.
After several day of suffering and not being able to get out of my easy chair, (not even to go to the bathroom) my leg was propped up with a pillow under my knee and ankle. On a Sunday I finally called a doctor, she was able to prescribe Colchicine. I started by taking two tablets in the morning and two tablets that evening, then one a day after that. After about 24 hours the pain and swelling started to go away. I still took my cherry juice extract, I believe that the cherries have prevented me from getting gout on several occasions. But when the gout is severe then I need to use Colchicine.
Colchicine has some very serious side effects and should be avoided or at least used with extreme caution in those who have;

• Kidney disease.
• Liver disease.
• Inflammatory Bowl disease.
• A low white blood cell count.

Again WebMd has a great deal of information on Colchicine as well as other medications used for gout.

Gout, Gout, I thought it was gone

The Gout Strikes again

Remember I said that I had been gout free for a while, well I spoke too soon. The very day after I posted that I got gout again.
It was very early Thursday morning, I felt it in my ankle and sure enough when I got up I started the day with a limp. So I took one Colchicine in the morning and one in the afternoon, I took two extra cherry extract, and by morning it was as good as gone. I tried to pinpoint what I ate but there was nothing out of the ordanary.
I don't remember if I have mentioned it but I have only one kidney, so I believe that a lot of my gout is due to poor kidney functiion.

Here are some links to web sites that you might find helpful.

Gout Diet

WebMd



How about you have you had gout latley, what do you think caused it, and how did you treat it?

Talk Later
Kevin

Gout Gout Gout be gone

I have been gout free for about 1 month now. I have been taking two supplements for my gout that I think are working. They are "Cherry Fruit Extract". It's distributed by "Enzymatic Therapy" These are capsules, I take two in the morning and two at night for my gout. I have just started taking "Dr. Cutler's Liver and Kidney Cleanse" this product is put out by "True Health". These are capsules and I take two in the morning and two at night also for my gout. Between the two I believe that the uric acid levels have dropped in my system. I'll find out in a few weeks, I have a blood work up scheduled. I'll fill you in on the results.

Happy blogging

Gout In My Elbow

Greetings all

I just wanted to talk a little bit about gout in the elbow. The first time I got it in my elbow it hit the right elbow. It started out about the same as it does in your toe, you know with that old familiar pain and the stiffness that accompanies the pain. I didn't do to much about it the first day or two but on the third day it was to the point that I couldn't stand the pain any more. Walking became hard every step jarred the elbow and when I would sit I'd have to rest my arm on a pillow in order to keep it from hanging at a VERY uncomfortable angle.

I finally had to go to the emergency room to take care of it. They performed the usual examinations and then the doctor came in with a syringe with a large needle. He said that he was going to remove some fluid from the joint to look for uric acid crystals under the microscope. Guess what, after he returned he told me that he was sure, I had gout. What amazed me was the next day the gout was almost completely gone. I learned something that day "the less fluid on the joint the faster your gout would clear up.

There are several things that I have found that help prevent and get rid of the gout. First is "Tart Cherries" there have been many times when I have felt the first twinges of gout and I started taking cherries and the gout went away by the next morning. Remember that it is the "Tart Cherries" that work. There are several web sits that offer the cherry products and health food stores have cherrie capsules that work very well. Check with the store clerks/owner for their recommended brands. Also there's a web site that has some very good information on gout, the diet that helps prevent gout, and the foods to avoid that cause gout. here's the website. www.webmd.com

That's all for now feel free to comment and tell us what works for you and what brings on your gout.

Kevin H.

I Got Gout

I Got Gout
This is a story of my experience with gout. It all started about seven years ago when I hit my mid 40’s. One day I woke up with this throbbing pain in my big toe. I thought for sure that I had broken it, but had no idea how. After about two days I decided to go to a foot doctor to have it checked out. The doctor asked about 3 questions performed a brief examination he then informed me I had gout. He said that he wanted to be sure so he ordered a blood test and sure enough it came back positive for high levels of uric acid. So begins my new life with my dear friend gout.
Over the next several weeks I learned about the gout diet, the super food that helps you avoid gout, and the large number of people I knew who have gout. I was surprised to find that many people I knew have had gout. Gout has a tendency to run in families, in fact my father, a brother and mother has all suffered with gout. What a pain – ha ha.
Gout, as many of you know is a form of arthritis caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood. This uric acid forms small crystals that deposit in the joints (Acts like sandpaper). The joint that is most favorite is the large joint in the big toe, however I have had gout in my knees, ankles, elbows, and wrist. Gout doesn’t care; it just gets in one of your joints, pitches a tent and camps for several days.
The pain associated with gout can be, and in many cases is the worst pain of any that is caused by arthritis. In fact I believe that it’s as bad as child birth and maybe worse in some cases. I believe this because with child birth the pain lasts for several hours and then you have a child to show for it, but with gout the pain can go on for days, even a bed sheet on your foot can cause excruciating pain. And when it’s finally gone you have nothing to show for it.
I have several other stories about my gout but I’ll save those for future articles. Anyway, what about you?
• Do you have gout?
• Do you know someone who has gout?
• Are there foods that work for you to prevent gout?
• Are there foods that you avoid that have caused gout in the past?
• What else helps?
Post you experience on this blog. Tell everyone about the pain how long it lasted, what helped, what didn’t and maybe between us we can prevent this wicked beast called gout from attacking us or someone we love. Or we can just whine and get it out of our system.
Best wishes
Kevin H.