Gout, help me out

kjd0323

FNG
Joined
Jun 22, 2020
Messages
36
Recently got diagnosed with what my primary doctor seems to think is gout. Waiting for a rheumatoid appointment.

Anyone suffer feet problems, any tips or tricks you use hiking or in the back country
 
Joined
May 6, 2020
Messages
366
Location
Western PA
Plagued with it since I was a late teen. It’s not hard to overcome with medication. For me, I would get it instantly with pressure changes, dehydration, stress and light crappy beer. The beer was easy to take out of the equation but as you can figure the dehydration and pressure changes were tougher. I have a really good dr that put me on uloric and now the knock off febuxostat both are daily pills. I used to get an attack almost monthly and once I got on that I haven’t had a flair up in almost two years.

if you don’t like pills hydration is the key. Cherry juice works but you need to take it regularly. It usually hits people that are out of shape and over weight, both of which I am far from. Only a small group gets it from hereditary reasons which is what I expect is my issue. If you have a few extra pounds plan on loosing them and exercising more. Regular blood work can tell you if your Uric acid levels are up. It can also get set off by shell fish and red meat for some people, processed foods and salty foods. I will never give up my red meat and seafoods soo... work on all the other stuff and it’s manageable.

On a side note, I feel sorry for anyone that has to go thru it. It’s the worse thing anyone can ever have and I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone. Good luck.
 

KClark

WKR
Joined
Jul 15, 2015
Messages
471
Location
Oleta
Nasty business this gout. The pain from an attack is just the beginning, the uric acid crystals collect in your joints and the damage leads to arthritis, bursitis, and bunion like growths on damaged bone. Damaged joints can lead to unnatural foot posture which causes more nastiness like 2nd toe capsulitis. Only another gout victim can sympathize with not letting sheets touch your toes at night because the pain is excruciating.

Get on prescription meds to lower or block uric acid and faithfully take them the rest of your life,gout won't go away on it's own and just because you're not having an attack doesn't mean you're not getting joint damage.

Modify your diet to help lower uric acid production. Educate yourself on foods that raise uric acid levels and trigger attacks. There are many schools of thought on this and if you believe all of it you'll be left with nothing but water and beets. And do drink lots of water, never dehydrate yourself.

Lose weight if you need to, this takes stress off your feet and healthier eating is always a plus.
 
OP
K

kjd0323

FNG
Joined
Jun 22, 2020
Messages
36
Nasty business this gout. The pain from an attack is just the beginning, the uric acid crystals collect in your joints and the damage leads to arthritis, bursitis, and bunion like growths on damaged bone. Damaged joints can lead to unnatural foot posture which causes more nastiness like 2nd toe capsulitis. Only another gout victim can sympathize with not letting sheets touch your toes at night because the pain is excruciating.

Get on prescription meds to lower or block uric acid and faithfully take them the rest of your life,gout won't go away on it's own and just because you're not having an attack doesn't mean you're not getting joint damage.

Modify your diet to help lower uric acid production. Educate yourself on foods that raise uric acid levels and trigger attacks. There are many schools of thought on this and if you believe all of it you'll be left with nothing but water and beets. And do drink lots of water, never dehydrate yourself.

Lose weight if you need to, this takes stress off your feet and healthier eating is always a plus.
Really looking for tips while in the back country?
But thank you.
 

Rich M

WKR
Joined
Jun 14, 2017
Messages
5,106
Location
Orlando
He's just trying to help.

You know what triggers your gout right? I know exactly what triggers mine.

After a dozen or so bouts you'll feel it coming on and will know what you need to do to stem it off.

Want natural remedies:

Drink Lotsa water. Black cherry juice. Baking soda in water. Vinegar and honey in water.

Stay hydrated. Avoid your trigger foods and drinks and you'll be fine.

If you don't change your diet you'll have it for life. Figure out your triggers and fix your diet. Medication should be last case scenario, gout is your body complaining about how you treat it.
 

wildbill

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
168
Try stiff soled hunting foot wear with wide toe box (crispi, colorado and thor’s) other than that daily meds and I mean DAILY. Allpurinol saved me I had it so bad I could not walk without serious limp see if your doc will give you script of indacin to keep in your kit could save a trip. Good luck ,another thing at end of the day get your feet higher than your heart increases blood flow that seems to help as well
 
Joined
May 6, 2020
Messages
366
Location
Western PA
Good points From everyone. I think you need to plan to prevent it before you get it in the back country. Once you get a flare up you are on an uphill battle to get rid of it. And the back country isn’t the place you want to put your feet up until it passes which is about all you can do. Get some prescriptions before you go. Stay away from aspirin while you are in the back country and figure out what sets it off and stay away from it. Really focus on staying hydrated while you are back there. Take electrolytes and beef broth. Drink twice as much fluids as you would normally while you are back there. Suck down cherry juice on the way out... lots of things to prevent it, just need to find what works best for you.
 

KClark

WKR
Joined
Jul 15, 2015
Messages
471
Location
Oleta
Good points From everyone. I think you need to plan to prevent it before you get it in the back country. Once you get a flare up you are on an uphill battle to get rid of it. And the back country isn’t the place you want to put your feet up until it passes which is about all you can do. Get some prescriptions before you go. Stay away from aspirin while you are in the back country and figure out what sets it off and stay away from it. Really focus on staying hydrated while you are back there. Take electrolytes and beef broth. Drink twice as much fluids as you would normally while you are back there. Suck down cherry juice on the way out... lots of things to prevent it, just need to find what works best for you.

(y)

It's all about prevention, prevent it before it's a problem in the back country.
 

FLAK

WKR
Joined
Jan 22, 2014
Messages
2,287
Location
Gulf Coast
I think I get it from time to time in my left big toe. Havent figured out what triggers it though.
Reading what kind of foods cause it looks like everything causes it.
 

boom

WKR
Joined
Sep 11, 2013
Messages
3,185
i suffered from it. hunting with a gout attack was tough. very tough.

my doctor admitted to me that most general physicians she knows don't understand gout. she sent me to a rheumatoid expert. it changed my life.

he explained it for me. you have gout whether your toe (in my case, my knee) hurt or not. he said a normal person can have a normal range of uric acid up to a certain point. a gout sufferer has a much lower tolerance. he said to keep it under 5 (i forget the units). we played with meds until we got 4.8. i havent had a gout attack in a decade. i accepted a daily pill. it was literally a "jagged pill" for me. i felt like a failed somehow needing to take a pill for life. but whatever. the pain was bad..but what was worse was how it affected me with respect to depression.
 

TSAMP

WKR
Joined
Jul 16, 2019
Messages
1,447
Curious what folks feel when they think they have a gout attack coming on?

I had an issue with my foot swelling up after a day hiking in soggy boots. Doc said it was an infection from athletes foot which i did have but it lingered for weeks, basically whole foot all the way up.to my calf swollen. Then suspected gout after swelling was still present after a few weeks. Didnt draw crystals to determine for sure it was gout, but did say i had high 5s for uric acid level, So he said its gout. He spent all of 30 seconds looking at it each time. Dermatologist cured the athletes foot up and final swelling right up and ive been good for months. I run 3 miles a day and am fit, but some days it just seems like i have a dull ache around my ankle, or mostly beneath my calf. Its not painful but noticeable. Driving me crazy not knowing.
 

Dapper

FNG
Joined
Apr 28, 2013
Messages
43
Hello, I've had gout a number of times. Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother) mixed with water seems to do the trick for me. A tablespoon or so mixed with water, a few times a day when I feel it coming on. I got some gout meds from the doctor that were expensive and did pretty much nothing. I haven't had it for a couple of years now, but I started taking a 750 mg Extra Strength Apple Cider Vinegar tablets once a day. I have no idea if this is the reason for no recent attacks, but I started taking the tablets a couple years ago. I just take it every morning. Good luck, it would suck having an attack on a hunting trip.
 

Dapper

FNG
Joined
Apr 28, 2013
Messages
43
When mine starts coming on, it felt like the base of my big toe was sore or had been jammed. Of course the first time I didn't know what the heck was going on. After finding out is was gout that initial time, When I feel it coming on the follwing times, I jumped on the apple cider vinegar, liquid. That seemed to help. Mine has always affected my foot, kind of the toe area. Its definitely related to uric acid, though I never really thought I over indulged in foods related to it. I'm 67, exercise daily (3 hours) so I'm in pretty good shape.
 

KClark

WKR
Joined
Jul 15, 2015
Messages
471
Location
Oleta
The only way to know if home remedies are working is to have the blood test. Just because you don't have attacks doesn't mean you don't have gout and have stopped the damage progressing in your joints. Basically, when you have gout, you have gout. It doesn't come and go, that's just the attacks. The high uric acid is forming crystals in your joints that are like sand in a bearing.

I hate going to the doctor and I hate having a long term prescription but the home remedies didn't do it for me. I eliminated the frequent attacks by drinking plenty of water, modifying my diet and adding cherry juice, apple cider vinegar, etc. but I was fooling myself because the damage was still happening without the attacks.
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2017
Messages
349
Location
Colorado
Only an occasional outbreak here (1-2X/yr) but always fear a wave will hit when a few miles away from the truck. Learn to recognize early symptoms and work with your Doc beforehand for a prescription you have in-hand when a wave hits.

Losing 20# helped immensely and I went from 4-5 flares to 1-2 flares per year. One item does not trigger a flare for me, but 2-3 days of trigger foods will. Some items like processed sausage sticks for more than 2 days are triggers for me, especially when backpacking. Low-sodium jerky though is perfectly safe for me. Even salted peanuts are safe. High sodium combined with nitrates and MSG are triggers which makes meal planning in the woods tough sometimes. Can have a glass of wine at night no issue, too many beers on a weekend and trouble will follow.

No special footwear or anything - key for me is preventing a flare from getting to the crippling stage. Catch and treat at first sign of discomfort. Can always limp out and around when a flare is just starting and one toe begins that dull ache, could not even walk when in full on flare mode let alone put on a shoe.

I carry tabs of colchicine in my pack at all times. As soon as I feel that early sign of pressure I take as prescribed. For me that immediately halts any progression and in 12 hours am completely back to normal. I may not be running a sprint in the 12 hours, but can still walk slowly and without much pain. Colchicine, at least for me, immediately halts and progression of symptoms so early detection is the key.

If you are a chronic sufferer (generally stated as >3X/yr) then Doc will run you through a crapload of lab tests and prescribe a daily med (something like allopurinol). I prefer not to get on that bandwagon and watch my diet and water intake closely and know what food combos are higher risk from a decade of experience.

Word of wisdom - save your pennies and prepare for sticker shock: the four different insurance carriers I have had the last few years cover very little of the colchicine costs - and they are pricey!! ($100/30 tabs here.) I always make sure I have at least 10 tabs in my pack at all times, maybe a few more in packed in for >3 days. Make sure to replenish prescription annually, I can attest that old colchicine is far less effective than fresh. One Rx fill for me per year is plenty.
 

jcarrera

FNG
Joined
Feb 25, 2018
Messages
13
Location
CALIFORNIA
Eye opening. Thanks for the reminder I gotta do more of somethings and less of others. Good luck with your condtition.
 
Joined
Oct 1, 2018
Messages
659
Location
Knoxville, TN
For me it was my left toe. First time I had it I thought I broke my toe. Man did it hurt. Narrowed it down to high fructose corn syrup being the most likely culprit. I now look at everything I buy to make sure it doesn't contain it. Problem is just about everything has it!!!! Started working out and drinking lots of water. Doc gave me some pills to take if it hits again, can't remember what they were. Seemed to reduce the pain of an attack. Haven't need them in a couple of years.
 

cgar82

FNG
Joined
Jul 22, 2020
Messages
6
I feel your pain. I have had it for over 20 years and just dealt with it until I keep getting acute attacks that would literally put me down for a few days at a time. I didn't want to resort to pill taking but finally was put on Allopurinal and for the most part, has stayed away. For acute attacks pre-pill popping, a cortisone shot in the ass cleared it up in minutes. But who wants to take steroids all the time. My biggest issue is that I'm hard headed and refuse to change my diet or drinking habits.
 

Bob6180

FNG
Joined
Jul 24, 2020
Messages
30
I'm dealing with this now weeks before going to Mt for a week. I got a cortisone shot but the symptoms are lingering. The prednisone helped, but kept me up until 2-3am every night, so I'd have to have a few stiff drinks to fall asleep Ho do you guys take the apple cider vinegar?
 
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