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I'm only 21 and have been diagnosed with Gout. I'm 5'7 and weigh 265 pounds, also, I'm a heavy drinker. So, you can say that I did that to myself. Atm, I'm really depressed. Random Gout attacks cripples me and I am bedridden for the most part. I can't hang out with my friends or family because of painful ankles/knees. Knowing that I will have to live with Gout for the rest of my Life is also very depressing… I sometimes contemplate suicide, but I am much stronger than that…
-ChouYang
Chou- Welcome to the Best Gout resource on the net!
You'll get plenty of advice and support here, and rest assured most of us have felt just like you do.
The main thing to remember is it CAN be managed and the upside of your unfortunate news is you HAVE a diagnosis. That is something that many struggle to get , even in later life , when it is more common.
Good to hear you are strong- you will need endeavour to bring this illness into check, but with the right mental attitude and ability to get self help , you are already halfway there.
It's a sunny Sunday- and I'm off on a 7 mile walk, having knocked back the BP meds, Colchicine to deal with the Uriscoric med I'm now on- and I'm overweight too. Nothing like a bit of company, Hey!
PS: You know the drinking, other than good H2O is off menu -for a long while?
Chou Yang,
SInce your weight and height calculate to a BMI of 41.6 place you in the class 3 category of obesity commonly called morbid obesity or super obesity, it must be dealt with. One of the direct conditions of weight that high is gout.
The best cure for super obesity is a regimented diet under the care of specialists in the field. Something like a 2,000 calorie diet with exercise to the point that your gout will allow is necessary. Alas a 2,000 calorie diet does not leave any room for more than a single drink or two (a beer is about 160 calories and a martini is 250.) But I guarantee, if you can maintain 2000 calories, counting every one, you will drop 2 pounds a week…and that's 30 pounds by New Year's day.
Beware though, that rapid weight loss, and that's what you need will result in more gout attacks. There are meds that can and will stop these attacks during your weight loss if they are given in large enough doses to keep your blood serum uric acid below 4.0 mg./dL or even 3.0, tested on a monthly basis. I am thinking a combination of allopurinol and probenecid….maybe 300 mg. and 1000 mg. respectively, but there are other choices.
What you have going for you is your age and the fact that you realize your dire situation. You also know that depression, while completely natural, will not help you.
You have 2 situations that MUST be handled together, you cannot deal with just the weight or just the gout… and perhaps a third, the heavy driniking. Do you want to elaborate on how much you drink on a daily average?
Have you ever watched THE WORLD'S BIGGEST LOSER on TV? I find it inspirational (don't laugh!)
I hate the two words “bariatric siurgery” and would NEVER have it done for myself or anyone I loved, but I do know a woman who had it done less thhan 2 years ago and has gone from >400 pounds to 121 (she claims, I think she weight much less today.) If she doesn't stop losing I fear she she will soon be dead but she claims to feel well and thus I keep my mouth shut. But I am sure someone will bring it up. I advise against it becasue you are too young and have other options open to you.
Please tell me you don't smoke.
Chou, you can beat this. Just hang in there. I and other on here know the pain and depresstion your going thu. This last year was hard on me, but after 3 1/2 months on Allop me pain level is down to almost none. I had the same thoughts as you to the point of sending my handgun home with my brother. So get on the meds and off the booze. You can do it. Good luck. LIMPY
Hello Chou,
I've been lurking here for a while, but have never signed up or posted. I read your post and thought, “That sounds exactly like I was.” Since I've been there, I know that what you are not looking for at this moment is weight loss advice. You are not looking for someone to blame you for getting yourself into this position.
You are likely depressed and in more pain than you have experienced previously in your life. Many of us have been there. At this moment, cutting off your leg may even seem like a legitimate pain management idea.
There is some really good advice here about pain management. Naproxen works so much better than anything else for me that I have gone to great lengths to get it in Japan where it is not sold.
The biggest thing to understand at this moment is this. If your doctor has never had gout, your family members have never had gout, and your friends have never had gout, none of them understand this pain. And frankly, there is nothing you can do to truly make them understand. The people here do understand and reading through this forum can be just as helpful to your overall well being as medicine. Stick with it.
Chou, you even checking back in here after your post?
Anyways, just to let you know I'm 24 and I had gout since 19 because of over consumption of meat + intense physical trauma to the big toe. I was depressed for the first two weeks, I didn't know what to eat so I just sat there and suffered thinking I can never touch meat ever again.
All I can say to you is, it gets better, more quickly than you think! Did you see the doctor?
I'm usually doing very well for months at a time and I get the better of myself and let loose a little bit too much, had my first attack in months last week and I just went to see my doctor for some prescriptions, he gave me aleve and colchicine and I'm doing better already.
The most important thing is to keep things consistent whether it is your diet, exercise, or medication.
Good Luck.
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