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Finally got a diagnosis (of sorts).? Several flares over the years that were attributed to various things, general arthritis, bursitis, you name it.? I was convinced it was gout after reading through this forum and most recent index finger joint flare had me in to the doc to get some blood work.? Turns out uric acid was at 11.8 !
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This wonderful flare in the last joint on index finger was dreadful, until it spread to my elbow and has become by far the worst pain I've experienced.? My whole arm was sore for a day or two in the midst of the worst of it.? Went thru Indocin, diclofenac, and miloxipam (sp?) and little to no relief, finally is starting to die down now.? Voltaren gel spread on the site seemed to provide some relief, but that could have been in my head.?
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Unfortunately, I went to the orthopaedic doc that Ive seen for a while now for this, and he had to refer me back to a GP for care for gout, which I didnt have.? The appointment is not until next week… After reading here, I sternly requested Colchicine but he declined because “They dont prescribe that, it needs to be monitored for serious diarrhea complications”.? He did start me on the Allop 300mg, so at least I can start to lower this damn level.? I am a bit concerned about releasing this stuff back into the bloodstream without colchicine to fight it off, though I am hoping the NSAIDs i have will help until i can make it to the general practitioner to get a prescription for Colcyrs (sp?).?
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Just wanted to share my story and hopefully chronicle my start with Allopurinol and subsequent blood tests to see how this goes.? As I was confined to my chair reading the site the past week or so, I was comforted by the advice and info shared by those here, Keith, zip2play, lod and hans and others.? Unfortunately I didnt get the sense that the doc knew half as much as those here, I will set an appointment with the rheumy if this GP doesnt turn out to be any better.? Thanks for this wonderful place and would appreciate any advice as I begin this journey with Allop
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John
What a fantastic first post. Welcome, piyo.
It sounds like your doctor is a waste of space, so you are going to have to train him, or change. Training doctors seems like a poor choice, but trust me – it's good for the soul.
The allopurinol treatment is good, but you will need to take care of testing and results. Get tested every 4 weeks until things stabilize, then you can test less frequently, but never less than once per year. Results must never be above 5mg/dL. I opt for a few months well below this to speed up the process of dissolving old crystals. I'm happily at 3mg/dL with 900mg allopurinol per day. I would never have contemplated this without the love and support from contributors to this forum, so your appreciation of my friends makes me very happy. Someone might be peeved to be not mentioned, which is why I resist naming names, but everyone who contributes here is making a difference to the way gout is perceived and treated.
With uric acid extermination at this level, pain thankfully becomes less of an issue every day, but it does need dealing with. I'm lucky to have a bottle of colchicine pills, but I rarely need them. I trust them to stop the pain getting worse, but I'm much happier with ibuprofen, which has always helped me through the gout pain. You need to find something that works for you, safe in the knowledge that, with uric acid under control, the need for pain relief diminishes day by day. Anti-inflammatories seem the obvious choice, but anything that works is good. I have come to realize that, once you know you have the uric acid under control, pain management becomes much simpler – just ask the doc or pharmacist for something that works. Personally, I'd leave steroids until I worked through everything else, but if they work for you, then that is good.
Enjoy beating this, and thanks for your inspiration. Voltaren gel in the head probably means the pain is affecting your aim, but things will get better.
Piyo,?I wish you better luck then i've had trying to tame this beast. I've been taking 200mgs of Allo a day for 18 months. Along with 1 Colchicine twice a day for over a year. My last blood test showed my acid was under 4 but the pain is still there every day the longer i'm on my feet the worse it gets. Like Keith said stay a way from the steroids if you can. They messed up my heart.
Thanks for the response guys.? I am certainly planning to monitor the SUA levels as closely as I can, particularly since mine was so high to begin with.? I hope to find a testing kit, with my brother being a diabetic i can certainly see the value in those.?
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One question for you both though, I didnt mention any sterioial stuff that I am taking did I?? If so, I was unaware of that.? I have read the warnings on here about the effects of stuff like prednisone, but I was thinking everything that I've taken so far has been an NSAID.? Please let me konw if otherwise!
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Keith, I think that the lack of empathy from our doctors here in the US has been a recent trend.? Their steadily reducing payouts from insurance/govt are requiring them to ramp up the?# of patients to offset and they just dont seem to want to spend time with patients anymore.? I hope the GP I am visiting next week is different.. I am not opposed to training an otherwise empathetic doctor, it's just that those are so hard to find these days.
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Limpy sorry to hear about your constant pain, I am lucky enough to be relatively pain free when the flares are not present.? Although that is becoming less and less these days.? With a UA level that low for that long, might there be something else conrtibuting to the pain?? Do you find the colchicine helpful for it?
Piyo, The Colchicine does help. In the passed year I've tried to ween off of?it. I'll be ok for about a week then the pain comes back so strong?I have no choice but to get back on it.?I would love to get off it and only take it if?I have a flare. Besides the price jumping from $28 to $310 for a months supply. This running to the?bathroom on a moments notice sucks. The last time?I went to the rheumy he?gave me a?script for 500MGs of?Naproxen one tab twice a day?for the pain?I must admit?I haven't really given them a try. Because of going into Afib last Nov I've been scared of taking any more meds than?I have to. Even tho my heart dr. said they would be ok for me. As far as Prednisone it would stop the attacks for as long as?I was on it. But as soon as?I stopped taking it they would come right back and I'd have to up up the dose. That went on for 8 months. Till the dr. finaly put me on Colchicine.?I still don't know why in hell he waited so long to do that.?I hope?I never have to take?Prednisine again as i'm sure it was a big factor in me going into Afib.
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