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I have had recurring gout for the last 4 weeks. It subsides after using Prednisone for a few days but then returns.
My whole foot is swollen like a balloon.
Is this normal with gout?
Does gout make your whole foot swell? I have had several occasions when gout has affected my whole foot. Sometimes this has been quite persistent, though 4 weeks is a long time for a gout attack. Because:
the common theme is stubborn or prolonged gout that lasts much longer than the usual three days to a week.
The best thing to do would be to get gout confirmed by a rheumatologist. Analysis of fluid from the affected joints can prove gout. Also check for other diseases with gout-like symptoms.
The real issue, assuming it is gout, is what are you doing to control uric acid so that future attacks subside? Unless you guide your medical advisers to come up with a plan for maintaining your uric acid below 6mg/dL, you will suffer increasingly painful gout attacks in your feet and increasingly more joints. Because:
there are significant consequences if you ignore your uric acid level. Because gout pain gets worse. Then gout pain affects more joints. Also, each attack lasts longer until you are in constant pain.
DuckBoat,
Prednisone is not the drug of choice for a gout attack. Best is colchicine…probable second best is ibuprofen.
But there's no substitute for long term control of uric acid probably with allopurinol IF you have confirmed gout.
DuckBoat,
Yes, gout is caused by excessive uric acid in our body and the best way is to address that is to seek medical advice on ways to maintain your uric acid at aceptable levels.
Meanwhile, in order to relieve your sufferings from pain and inflammation you could consider trying black bean broth. For more details go to “Black Bean Cure for Gout” – under Gout Cures (Pg. 1). It worked very well for me and I hope it would work for you too. I have not had any relapse for more than a couple of months, which could also be due to my efforts in refraining from too much gout food and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
DuckBoat said:
I have had recurring gout for the last 4 weeks. It subsides after using Prednisone for a few days but then returns.
My whole foot is swollen like a balloon.
Is this normal with gout?
Yes! That is normal to have a swollen foot. My foot is swollen, and I am pain – Nurofen and Votrol has brought me instant relief
Jaffa said:
Nurofen and Votrol has brought me instant relief
Nurofen is simply ibuprofen in a fancy box and 10 times price tag.
Is Votrol an alternate brand for Voltarol, i.e. diclofenac? I wouldn’t think it wise to mix the anti-inflammatories.
I believe they are one and the same and worse than the effect of mixing is the fact that diclofenac is one of the few anti-inflammatory agents that interferes with uric acid elimination, i.e. it is ANTI-uricosuric. It is an absolute no-no for gout sufferers.
It's actually pretty toxic in many respects, gout or no gout…a dreadful drug.
Is that the drug you meant, Jaffa.
I am a 54-year-old male 6′ 4″ and my weight varies from 215 to 230 lbs. I had my 1st gout attack when I was 29 years old and my doctor withdrew the fluid from the gouty joint to make sure. It was very painful and I thought he was joking when he said what he was going to do. At that time I don’t remember what might have triggered the attack but I played basketball 3 to 4 times a week for hours. I also would drink lots of beer every day.
A bad gout attack will make your foot throb with sharp jabbing pains. Your whole foot can swell to where your toes do not touch the floor. The area affected will turn red and shiny. It is so sensitive that even a sheet hurts. I have had severe attacks that lasted 2-3 weeks. It hurt so bad that I would put ice or frozen towels on it. I have read since that cold is bad since it thickens the blood and causes more crystals to form.
The cure really bad attack was a shot of colchicine in the butt administered by a very cute nurse. I was told by my Dr. that Allopurinol is good for controlling uric acid but can actually precipitate a gout attack and that it should not be used during a gout attack. I usually take colchicine and, during an attack or when I feel the gout twinge, will take Indomethacin or Indocine. It is a NS-AID and is very strong. My father and brother both have gout, and we call the Indocine pills the Green Bombers. I have found Indocine to be the most effective med but I try not to take it because it is hard on the body.
I have found that stressful situations and stress on a joint (jumping, squatting, walking or running) can trigger an attack. I also have sleep apnea and have found that I will wake in the middle of the night with gout pain. It is usually gone in the morning. I have had attacks triggered by long flights (14 to 15 hours), walking on cobblestone roads. I think the sure formula for an attack is eating lots of red meat or pork, shrimp or seafoods, beans, drinking about 6 to 7 -12 or 16 oz beers in one day, standing or walking all day. Someone mentioned spaghetti sauce as causing gout but I think any sauce made with meat or organ meat will bring up the uric acid. Meatless sauce should be OK. I usually drink lots of distilled water and cut out meat and booze at the first sign of an attack.
I have also gotten attacks by not eating for long periods of time so it is not always what you eat but how often. I still play hoops once a week to keep my weight down but have to remember not to over do it. I hope some of this was helpful to someone.
M
Michael said:
It hurt so bad that I would put ice or frozen towels on it. I have read since that cold is bad since it thickens the blood and causes more crystals to form.
[….] I was told by my Dr. that Allopurinol is good for controlling uric acid but can actually precipitate a gout attack and that it should not be used during a gout attack.
M
Ice is OK for a ten minute application, but get the joint back up to temperature afterwards (warm towel) and keep affected joints warm at all times. Temperature affects the point at which crystals form (the saturation point). The lower the tempearate, the lower the saturation point.
Allopurinol is recommended not to be STARTED during an attack, but if you have started, you should not stop it.
The area affected will turn red and shiny.
Good you mentioned the word SHINY, Michael…nobody else has. And you are right, there is a certain SHININESS when the big toe is involved. Almost enough to be diagnostic. The shiniiness is striking the first time you see it.
Gout Whole Foot Swollen
It’s good to see that this popular post is still helping gout sufferers looking for advice when their whole foot is swollen. In fact, it was the most popular topic yesterday. So I will search for related gout topics about unexpected swollen body parts. Then I’ll link them here.
For current discussions in the new gout forum see Gout Pain Gone But Still Swollen. Or better still, start your own topic about swollen gout.
Finally (for now), see how untreated uric acid leads to this problem spreading in Gout Swollen Hand
Yes, Gouty = Shiny
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