Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: Cameroo on June 07, 2013, 05:24:10 pm
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Here's a little public service announcement for you guys :)
A couple weeks ago I noticed a pain in my left foot at the base of my big toe. I had injured it about 7 years ago playing football with some buddies, so I figured maybe I bumped it and that irritated it, and didn't think much else about it.
Another day went by and just in a matter of an hour or two the toe was so painful I couldn't even walk. When I tried to put weight on it, the tendon across the top of the toe would tense-up and the pain in the toe would be so intense I'd almost buckle to my knees. I spent the rest of the day laid up with ice on it. My wife told me it sounded like gout, but due to my previous injury, I just disregarded most of what she was telling me. ;)
So the next day I went to the clinic, had some X-rays and bloodwork done, and sure as sh!#, it turns out that I had gout. I always thought that gout was something that "older people" got, and being 33, I never expected it.
I started some meds and within two days the toe was pretty much back to normal. Thankfully acute gout attacks are fairly easy to treat. But I started researching a bit to find out why I might have got it. Gout occurs when there is a build up of uric acid in your blood, which can form sharp needle-like crystals that tend to accumulate around joints, mainly in the foot, and specifically at the base of the big toe. There are many different things that can cause it, including diet (high intake of red meat and certain seafoods, alcohol) certain medical conditions (hypertension), or family history of gout. None of these really set off any red flags in my mind, but I also found out from the pharmacist that dehydration can play a big part in it too. He said it is very common for young men to not drink enough water.
I've known for a long time that I don't drink anywhere near the 2 liters that doctors recommend. And it doesn't help that I drink a ton of coffee, which actually dehydrates you even more. I know that the days leading up to the flair up I was definitely lacking water.
Since then I've been trying to drink a minimum of 2 liters a day, preferably 3 or 4 just to help flush all the bad stuff out. I'm supposed to go back in a couple weeks for another pee test to see if the uric acid levels have dropped back down to normal, so I guess that's when I'll know for sure if my lack of water was the main cause. If that's the only lifestyle change I have to make to keep it from reoccurring, that's easy enough.
So the moral of the story kiddies is to make sure you drink your water! And no, coffee does not count! :)
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I came down with it 2 years ago, and I couldn't put a boot on for two days. It hit my big toe on the right foot that I had broke many years ago speed breaking 2" concrete patio tiles. I thought I had refractured it climbing a 2 to 1 slope all day. The Doctor said it was Gout as soon as he saw it and I insisted on x-rays.Guess what, it was gout. Since then I changed my diet, backed off of the beer drinking, ate yogurt, vegetables and started drinking red wine when I wanted alcohol.
I also started drinking anywhere from 4 to 8 litres of water a day. I haven't had a problem since then. Now when I drink beer it's just a few and high dollar stuff, can't beat Beck's Saffire.
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i have it too in both feet.it sucks.watch taking the meds for it.i quit taking mine.they cause your kidneys to fail.i used to take allopurinol once a day.i just found out that taking that is worse than having hurting feet.i adjusted my diet though.good luck,i feel for you brother.
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The cook at a little sandwich shop I go to regularly told me that he had a flare up a couple of weekends ago
after eating pork chops for dinner the night before. said that screwed up his whole weekend.
so when I left there today I told him not to eat too many pork chops this weekend. >:D
he laughed..
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Allopurinol.
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lots of lemon water, lots of water and eat 10 cherrys a day is also supposed to help, I eat dried cherrys
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I thought that's what I had,turned out to be arthritis,I thought cool,don't have to lay of the red meat or quit drinking beer like Eddie said I would. ;) ;D ;D ;D
Pappy
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Pappy, you're an optimist if I've ever met one.
-Dan
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Yea, Dan I started to tell him Gout was a form of arthritus but didn't want to burst his bubble of optimismn. ;)
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:o :( :( :( ??? :-\
Pappy
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I had my first gout attack 12 years ago. I went to the doctor and told him I had a spider bite, cause my ankle was swollen to the point I could not even walk. He looked at it and said he thought it was gout. I said "Bull___! Thats an old man disease and I am only 29!" Turned out he was right. He told me: no red meat, no cheese, and no beer. I said that was 95% of my diet he just discribed! That was added punishment for those times when I drank too much beer. not only was I hung over, but my ankle would swell up big and I had trouble walking.
Now I too am on allupurinal and its better.
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The reason I changed my diet, slowed down on drinking beer,(drinking a Stella right now) :D and started drinking a lot of water is I didn't want to go on medication. I haven't had a problem since.
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The reason I changed my diet, slowed down on drinking beer,(drinking a Stella right now) :D and started drinking a lot of water is I didn't want to go on medication. I haven't had a problem since.
My thoughts exactly. I don't think I eat an unusual amount of red meat, mostly chicken actually. I never was a big beer drinker either. Probably don't even drink a dozen in a year. So I'm hoping that the increased water intake will take care of things, because I don't want to be taking pills just to hide the symptoms. My body is trying to tell me something, I should probably try to figure that out :)
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Cam,
Yes, listen to your body. Not trying to sound weird, but if you are healthy, feel good and all of a sudden don't, something's not right.
I have had a lot of friends in the military telling me how much water I should have been drinking instead of beer at the end of the day instead of hydrating with water, and drinking more all day.
The biggest thing I did to keep from going on medication was drinkinking water.
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Cam that's a painful experience you described. When I was about 30 my left big toe swelled up, was red, felt warm to the touch like it had a fever and HURT!!! I went to the doctor.. I could barely walk and the pain was a pulsating pain like a burn and a bad toothache.. It was incapacitating. I couldn't even think. Gout. I've never known such pain. I didn't think my toe could feel so much pain. I haven't had it since and thank God I haven't. I don't ever want to have that experience.
Ciprian
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when I got gout the first time I had actually just lost nearly 40 lbs, and was in the best condition that I had been in since I was a kid. I had a gout flare up about every 2 years until just last year and a half. Then it became a realy problem. I know I need to change my eating habits. i have cut way back on the beer (one or two a month) and watching how much high fat food. I have had to start taking meds for a couple of things in the last year,and that is a sign I needt o make some changes. Criveraville, you are right, I have never had such a pain as when gout flares up.
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It sucks getting old..! >:D Today I went for a long walk just over 2 miles. As I sat on the bench to rest a bit and take in the scenery the sun was penetrating my arthritic right hand. Lo and behold within 10 minutes the pain was gone and still is 3 hours later. ........ ;) ;) ;) ;)