Telling someone I got tested for gout sounds shameful or humiliating. Right? Gout sounds like one of those STDs that your doctor would throw some penicillin your way to treat.
Well, it’s not clear, or I wouldn’t be writing this post. I’ve recently experienced several gout flare-ups, and let me tell you how absolutely horrific gout is.
To help us get through this, I’ll be covering:
- What exactly is gout in my own words
- Some gout triggers and my theory about mine
- How I hope to move forward with my gout
Before we proceed, what’s coming next is based on my research and gout experience. If you believe you could have gout, then I do recommend going to see your doctor. Now, let’s dive in.
What exactly is gout, in my own words?
According to Penn Medicine, “gout is a kind of arthritis that occurs when uric acid builds up in the joints. It can be very painful.” (https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/patient-information/conditions-treated-a-to-z/gout).
Absolutely, it is excruciating. Gout is also horrific and stupid, and having a flare-up really sucks. I’ve had three unfortunate flare-ups since late August. All the attacks happened suddenly and mainly at night. I awoke each time to the top of my foot (around the big toe joint) being extraordinarily red and swollen. My big toe was cursing me. And woah, the tenderness my foot was. The slightest touch, like the bed sheet, was gut-wrenching.
I thought I had a bunion or a fracture the first time, so I shuffled my butt into the doctor’s office. On the heel of my left foot, I should add. They x-rayed my foot even though the doctor was pretty confident it was gout. Lab later confirmed this when the blood test showed high uric acid levels, and the x-ray showed no fractures. So, we discussed what gout is.
The doctor told me how uric acid builds up in your joints and forms crystals around them. These hell crystals are what cause the irritation and inflammation. I was told many things, like to stay off my foot as much as possible, drink plenty of water, take ibuprofen for the pain, and stay away from red meat while the uric acid and crystals around my big toe joint work their way out of my system. I was given an excellent anti-inflammatory and told to return if I had another flare-up.
Well, I didn’t go back the second time. That was on me.
I returned to the doctor last week with the third flare-up for more treatment. These flare-ups are becoming a quality-of-life issue. I’ve grown very tired of them. The doctor prescribed me more medicine to reduce inflammation and gout pain. Hopefully, this was my last flare-up for a long time. Because I understand there’s no cure for gout, but I can make lifestyle changes to help decrease the attacks.
Some gout triggers and my theory about mine
Between talking with the doctors and my online research, some common gout triggers discussed were family history, age & sex, weight, and diet. Which of these do you think I undesirably check off? All of the above? Bingo. Sigh!
Check. Family history – I do indeed have family members who have gout.
Check. Age & sex – Men between 30 and 50 are more likely to develop gout. I’m a dude and right smack in the middle of this range.
Check. Weight – Your blood produces more uric acid if you’re overweight. Which I am according to the BMI chart.
Check. Diet – High-purine foods are some of the worst foods for gout. Also, not drinking enough water. I consume high-purine foods such as beer, soft drinks, seafood, and meats, and I don’t drink enough water most days.
Yes, my family history, age, sex, and weight are all possibilities for why I have that dirty-sounding gout. But I believe something else was the straw that broke the camel’s back to make my initial flare-up. Ironically, it was something I started eating to be healthier.
I don’t understand the science behind it, but eating high purine foods can increase the chances of a gout attack. Shellfish and shrimp are just some of the fish on the list. I was eating the heck out of some shrimp sushi (two to three times a week) during the summer months, leading to my first gout attack in late August. Sushi filled me up, was lower in calories, and was much better for me than Bojangles.
This could have been the ultimate cause for my gout flare-up. It can’t be a mere coincidence. So maybe we “gouties” should watch our shrimp sushi intake. Goutie? What a terrible thing to call myself.
How I hope to move forward with my gout
Unfortunately, I will have gout for the rest of my life. There’s no cure-all, but there are behavioral changes I can make to space out the flare-ups. Since I have no control over my family history, age, or sex. These changes would have to be made with what I can control: my weight and diet.
My weight has definitely been an issue for some time. I’ve written about this in other posts. I worked on my weight before the flare-ups and even shredded some weight. I had gotten active by hitting the gym several times weekly, walking the greenway with my girlfriend, and hiking the Carolina Thread Trails around me. I can return to that point once my uric acid levels are low and the crystals around my big toe joint are gone.
So now that leaves my diet. I need to drastically reduce some things and work toward a modified lower purine food diet. Here’s a list of the first-wave things I’m going to work on or continue to work on:
- Obviously, I need to drink more water. I must consume the recommended 6-8 glasses of water daily.
- Eat more plants and vegetables. I don’t eat enough of these now.
- Drink less sugary drinks like soda, fruit drinks, and sports drinks. I start most days with a Diet Sundrop for my morning source of caffeine, and I order a Diet Coke almost every time I eat out. I need to drink water when I eat out.
- Beer can prevent your kidneys from knocking out the uric acid. I am a social drinker. I now need to be mindful of my beer drinking. Ask myself, do I really need that next beer?
- Eating less red meats like beef and bacon. I don’t eat steaks, but I enjoy a cheeseburger occasionally. I need to continue to make cheeseburgers a “now and then” thing.
- Eat less fast food and other foods with high fructose corn syrup.
- The last time I ate shrimp sushi was before the gout, but I could eat it sparingly. I don’t see myself totally eliminating shrimp sushi from my diet.
I can begin with numbers one and two and then move to five through seven. I’m afraid I’ll burn myself out and fail with this endeavor if I take on all at once.
In Conclusion
Thank you, if you’re still with me. I know that gout is not very attractive or exciting. This journey has been awful, and writing this has actually been a benefit to me.
We reviewed gout, some causes and triggers, and my action plan to optimistically reduce gout events.
Remember, gout is excruciating, horrific, and stupid, and having a flare-up really sucks. But nothing to be embarrassed about. Hopefully, you gained some valuable insight and lessons learned through my experiences. When I say through my experiences, I really mean through my suffering. Laugh out loud!
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