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anyone ever had gout?

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Posted 9/6/2009 2:43 PM (GMT 0)
Last night in the middle of the night my big toe starting hurting really really bad - felt like it was broken.  It is swollen and red and very painful to touch.  I looked up big toe pain on the internet and it sounds like a classic case of gout which is a type of arthriitis (I've never had it before).  Of course all the stuff I read said to get to the doctor for treatment but since we are in the middle of a holiday weekend that is easier said than done.  It's weird that this happened the night that I took my first dose of methotrexate (I hope the two are not related).

Anyone had experience with this?  Is it okay to wait til Tuesday to call the doc and just treat with ice and pain meds at home?

Posted 9/6/2009 3:40 PM (GMT 0)
I had gout a couple of times in the 90s and it was my first physical symptom when I got MCTD in 2005 except it turned out not to be gout in that instance.  You need to get treatment and the first course is usually indomethecin (an NSAID) which will take the swelling down and allow adequate circulation to get rid of the purine crystals in your toe joint.

Gout attacks occur due to an increase of uric acid in your blood which can result in the deposition of purine crystals in the joints (gout) and the uric acid levels need to be controlled.  Maintenance meds like allopurinol are the traditional treatment.  It was thought that diet contributed to gout and certain foods and drink avoided but some research has indicated that is not as important as once thought.  There is also something called false gout but this is a different disease.

http://arthritis.about.com/od/gout/ht/treatgout.htm

Gout attacks can be extremely painful.....an 11 or 12 on a 1-10 pain scale and can be quite alarming.  Relief is usually within a couple of days after starting treatment.  Don't wait for treatment....go to an emergency room if your doctor will not immediately see you.

Bill

Posted 9/7/2009 3:36 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Hippi,

I have gout and as Bill said it is extremely painful! I now take allopurinol daily and it controls it well. On the rare occasions I do have an attack I keep my foot elevated and take Aleve for the pain and inflammation. I notice some relief in a few hours. Like you I wake up in the night with pain and inflammation because when you lie down for several hours the purine crystals settle in one place. I would definitely get it checked out by a doctor. I did wait because I thought it was just a lupus flare and each episode got worse. Let us know how you make out.

Sandy

Posted 9/7/2009 1:49 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the replies. Now I'm not sure what it is. Yesterday morning it was extremely painful, red and swollen and felt broken, but by the end of yesterday the pain had decreased a lot and today it is just a little sore and tender, so it doesn't sound like gout.
Posted 9/8/2009 4:14 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry you are having this pain. For me, it is related to my nerves and lumbar spine. For my son, it ended up being a broken toe that he didn't even know he had and it wasn't healing well.

They thought my ex had gout and gave him the meds and it ended up being a dislocated finger. 

There is gout and pseudogout,as Bill says, and the treatment is different. An xray ought to help for starters. I get arthritis in the big toe too that gets hot and swells and hurts bad.

I know very few, if any, people who have ended up having actual gout. It always seems like gout, but ends up being something else. In my mom's case, she didn't know she broke her toe and they had to put pinsin them to get them to heal right.

I hope it is just the old arthritis. Resting your back might help too along with your feet. And wearing good shoes is a real help, even thick slippers can help.  Doctor scholl's makes a gel soled sneaker that is made for people on their feet.

Hope it goes away soon.

 

Posted 9/10/2009 1:57 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Hippi,

When my attacks first started they were exactly like yours. I only mentioned it in passing to my doctor because like you, I didn't think it was gout since it came and went so quickly. However, my labs showed it was indeed a gout attack I was having. At least mention it because each attack gets worse.

Sandy

Posted 9/12/2009 4:46 AM (GMT 0)
Hi hippi, hope this is doing better. With my boyfriend, the gout medicine did't help at all. Finally, tired of the pain and swelling, the urge took him to manipulate the finger and he popped it back in place.

I get the lupus swelling and pain. They should be able to rule out the lupus or the gout with imaging and testing. I hope you are feeling better.
Posted 9/15/2009 2:13 AM (GMT 0)
This is really strange. I also had my ankle swell up at 2;oo am I like to never made it to the bathroom. It stayed that way all the next day, I looked like a 93 yr old woman trying to get through the house. But I also hurt everywhere. I was really worried about what kind of shape I was going to wake up in Sunday morning. It was totally gone! I was so glad several people actually seen it because I'm starting to feel like a hypo-c ! I thought about calling my pcp but being he is totally useless I just threw it to the wind. Today the lady who cuts my hair was tellin me that she does the same thing & that it is sle. Is this true? maybe I should get up tomorrow & call my rhuemy & at least let him know I've had a flare up, of what I don't know.
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