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Just providing a bit of an update.
I’ve contacted my doctor who has now prescribed me a 5-day course of Prednisolone (35mg per day), which is a steroid based drug. I have noticed very slow improvements whilst on the drug.
Interestingly, I have been checking my UA every day for the past 3 weeks and my UA was going down whilst on the Prednisolone (around 1-1.5 mg/dL and almost 2units lower by the end of the course)… However the day after I finished my course the pain shot back up and so did the UA.
I thought the Prednisolone was only a immune system suppressant but didn’t think it lowers the UA as well?. If that is the case there is probably an argument to start the allopurinol as dropping the UA didn’t really send the flare up into overdrive. But the doctor did advise not to start the allopurinol until at least 2-3 weeks clear of the flare up.
I am going to see the dr again tomorrow and see what the best course of action is and wether I could get a longer course of the Prednisolone.
Hi nobody?
Is that your nickname?. Thanks for the reply, I have only been trying to control my diet. Limit amount of red meat once a week, reduce the amount of meat generally, no alcohol whatsoever, eating more vegetables, fruits, cherries, etc.
I am pretty sure my home test machine always shows a higher reading, I have compared it with lab results and have also tested it on my friends who have all shown a marginally high reading but all their blood tests have shown normal U/A. I still use the home test kit because the readings are still consistent.
Regardless, I do agree with you that the UA is still higher than it should be and probably has been for the past year or so.
My plan now is to get back onto allopurinol once this episode is over, but my concern is that it has been almost 5 weeks and still no sign of easing… in fact it is getting worse as it is now affecting both of my feet and cannot actually walk.
I still have come colchicine in the cupboard, however this is from 2015… and if I remember correctly I started getting diarrhoea and the doctor has asked me to stop taking it, since then, I’ve only had naproxen.
Help! Prolonged and moving gout
I am trying to find out if anyone has experienced the following…
I have been diagnosed with gout about 10 years ago (when I was 20) and have had periodically had gout flare ups, last one was in Oct 2016, but this time, it is very odd, I have had a gout flare up over 4 weeks ago now… but the strange thing about is that it has decided to move around… It started on my left big toe, moved to the top of my left foot, then back to my toe, then my left ankle (worst one), then to the bottom / back of my sole then back to my ankle… and more recently (and worryingly) it has now started to affect my right big toe and ankle as well…
Whenever it decides to migrate, the pain in other joints does ease, but now I’ve got pain in both toes and both ankles… can’t even walk as I was previously moving around with crutches.
I have gone vegetarian completely since the attack, drinking 4+ ltrs of water, eating cherries and celery every day, etc… I have been to the doctors and they have prescribed me with 500mg Naproxen twice a day.. which I understand it is a fairly high dosage.
Considering all of the above, it has not helped to ease the pain, all it is doing is moving around, every time it moves it feels like a new gout flare up… Has anyone else experienced this? or have any advice on how to stop it? It is very frustrating as I have been off work now for 2 weeks and one day I wake up thinking it is getting better and the next day it decides to flare up on a different joint.
For your information, I have been put on 300mg allopurinol before but have stopped it over a year ago due to fears of side effects etc. My uric acid was around 5.8 mg/dL back then, but since I have stopped allupurinol it was hovering around 8 to 9 mg/dL (the latter measurements was taken using a home kit so not too sure of its accuracy).