Gout 😥

[doctor Bob]

I'm allergic to NSAIDS (non seroid anti inflamitary drugs), stupidly I had a very sore shoulder one day and my business partner gave me a Naproxen to help the inflamation. Ended up looking like I'd been 12 rounds with mike Tyson and breathing difficulties. God help me if I end up with gout.

I recently went to Doc with a hand issue, Duputrens contracture, ended up being carted off to hospital with a low heart beat 36, I kept telling them it's always low. Monitored for 48hrs on an ECG machine. Ranged from 37-42 resting. Then they let me go. All rather odd, I kept telling them I run and row regularly but they didn't take any notice, then the consultant who discharged me at the end asked why I hadn't told anyone I was a runner ................... bonkers.

 

[Spectric]

I thought gout was associated with people who drank to much port, thats all I know about it.

 

[Jameshow]

We should start the association of specialist gout practitioners!!

I don't get gout but ichy feet if hot, wonder if I'd have diabetes if I don't run!!

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

I'm allergic to NSAIDS (non seroid anti inflamitary drugs), stupidly I had a very sore shoulder one day and my business partner gave me a Naproxen to help the inflamation. Ended up looking like I'd been 12 rounds with mike Tyson and breathing difficulties. God help me if I end up with gout.

I recently went to Doc with a hand issue, Duputrens contracture, ended up being carted off to hospital with a low heart beat 36, I kept telling them it's always low. Monitored for 48hrs on an ECG machine. Ranged from 37-42 resting. Then they let me go. All rather odd, I kept telling them I run and row regularly but they didn't take any notice, then the consultant who discharged me at the end asked why I hadn't told anyone I was a runner ................... bonkers.

They never believe my Heart rate was in 20's to low 30's! had BP of 90/60 also.
plus can't have those as on Warfarin.

Funny one of the major ingredients in Allopurinol and many other tablets is a Gout causer! Magnesium Stearate

 

[Phil Pascoe]

In the old days when I knew my GP, I asked him one day whether I should eat loads of sardines (which I love) because they're good for my blood pressure or avoid them altogether because they're bad for my gout. He looked at me for a moment, deadpan. Philip, he said , do what you like. Everything in moderation.

 

[Stigmorgan]

I thought gout was associated with people who drank to much port, thats all I know about it.

Port is my go to drink at home, I love a glass or two and fortunately none of my flare ups have ever coincided with enjoying a glass or two.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I had a couple of hundred bottles of good vintages going back to '55s and '63s at one time, but they got sold when houses got bought.

 

[Stigmorgan]

I had a couple of hundred bottles of good vintages going back to '55s and '63s at one time, but they got sold when houses got bought.

The parents and staff all know I love port so come Xmas and the summer hols I always get loaded up with gifts, this year I got 7 bottles of port, enough to keep me going for several months.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Some of the better best value ones are from single vineyards of major shippers - Vargellas, Roeda, Malvedos etc. - that are made in years in which vintages are not declared. A decade or two ago the Americans and the Chinese got a taste for port and the prices soared, that's when I lost interest.
Incidentally, it's wonderful in Guinness. probably not good for the gout, though.

 

[fezman]

Never tried the Port in a Guinness will give that a go this xmas. My two favourite tipples
But... if you ever get a bottle of red wine that is a bit "dodgy" taste wise, decant it, and drop a glass of port into it - transformed ;-)

 

[Lefley]

I've only ever had 1 script for it and the amount lasted until now, unfortunately the doctor at the time didn't put down that it needed to be a repeat so I can't get it through the NHS app, I've spent the last few days trying everything and every option ends up telling me to talk to my GP.

@Lefley Yup Naproxen is a prescription only drug here, there's nothing available over the counter that will help with Gout.

god! naproxen. aleve, tylenol #1 with codiene all over the counter in Canada! in store beside the chocolate bars at pharmacy!

 

[Lefley]

god! naproxen. aleve, tylenol #1 with codiene all over the counter in Canada! in store beside the chocolate bars at pharmacy!

note to self. in all secret santa gifts include naproxen!

 

[Stigmorgan]

Well after all the BS failing to get through to the GP receptionist all of Wednesday Thursday and Friday last week and this morning spending 3 hours on the phone waiting to be told to try again tomorrow I have decided (now that swmbo has her new car) to go to the gp surgery and camp out in the waiting room until I'm seen.

 

[ey_tony]

I've just seen the thread title GOUT! It's a nightmare when it strikes.

I never knew what gout was until earlier this summer when I experienced it for the first time and it was sheer agony. I was staying at my caravan for a week and when it struck. The pain was so intense that it was unbearable so I cut my stay short because of it and I was at the doctors the following day. It was so painful I couldn't even bear a bed sheet on my foot the pain was so bad.
I actually thought I had a blood clot because it struck so quickly.
The physician diagnosed the condition and prescribed Colchicine and within two or three days of taking the tablets it was gone but returned two seeks later but after two or three days of taking tablets again it disappeared once more.
A follow up blood test 6 weeks later revealed high levels of uric acid in my blood so they put me on Allopurinol and it hasn't returned thank goodness.

There are certain foods to avoid which will help reduce the attacks. Red meat is said to be a leading cause of the problem so when I experienced my first attack I set about reducing my red meat consumption which was definitely far too high at that time. I haven't cut it out completely, far from it but I now eat considerably reduced quantities and I'm still enjoying my food. Cherries are supposed to help.

Gout is supposed to be linked to rich living which may be true but the physicians I've spoken to don't seem convinced. I don't drink alcohol other than the very occasional glass of wine or the odd glass of beer but I do eat sea foods, fish and meats which are high in purines which in turn produce uric acid so I've simply cut back rather than cutting them out completely and it seems to work.
There are plenty of web sites which deal with gout. They are both helpful and informative.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Never tried the Port in a Guinness will give that a go this xmas. My two favourite tipples
But... if you ever get a bottle of red wine that is a bit "dodgy" taste wise, decant it, and drop a glass of port into it - transformed ;-)

Port, brandy and red wine. Wonderful. Dangerous.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Well after all the BS failing to get through to the GP receptionist all of Wednesday Thursday and Friday last week and this morning spending 3 hours on the phone waiting to be told to try again tomorrow I have decided (now that swmbo has her new car) to go to the gp surgery and camp out in the waiting room until I'm seen.

I've never understood why surgeries with several doctors don't have one dedicated to drop ins. Decades ago when I first got gout I went to the surgery and asked to see a doctor. The receptionist said (as was usual in those days) sit over there, you might wait two or three hours. This had the effect of weeding out time wasters, but it was rare to wait more than an hour. Without wishing to get into a political argument, when it's so difficult to see a GP it's not surprising A&Es are run ragged.

Last time I had problems with teeth I went through the same process - ring the dentist at 8.30am, then again 12 or 15 times only to be told at 9.30am I should have rung at 8.30am.

 

[Padster]

@Stigmorgan sorry to hear this its awful. As everyone here has said Allopurinol is the way to go, I've had at it least 20yrs, when I first got intermittent bouts I put up with it and was prescribed Indomethacin 50Mg - I developed my own way of taking them doubling the dosage for a day or two cleared it, but every time I had a drink or steak it flared up, I was due to go skiing with the boys and asked the doc what I could do as there was no way I wasn't drinking, so Allopurinol it was!
I drink red wine and red meat (traditional causes - disease of Kings ) in better moderation these days and it keeps it at bay, fortunately other alcohol is ok!!

Padster

 

[Sideways]

I've never understood why surgeries with several doctors don't have one dedicated to drop ins. Decades ago when I first got gout I went to the surgery and asked to see a doctor. The receptionist said (as was usual in those days) sit over there, you might wait two or three hours. This had the effect of weeding out time wasters, but it was rare to wait more than an hour. Without wishing to get into a political argument, when it's so difficult to see a GP it's not surprising A&Es are run ragged.

Last time I had problems with teeth I went through the same process - ring the dentist at 8.30am, then again 12 or 15 times only to be told at 9.30am I should have rung at 8.30am.

I think the way that many surgeries are now being run is causing huge harm to the profession of General Practitioner.
They are irrelevant to urgent and life threatening conditions. We all know to head to a hospital or call the ambulance.
They don't seem to have time to advise on preventative medicine.
(I've recently attended hospital with very high blood pressure and their follow up has been little more than a text from a subcontract service asking me to enter BP readings online for a week followed by a text back from the algorithm telling me that yes, it's too high, go read the Heart Foundation website and clean your act up ! A&E saw it as enough of an issue that I had a CT scan within the week, doctors subcontracted even the texting, go figure...)
So in practice, they have become a choke point in people getting access to medication for chronic ailments. This isn't a good place to be for a profession. You have fallen into disrepute and increasingly people will start to resent you.
I forsee a huge growth in online medical services and doctors being shunted into the roles of approving online prescriptions. Give it a few years and this will kill their pay and prestige, just like the growth of the budget airlines means that many pilots are now only paid £30-40k and maybe less post pandemic.

But at least they won't have to actually see members of the public in person

 

[Jameshow]

I think the way that many surgeries are now being run is causing huge harm to the profession of General Practitioner.
They are irrelevant to urgent and life threatening conditions. We all know to head to a hospital or call the ambulance.
They don't seem to have time to advise on preventative medicine.
(I've recently attended hospital with very high blood pressure and their follow up has been little more than a text from a subcontract service asking me to enter BP readings online for a week followed by a text back from the algorithm telling me that yes, it's too high, go read the Heart Foundation website and clean your act up ! A&E saw it as enough of an issue that I had a CT scan within the week, doctors subcontracted even the texting, go figure...)
So in practice, they have become a choke point in people getting access to medication for chronic ailments. This isn't a good place to be for a profession. You have fallen into disrepute and increasingly people will start to resent you.
I forsee a huge growth in online medical services and doctors being shunted into the roles of approving online prescriptions. Give it a few years and this will kill their pay and prestige, just like the growth of the budget airlines means that many pilots are now only paid £30-40k and maybe less post pandemic.

But at least they won't have to actually see members of the public in person

Much depends on the practice.

Many are poly practices run for profit using as many trainees, locums and salaried drs as possible.

Others run by the partners will have a much higher patient satisfaction score.

 

[Sideways]

It's interesting to hear from a recent radio interview with the head (?) of Spire in the UK that private GP services are one of their highest growth areas.