I have gout...What now?

[lyric]

Okay, so help me out here. I've read a bit online about gout. Am dealing with my first attack of it ever. I had no idea what was wrong, just that it hurts bad and has been bad all week, even making sleep difficult.

So, I went to the doctor today and they said looks like gout, didn't check my uric acid levels because they said they might turn out normal since it's been a week since it first started? Not sure it makes a difference if they check that or not?

But should they not be the slightest bit concerned about the cause of it? I am!

I'm female - Isn't that a bit rare? I'm 35, not been through menopause as yet...I don't have diabetes or anything. Um. I don't drink any alcohol whatsoever. Never have. I don't eat fish, or many kinds of meats listed that could possibly contribute to such a condition. I get grossed out at 'innards' of animals, thanks but no thanks. No meds I'm on increase the chances of it. I don't have a genetic history of gout anywhere that I can find, and my family is pretty good about keeping up with history. Nobody has it, but me.

So how the heck do I have it?! What's going on here?

I read that gout can be caused by too much uric acid either from over production of it (Like I guess if I were to be eating too much stuff containing it), or from the kidneys not filtering uric acid correctly. Am I wrong to be a bit worried that the doctor didn't mention this or consider running some tests on my kidneys?

They put me on some temporary meds to relieve the symptoms and then sent me on my way without any follow up or anything else. Should I just ignore it once it's gone and hope it never comes back or is there something more I can be doing so it doesn't happen again?

I'm confused and worried and hating this.

I guess what I'm asking is, where do I go from here? If anywhere. Thanks for any responses.

[popeye53]

your gender and hx does place you at a lower risk,but having said that gout can and does occur in the low risk group also.what body part is it affecting?[most common is the big toe].uric acid levels can drop during a attack,but it sounds odd they did not get a baseline level.what meds did they put you on?the only sure fire way to diagnose gout is to aspirate the affected joint with a needle and look for uric acid crystals.i would not be hesitant in your case to get a second opinion.

[lyric]

your gender and hx does place you at a lower risk,but having said that gout can and does occur in the low risk group also.what body part is it affecting?[most common is the big toe].uric acid levels can drop during a attack,but it sounds odd they did not get a baseline level.what meds did they put you on?the only sure fire way to diagnose gout is to aspirate the affected joint with a needle and look for uric acid crystals.i would not be hesitant in your case to get a second opinion.

Thank you for the response. It is in my left toe/just under left toe though the whole upper part of my foot has been swollen due to this and has made walking and movement difficult. They put me on Indomethacin 50MG I think for the swelling, Prednisone 5MG I'm not sure what this does, and Hydrocodon-Acetaminophen 5-500 for pain as needed. The pain isn't as bad as it was the first few days, but yes, I'm definitely thinking I should seek out a second opinion on this.

[popeye53]

indocin[nsaid]will reduce swelling.prednisone[steroid]will reduce swelling.swelling is what causes you the pain.hydrocodone[narcotic] will supplement them both.you should be feeling a little better by now.take all with food,they are all tough on the tummy.there is a drug called colchicine,this drug is gout specific,in other words if someone were to have a attack and colchicine was used and you got significant relief,some could assume that gout is the correct diagnosis.colchicine can be nasty[it wont kill you]but gives many upset stomach and diarreah,but they put up with it because it works well for gout.dont let to much anxiety build,if you have gout it is treatable.hope you get that second opinion and if you have good insurance make a appointment with a rheumotogist.

[podagra]

Hi Lyric,
It's unfortunate that doctors often diagnose gout by appearance. It should be diagnosed by taking out some joint fluid and looking at it under the microscope to see if there are characteritic needles of sodium urate crystals. Have this done, because there are many diseases that are misdiagnosed as gout, especially in women who are still menstruating.
It's smart of you to wonder about the cause (doctors are simply not trained to do that, they have to diagnose a patient in a few minutes and get rid of him)
Gout is unusual in women your age and can be caused by high lead (a blood test will let you know), kidney damage (polycystic kidney disease, etc, your blood urea will exceed 40 and your creatinine 1.1), iron accumulation owing to hereditary hemochromatosis (a ferritin test, serum iron test and cytometry can give you a good idea if you have this), exposure to molybdenum (a metal), etc,