does anyone have gout

Posted by DANAGA @danaga, Sep 15, 2024

i am 64 and just got diagnosed with gout
need to find out how people deal with it

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Profile picture for margarethill @margarethill

@carbcounter Definitely gout is connected to kidney problems. In healthy kidneys the Purines are taken out by the kidneys. As far as food it is on the internet. I stay away from couliflower and asparagus, no processed meats. The most important thing my Rheumatologist knows is that they can X-Ray you with a special X-Ray to see how much gout is in your joints. I had 2 other ones that had no clue. This was important to me because mine was in my back and these other doctors didn't believe me. Good luck.

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@margarethill
wow! First I've heard of that, too! Thanks!
*
Google told me the following:

Yes, a specialized X-ray technology called dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) can see and verify uric acid crystals.
How Dual-Energy CT Works
Two X-ray beams:
The scanner takes X-ray images at two different energy levels.
Material separation:
Bone and calcium absorb X-rays differently than uric acid.
Color coding:
Computer software processes these differences and highlights uric acid crystal deposits in a bright color (usually green).

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Profile picture for carbcounter @carbcounter

@mnsansei said:
"The rheumatologist I saw wouldn't even talk diet beyond "no red meat.""

For gout, that is frightening.
Red meat is far less a problem than sea food.
SMH

Fortunately GIYF (Google is your friend) and you can read about 1000x more information than your rheumatologist shared with you.

How that maps to kidney disease restrictions I can't say, and I also don't know if there's a link between kidney problems and gout. But wait, GIMF too ... yes, Google says there is a two-way linkage, each can cause the other. And a few good dietary guidelines, too.

But best of all Google suggests reviewing this with a "renal dietician".
Do you have a "renal dietician"?
I gather this particular rheumatologist would not well serve that role.

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@carbcounter

Since the rheumatologist I saw wouldn't answer my question about whether he knew of a dietician who could help me with a gout diet, I've continued to use the list my nephrologist provided: no red meat, no seafood, no herring, no mackeral, no fried foods, no fatty foods, no nuts, no avocadoes.

The google search I did seemed a little to focused on the miracle uric acid lowering effects of sour cherry juice.

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Profile picture for terry1287 @terry1287

@mnsansei Allopurinol for prevention (not cure), Colchcine for attacks and repeats thereof. I am not medically trained but did this on advice,

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@terry1287

I should have been clearer.

Unlike the uric acid lowering affect of allopurinol in reducing gout tophi size and number, there is no medication that has that effect on calcium pyrophosphate deposits that result in pseudogout. However, colchicine does reduce the pain of both gout and pseudogout.

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Profile picture for mnsansei @mnsansei

@carbcounter

Since the rheumatologist I saw wouldn't answer my question about whether he knew of a dietician who could help me with a gout diet, I've continued to use the list my nephrologist provided: no red meat, no seafood, no herring, no mackeral, no fried foods, no fatty foods, no nuts, no avocadoes.

The google search I did seemed a little to focused on the miracle uric acid lowering effects of sour cherry juice.

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@mnsansei
So here's my reading, modest amounts of red meat are OK, seafood is often VERY high in purines, herring and sardines about the worst, fried foods are bad for many reasons but again, a few tempura-fried green beans won't kill you, lol, fat isn't the problem with gout, nuts and avocados are fine, most diets *love* avocados I don't know how that made anyone's list. That takes care of the usual purines list. Asparagus is bad, go figure.

BUT you must also consider carbs - bread, cake, rice, potatoes, noodles, and sugar - high carbs can trigger gout even if you're good on the red meat and sea food, or they can bring you to the point where one hamburger pushes you over. So beans can also be bad. Hummus has caused me problems - although you will read that plant proteins seldom do. Well, for me, they have. It's OK in modest amounts. You will note that beans are also carbs, and something like baked beans also have sugar.

Finally one anomaly - some tomatoes seem to trigger gout, I'm not sure it's known why, perhaps some new super-sweet versions put you over on fructose.

Alcohol is also contraindicated, especially beer that also has carbs and I think purines.

Avoid the sea food and pretty much the rest of the list can be followed in moderation. When you have an attack it's important to behave if you want to recover sooner.

Oh yes, cherries seem to do nothing for me, I've tried them many times in many forms. Tasty, but not effective. What I have found effect is celery - you may want to eat nothing but celery for a day or three if you have a bad attack. There is also celery seed, available as a spice, or as a supplement, in bulk or capsules. I take a couple of capsules of celery seed every day. It has XAOI effects to help clear uric acid, and also diuretic effects. And drink plenty of water, helps clear out the uric acid.

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