Got gout?

Just back from a doctor's appt. for a really sore big toe- he says it's GOUT!! Apparently it can be a side effect of high protein diets, rapid weight loss and about 8-10 other things! I thought it was a old person disease. OK I'm 52, but I don't FEEL old! Anyone else out there have this little surprize? Jeri H.

My cousin gets gout a lot.....and she is a year younger than me, she is only 25....so NO it is not an old person thing!!! LOL It is also called the rich mans disease, eating diets full of steak and meats and such...lol! I think some people (like my cousin) are just more predispositioned to get it, blame it on genes or whatnot!!!! I hope your big toe starts to feel better soon~Take Care Jesi

Jeri, Haven't heard about gout and don't want to - with the numbness and things that I am experiencing - don't need any more probs. Hope that you can get it all healed up. What do they do to cure that? Certainly not change your diet? By the way, 52 IS NOT OLD!!!!! God bless, Andrea

Good luck. I had gout in my big toe at my one week check-up, and it then proceeded to move to my ankle. That ankle decided it was so much fun that it spread to my other ankle. In a nutshell, I had it in both ankles, a big toe, and possibly my elbow all at the same time. It sucked. They put me on Indocin,which is a great cure if you can eat when you take the pills, but a 2 weeks out that was not possible for me. I was sicker from the medication than from the gout itself. To end my rambling, I had it for almost two months. Miserable to say the least. I have not had it sense, however, and hope I never do. They say black cherry will also help prevent getting gout - just a thought. Good Luck Brad

Good news- my gout lasted all of 2 days! And the doc thought it was an isolated incident. So, I'm back to hitting the bricks with the beagle and doing fine! Thanks for all of your help and advice! Jeri H.