Anyone have gout?

I am finally delurking and saying hi.  Everything went great with my surgery, lost 80 lbs in 2 months, until this weekend when I felt like someone hit my ankle with a baseball bat.  The emergency room said I sprained it, gave me shots and crutches and sent me on my way.  Problem is the next day the other ankle started hurting as well.  Doc today said I have gout.  WTH.  Anyone else have this as a side effect?   GNC said use black cherry extract, can this possibly work?
 
kevin

My Dad is prone to gout.. and it is an incredibly painful experience.  He is prescribed allopurinol and feels releif within hours. I think in the states you use indomethacin .
You usually feel gout first in your big toe.. (so painful you can't wear a shoe or even put a sock on)
It's odd that an emergency room would diagnos a sprain, unless you coincidentally twisted your ankle around this same time.
The really weird thing is... to avoid gout they often suggest: maintaining adequate fluid intake, weight reduction, dietary changes(avoid rich fatty foods) , reduction in alcohol consumption,
Your post WLS diet would do all of the above.. so if you've never had gout before,, it sure is odd that you'd get it for the first time.. when you are avoiding alcohol and on a very strict diet.
I'd watch things carefully and go back to the doc if things don't improve..
WOW 80 pounds in 2 months.. incredible!!
John

I have gout, and they were right, cherry extract is good. I take indomethicin and allopurinall, but after surgery I wont be able to take indomethicine because it is a NSAID.
 try the cherry juice. have your dr. prescribe you allopurinal.

had it also! wasnt drinking enough fluids. i thought i had stubbed my toe when mine hit. Dr put me on Allupuranol tablets to clear it up and worked. From that day on and i did get it again by the way...drank and drank fluids alot. Never had this ever before til then.


Keith

As others have said...

Off you are diagnosed with gout in the ankle. It is normally in the toes, specifically the big toe on either foot.

And, from personal experience, it hurts FRIGGIN AWFUL!

Also, to re-itterate the above, your post WLS diet SHOULD be doing everythng possible to prevent / cease gout flareups.

Follow up again with your Dr. Sounds odd.

Cheers!

Thanks, I was prescribed indomethacin and told to take it with a zantac. Probably a little under on the water so have upped it. Feel better today.

kevin

I am really surprised they gave you indomethicine having had RnY. Did it upset your stomach? since it is a NSAID. I am on indomethicine also, but was told I couldnt take it after surgery. I have never had gout in the big toe, but I have had and been hospitalized with it in the knee and the foot, and I get it in the fingers.

Kevin:  Once gout hits two joints, most gout experts agree that the person should be on medication the rest of their life to lower the uric acid (such as allopurinol, probenecid, or Uloric).  The reason is that gout attacks occur for the first time after uric acid has been building up in the joints over many years until a breaking point is reached because the concentration has gotten so high.  That uric acid sitting in the joints causes permanent joint damage even between attacks.

In addition, not everything that looks like gout is gout.  For example, there is an arthritis called pseudogout that acts just like it, but the treatment is totally different.

Things you can do yourself to help with your gout...
-always drink your 64 oz of water a day... dehydration is a common cause of gout attacks (the crystals get more concentrated in the joint and precipitate out to cause the flare).
-never drink beer (it contains purines that are converted to uric acid, plus it causes the kidneys to hold onto more uric acid, plus it dehydrates)
-take Vitamin C 2000 mg a day (it causes the kidneys to excrete uric acid)
-forget the cherries... there are no well done medical studies to show efficacy
-get a doctor experienced at treating and managing gout to confirm the diagnosis and get you on a proper treatment plan before you get any permanent joint damage.

Good luck!

Gout is the worst kind of hell my friend. I'm just now getting over a very seious bout. I did a series on it and received some excellent feedback. Here is one link. Also, go to my profile page, look under "my posts" and other links with responses from other forums will be listed. Tell your doc to prescribe colchicine. Caveat: it will make you sick to your stomach but it is very effective. I take one Allopurinal and one Colchicine daily now.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/4210072/The-Gout-Conundrum-There-Must-Be-An-Answer/#34537038

I have had gout for quite a few years and got a MAJOR flareup right after surgery in my left knee. The pain is absolutely excruciating! 
I was already on allopurinol, but know that it is a preventative only! I was instructed that if you get a flareup, it is ineffective and you need to stop taking it as it can add to it. There is another medication known as colchicine and that handles the flareups. 
The other thing to be careful of is the types of foods you eat. As an earlier post said, no beer. You also need to watch out for scallops, anchovies, sardines, and other types.
WebMD has a good posting of what to avoid. http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/diet-and-gout
Hope that you don't get it again!