Hi everyone, it’s been while since I shared my gout situation so here it is.
In the past, my flare ups would always hit my toes or ankles. But this time it’s a new experience for me; the gout attacked my right knee. Initially, I felt some stiffness and soreness on my knee and didn’t think it would fully flare up but I was wrong. It turned into a full flare up and man it’s pretty painful. As I write this, it hurts to bend at the knee and I can barely walk because of the pain. When I lay or sit still, it’s fine. If you’re new to gout and you’re able to sit there without pain, count that as a blessing. In severe cases of a gout attack, it is pretty is pretty common to feel the excruciating pain nonstop.
What triggered it?
I’m an observant person, so I tend to pay attention to why and how things happen. Ever since my first gout flare up, I’ve paid attention to the causes and triggers. You may think that the causes and triggers are the same thing, but I believe there is a difference. To me, the cause is the overall reason for your gout disease, but the trigger is the specific thing that resulted in a specific gout attack. So for example, in my case, I believe the cause for my gout problem is because I have been drinking alcohol for a long time (30 years). The trigger in this case, was sugar. I learned over the last few years that sugar is the biggest trigger for me, but I ignored my diet rule and put it in my drink anyway. I got overly confident because I didn’t experience any gout flare ups in the last several months. If you are sensitive like me to certain triggers, do not ignore it. You’ll deal with a painful consequence.
How it’s going
I’m on flare up day 3. I been taking my meds, but it hasn’t been as effective as I had hoped it would be. Just like any type of medicine, it’s usually most effective when it is freshly prescribed. The meds (Allopurino and Colchicine) I have right now have been sitting around for several months so I don’t think it’s as effective. Thank God, there is no pain when I sit still, but the pain is still intense when I try to bend at the knee or get up to go to the bathroom. The plan is to see how things go this weekend. If the pain and swelling doesn’t disappear by Sunday, I plan on visiting urgent care to get faster relief and fresh meds.
What I learned about gout is that, either it hits you with some soreness and goes away, or it turns into a full flare up. Pay attention to early warning signs like soreness and stiffness around your joints. Your body talks to you and that’s usually a sign to be cautious. I take Allopurinol when I feel it coming on. This time around, I felt soreness on my knee so I took Allopurinol immediately. For me, taking early preventative measures can sometimes stop the gout from fully flaring up. Unfortunately, it didn’t do the trick this time.
Have you had any gout experiences or stories? Let us know in the comments below.