Crikey!
My email account has never been so busy!
Update: I have been on Allo for 27 days (get new 'Script in 2 hrs).
I have had 2 attacks (40% strength) and numerous twinges in
my bad areas (toe, arch, achilles, knee, finger and elbow). All
manageable, at last. I can put the attacks down to too much beer
(about 4 pints). Very miserable.
My views after nearly a month: I can handle the side-effects - less
pain, being able to walk, getting life back. I can now, with some
confidence, plan a walking trip 4 weeks ahead without the fear
that I wouldn't be able to get out of bed, let alone walk 10miles
through part of the Peaks.
I understand people who want to take a natural route. I tried a
Chinese remedy that cost about £25 per month (x6 months and
about 8/9 attacks). Cider vinegar is a good general one, and one
I might continue. BUT, the only thing I have tried that has
lessened the pain is Allopurinol.
I am no advocate of medication for life, but medication to have a
life is a different matter. I have changed my diet dramatically over
the past 5 years, but the attacks got worse. I read up on new
techniques and 'the latest wonder cure-all' and persued a
number of them. That still led me to this point, and i feel that the
pain and the damage my body has taken is quite enough, thank
you. If I am copping out by taking a medication promoted by, and
paraphrasing, the 'bullies and vendors of Allo' then my thanks
and best wishes go to Arnold, Walter et al.
That's all for now. I'm off for a quick walk round the lake with my
bible and back in time to see my GP (as Lou Reed once sang
"I'm waiting for my MAN".
Cheerio.
I read somewhere that gout is sometimes referred to by medical people as gouty arthritis
}}} Allopurinol should have no effect on arthritis {{{
concur for any other than gout. Key being uric acid leading to gout. It doesn't come into play in other kinds of arthritis.
}}} arthritis and gout...yuck.. I suppose that does happen though. {{{
I have occasional mild attacks in arm joints which I don't think are gout, so could be some other kind of arthritis. Also diagnosed degenerative arthritis of the spine.
LOL! }}} You ever want or need to fight/get attacked..WASTE your
time...head to one of the MANY RA sites and talk..MENTION gout.. {{{
True. The problem is that the other gout sufferers have no experience with gout. To them, gout is something "else" entirely.
And, for sure, the mechanism is something else.
Welcome aboard. Your sumptoms and progress ecco mine exactly. I knew
after about a month that the attacks were a lot less severe and that
they continued to get less and less as time went on.
One word of caution, don't let you7rself get dehydrated and believe
me it is an easy thing to do. Now when it is fresh in your mind it is
not as likely but later, particularly if you drink much alcohol, it
is very easy to get dehydrated and that is an invitration for an
attack.
The attacks will begin to migrate to other parts of your body and
will probably continue for at least another 2 months and I am in my
6th month and still get twinges but so fat no attacks now for about 2
months.
In response to our customer who needs to get on the train but seems
to be unable to find his ticket-Matt-I say, we are here to help each
other track a recovery process. We are not well, we are not free of
gout, we are just preventing the build up of more attascks and jsut
taking the pill does not just stop the attack process. It makes the
severity less and eventually the attacks do stop, but that process is
scarry and guess what-you are absolutely alone in this fight.
YOur famioly is there with you but they don't hurt and they have no
idea that a foot can hurt as much as it does.
Do you think they believe that you really are in as much pain as you
are?
The real issue is that the thing that gout has done to you and that
allopurinol will help with is, that you have lost your self respect.
Your feeling that you can cope no matter what.
I guess you will juas have to let it completely break your spirit
before you get on the train and I am sorry you are going to do it
that way but as you have said, it is your choice.
And in my opinion, you are being silly. Is that a better word than
foolish?
There are two discussions here and there is only one real solution.
Culcchine will stop the pain and I last used a dose about two months
ago and I will keep it around. It doesnothing at all, nada, not a
thing, to reduce the underlying cause of the gout, the excess uric
acid.. and why inthe world do you newbies or any one else think that
it is OK to keep gulping NSAID's for the rest of your life instead of
allo?
Do you even know what the structure of allo is. did you know that is
is very close, remarkably close, to several natural products you have
in your body already.
Yep, we are close minded and we are not suffering as much any more
and every day the memory of the pain gets further and further away.
Go ahead adn leave and we will remember you wehn you return, that is
if you have the character to turn yourself in as having been -what-
silly-foolish-I was stoooopid and will never have full use of my
ankle joints...
See ya...
All aboard....