Another Dodd legacy

Back when I was a kid, Daddy would sometimes complain of gout and I always thought he was making a big deal out of nothing. Then when I hit my early 40s, I had a gout attack and discovered it is a very big deal indeed. Until I got help for it, I could be practically bedridden for a few days when it hit.

Gout (metabolic arthritis) is a disease created by a buildup of uric acid. In this condition, crystals of monosodium urate or uric acid are deposited on the articular cartilage of joints, tendons and surrounding tissues. These crystals cause inflammation and pain, both severe. If untreated, the crystals form tophi, which can cause significant tissue damage. Gout results from a combination of elevated concentrations of uric acid and overall acidity in the bloodstream.

Fortunately it is fairly easily treated with medication, and I had had no problems with it for a number of years. Doctors were of two opinions about whether I needed to keep taking the daily doses of allopurinol and colchicine, and a couple of years ago (after consulting with my doctor) I stopped them. No problems for the longest time, but recently I have had some minor flareups. Friday when I saw Dr. Ewing, he told me to get back on the pills until the uric acid levels get stabilized. Then I should be able to drop the colchicine except when I have an attack.

The downside of this is that the allopurinol actually causes a gout attack when you first take it. The colchicine helps control it, and the first time when I started on allopurinol I had no problems. This time, problem! My left foot looks quite a bit like that photo up there, with the inflammation and all. I can barely get my foot into a slipper, much less a shoe. So today I am stuck in the house because I am hobbling around. We had planned to go to Madison -- the trip yesterday having been canceled due to weather -- but I decided I would just be cranky and achy. So we put it off.

I think it is getting better. At least, I hope so. This shouldn't last more than another day or so, and after that I should be fine for the long term.

Gout is caused by a number of things, one of which is heredity and another is diet. My doctor told me that heredity seems to be the major issue in my case, and that is something I can't do anything about. I am going to be more careful of my diet, though, which I need to do anyway.

Sigh!