I had my kidney removed 6 days ago and finally got to come home Monday. Well i woke up yesterday in the early morning with EXTREME pain in my right knee. About halfway through the day I couldn't tolerate it anymore and had my sister take me to Dr. I gotta tell u I almost had tears in my eyes it hurt so bad. So he tells me it's a gout flare-up. I;ve never had it in my life. Apparently my newly single kidney isn't doing a good job of filtering the uric acid yet. I cant take ibuprofen or have a torridol shot due to the kidney surgery and it is excruciating. I'm basically couch bound now. Anybody have any tip on how long a flareup usually lasts or any tips on how to reduce the pain. Ice packs help but at night i can't have my wife get up every 30 minutes to give me a new one. If u have gout I feel dreadfully sorry for u this is unreal painful. I mean I am taking percosets for the other surgery and it doesn't even take the edge off. Thanx guys
Whiskey is not good for it. Although it will make it so you don't care as much.
Untreated a gout flare up could last several days to weeks.
There are all sort of home remedies, eating Bing Cherries is one of them. I've tried it all and none of it helped. Dr. gave me something called Colcrys, a pill, and it knocked it out in a few days, but my gout was in my foot.
Allopurinol is your friend. I take it daily to keep from having attacks. If I feel I have a flareup coming on, I stop taking it and switch to Indomethicin.
Originally Posted by k20350
If u have gout I feel dreadfully sorry for u this is unreal painful.
I've been getting gout flareups occasionally for ~10 years. If it can be prescribed with your current condition Colchicine has worked wonders for my flair ups. As far as how long the flair up lasts, it depends on how bad it gets before I take the Colchicine. If I catch it in when its just a dull ache, pretty much cleared up the next day. A full on flair up will take 2-4 days to clear up but pain relief within 6-12 hrs.
Eliminate caffeine and any other diuretics from your diet immediately. Drinking 1+ gallons of water a day and a quart of black cherry juice will help, but not nearly as fast as Colchicine. Too bad you can't take ibuprofin as that with copious amounts of water is almost as good as colchicine.
Personally I recommend against icing. Cooling down the area will facilitate more uric acid chrystalizing in the joint.
Thanx guys I'll try some of those things. Sucks I cant use the standard stuff cause of my recent surgery. My knee is like a softball and i can barely bend it. They gave me some Uloric but from what i have read it makes things worse before it gets better so i dunno.
There are two things at play, one is the uric acid level in your blood, the other is the uric acid crystals in your joint. If you catch it early, you can knock down the uric acid level in the blood before many crystals form in the joint which makes it easier to dissolve those crystals. The problem with a full on flare up is the uric acid level in the blood will drop as the acid has crystalized in the joint and you’re dealing with trying to dissolve the crystals in the joint. That is further complicated by the joint swelling up which reduces circulation to the joint.
So do what you can within your limitations to increase circulation, reduce inflammation and help get the uric acid level in your blood down.
I will tell you first hand that gout is a MR'er, Jack! I had attacks when I was in my 30's and it can be crippling.
People have been giving you good scoop on the disease.
Gout is a metabolic disorder of the metabolism of the amino acid purine. Uric Acid is deposited in various joints as crystal that microscopically resemble long, sharp glass needles and they will injury and inflame the hell out of the affected area. I had it in my big toe and the pain was a cross between getting it slammed with a sledge hammer and having a red hot nail piercing the joint. A sheet from the bed lying on the affected toe was unbearable!
Treatment - After the attack starts, cholchicine and Indomethacine work!
Prevention - allopurinol will fix you up. Drink LOTS of water. Stay away from foods high in purine and stay away from herring, sardines anchovies (Caesar salads are a no no).
Avoid high protein low carb diets like the plague.
Good luck, cuz gout suxs!
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I have had gout attacks for years. Allopurinal has been my salvation.
I take a pill every day, but it works. No more toe and ankle pain. I do not like to take pills, but this has been a God's send.
donsm70
Last edited by donsm70; 10/21/15.
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Cholchicine and Indomethacine work, but they give me horrible diarrhea. It's not fun with a gout toe trying to get to the john in time.
So my doc prescribes Prednisone and Vicodin. I use the Vics only at night to sleep. The Pred is a hammer dose of 4 pills (40mg) then titrated down from there. It usually abates after 3 days.
Your nephrologist is going to have to look at it long and hard before writing something due to your diminished filtering capacity. I hope you get well soon.
Gout is probably the most painful ailment I've ever had, and I have a really high tolerance for pain. Mine always starts in my big toe and then moves up to my knees. I've had it so bad in my foot, before I started taking Allopurinal, that I was on crutches for over a week!
Mine is usable related to certain foods that trigger the gout attacks. Peanuts and spinach really set mine off. One you figger out what foods trigger your Gout attacks, its easier to avoid the onset of gout.
Naproxen helps some with the pain and swelling. Allopurinal is your friend.
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Thanx again for the comments. Dr. said if it doesnt go down soon they just may have to have me do the steroids. The pain is lessened but my knee is virtually locked up. Crutches work but suck cause of the surgery site. It was quite the fiasco last night getting into the shower with a leg that doesn't bend. Due to surgery/hospital stay it had been 6 days since I had had a real shower and it was happening hell or high water. Painful but felt better.
Colchicine can bring dramatic and sometimes immediate relief from gout attacks. Don't know whether it's safe or appropriate in your situation. Gout is a bitch - hope it resolves soon!
