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Many people visit GoutPal to see if they have gout or not. It is vital to be certain before you start trying to treat your gout symptoms. There is no point in using a gout treatment if you do not have gout.
The whole process of getting a gout diagnosis can be daunting, so I am introducing my I Have Gout to help all gout suspects.
To make the program as comprehensive as possible, I want to include as many examples as I can describing why people suspect they have gout. Please help by adding your reasons below.
If you are still a gout suspect, please say why you think you have gout. If your doctor has given you a confirmed gout diagnosis, please think back to before that – why did you think your symptoms seemed like gout?
Why do you think people suspect they have gout?
Thank you for your comprehensive report on the difficulties of a gout diagnosis. You’ve reawakened my determination to finish my I Have Gout program, and the related programs for managing treatment and diet.
I’ll devote as much time as I can during August to get these gout management plans to a useable format.
Thank you for those test results. To me, they say that it is highly likely that you are experiencing gout. As your doctor says, uric acid in the blood often falls during a gout attack, so you are almost certainly experiencing gout.
As far as diagnosis is concerned, you can accept that you have gout, and start treatment for it, or you can continue looking for something else. The types of disease that are commonly confused with gout are not reliably confirmed by blood test. They really need the skills of a rheumatologist.
The symptoms you describe are typical of gout. Though extreme painful swelling in one joint is commonly linked to gout, the processes that cause gout pain can produce a range of other symptoms. Itching and numbness are common, as is redness and feverishness. Pain can fluctuate around the body. We tend to notice the extreme episodes, but an attack can be less painful sometimes, often a dull ache or joint stiffness.
In my opinion, it is best to assume that you have gout, and focus on maintaining uric acid below 5mg/dL. If symptoms persist when you have had uric acid under control, then that would be the time to suspect something else, and call in a rheumatologist.
I’m not sure what to suggest next, as I do not know what your doctor has advised. Generally speaking, in your circumstances, I would advise gout suspects to arrange monthly uric acid tests. It is often possible to reduce uric acid 1 or 2 mg/dL with lifestyle changes, otherwise uric acid lowering medicine as soon as possible will prevent further joint and tissue damage.
@Beth,
As an outsider reading your post…what I read was salt, salt, salt, salt, and more salt. Salt-fermented pickles, lox, fish, teriyaki sauce, more fish…plus whatever you added from the salt shaker at the table. Ethiopian food tends to be salty also.
I have no concept of the health risks of salt beside high blood pressure, so I wont comment other than to point out that it seems to be very prevalent in you diet.
Just a thought.
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