My First Gout Attack

My first Gout attack was in May 2005. My foot had been hurting for a few weeks but I overlooked it as just stumped my toe. The joint below my big toe had become swollen, bright red and HOT to the touch. My ability to walk had become such a chore and the pain was getting worse. I don’t usually go the doctor but my wife finally told me she thought I should go. So after 3 weeks of growing pain in my foot, I finally went to the doctor following the Memorial Day weekend. The first thing he asked was if I had a “Big Weekend”. He wondered if I "drank a lot of beer and ate steak or burgers” over the holiday weekend. Ironically, I hadn’t had any steak or beer this weekend. He diagnosed me with “Gout” or the “Rich Man’s Disease”.

I had never heard of gout prior to this visitor to the doctor. My doctor gave me two medicines that I had never heard of until now: “Colchicine” and “Allopurinol”. Colchicine was supposed dissolve the uric acid crystal causing my gout. I was to take the Colchicine once every two hours until the pain went away or until the side effects started to occur. It only took 3 dosage of Colchicine before the side effects began. I would spend much of the next 3 days in the restroom and the gout pain had not subsided. The “Allopurinol” was a preventive medicine that I was to start when the attack was over. That would not happen for monthly. The following week I was still in pain so I went back to see my doctor. This time he only gave me more education. He told me to watch what I ate and to take “Aleve” or other NSAID for the pain and to drink more water. The pain continued for a few more weeks and was about gone. Then in July, was to go on a summer business trip where I was able to take the family. I wish I had done more research about Gout Triggers. This would become a trip I would never forget.