My Grandmother Had Severe Gout

If there was a cure for gout my grandmother sure could have used it.  My fraternal grandmother had severe gout in both of her hands and both of her feet.  As a young person, my sisters and I used to visit her often just to spend time visiting grandma.  Even after I graduated from high school, joined the military and moved away, I always kept close touch with my grandmother.  She was a special lady and full of wisdom, graciousness and love.  I had great respect and admiration for her so she always had a special place in my heart and still does to this day.

My grandmother’s gout was very advanced to the point where she had large protruding nodules (tophi) on her finger joints and on her feet.  I remember then asking her if there was a cure for gout and she said her doctors said no.

My grandmother was always embarrassed by the disfigurement of her hands and fingers from the gout build up in her joints (tophi).  She would always hide her hands when taking pictures the best she could so they would not show her gout.  Her feet were also disfigured from the gout in her toes and the sides of her feet as well.  She had to wear special shoes that fit her feet properly so she could walk more comfortably.  She used to tell me about how extremely painful her gout was, but as a young person I had no idea what kind of pain she was dealing with.  She had surgery several times for the gout on her fingers and her feet to reduce and relieve the pressure on her joints.  She also took several medications to treat her gout which she said were quite expensive.

My grandmother was a widow and had little money saved to live off so she had to work like anyone else to pay the bills. She was proud and determined to live on her own and not be dependent on her children for support.  She worked in a hospital laundry for many years which meant she had to do a lot of standing, walking and working with her hands.  I remember there were times when she was experiencing a gout attack that she had to stay home from work because of the extreme pain.

My grandmother passed away in 1994 after a life of hard work and years of suffering from the gout.

So Now, “I Got The Gout”

So now I am in my 50’s and for a couple years now I have been having a lot of trouble with sore feet when I walk a lot or do a lot of standing.  I just blamed it on arthritis and didn’t give it much thought.  Then last year the big toe on my right foot began to swell noticeably larger than the big toe on my left foot and it got really sore and red.  It was really painful and it hurt to walk but being a man I just treated my pain with Ibuprofen and toughed it out.  I had a doctor appointment coming up soon because I also have diabetes and figured I would discuss this little problem on my next appointment.

So I go to the doctor and bring up my recent episode with my big toe.  Since I am diabetic the doctor has me take off my shoes and socks anyway for an exam.  My recent blood tests showed nothing that previous tests had not already showed.  Sure enough the doctor see’s the difference in my toes and starts asking me questions about family history.  The question of gout in the family comes up and I tell the doctor about my grandmother having gout and my dad having suffered from recurring kidney stone attacks.  The doctor says we need to run tests for uric acid in my blood and urine to see if anything is going on there.

A day after the test results come back my doctor calls to give me the results and my blood uric acid is twice as high as it should be.  The doctor then proceeds to tell me that with my high uric acid, the visual examination of my toe, the fact that I am diabetic and my family history it is probable that I have early stage gout.  Hello!  Wake up call!  I remember my grandmother’s gout and all the pain, suffering and her disfigurement from gout that she endured.  All the memories of my grandmothers painful gout problems come rushing back into my memory.  All I can think is that is not going to be me!  If there is a cure for gout I need to find out about it right now!

So What The Heck Am I Going To Do Now?

The Dr. begins to talk about medication options but thinks that it may be too early for that.  We should do more tests to verify the diagnosis and we should schedule another appointment to talk about that.  In the mean time I need to get educated about my options, what gout is, how to treat it and how to stop it.

I call and talk to my mom to tell her about my new medical problem and she then reminds me that my step dad has the gout too.  He is in 70’s has gout in his hands, wrists and elbow but is still very active.  He is managing his gout very well and works hard in his garden during spring, summer and fall and then snowmobiles in the winters.  What’s his secret?  He drinks 6 oz. of concentrated cherry juice everyday after his breakfast and takes ibuprofen when he needs it for pain.  They live in Michigan where lots of cherries are grown so finding concentrated cherry juice is very easy since it is carried in many grocery stores.  I remembered then that when they came to visit he always brought his bottle of cherry juice to drink with his breakfast.  Maybe there is hope for me yet so I don’t have to start using more medications to treat gout.

What I Have Learned So Far …

I started to research gout on the internet and basically I lost the genetic lottery.

What I found on WebMD and other websites about gout is:

• Approximately 5 million people in the United States suffer from gout. In the United States it occurs in approximately 840 out of every 100,000 people.
• The CDC website shows the incidence of gout by population and by country and the United States is #2 on that list.
• Gout is nine times more common in men than in women.
• Gout often affects men in their 40′s and 50′s although gout attacks can occur after puberty which sees an increase in uric acid levels.It predominantly attacks males after puberty, up to a peak age of 75.
• The incidence of gout among black men was almost twice that among white men. The cumulative incidence of gout was 10.9% among black men and 5.8% among white men.
• While an elevated blood level of uric acid may indicate an increased risk of gout, the relationship between hyperuricemia and gout is unclear.
• Many patients with hyperuricemia do not develop gout (asymptomatic hyperuricemia), while some patients with repeated gout attacks have normal or low blood uric acid levels. In fact, the blood level of uric acid often lowers during an acute attack of gout.
• Among the male population in the United States, approximately 10% have hyperuricemia. However, only a small portion of those with hyperuricemia will actually develop gout.
• In women, gout attacks usually occur after menopause.
• Gout accounts for approximately 5% of all cases of arthritis.
• Gout attacks are also more common in people with kidney disease.
• Gout and Diabetes go hand in hand.

I also learned that everybody is different so a specific gout treatment what works for one person may not work for you.  You will probably to have to try several treatments to see what will work for you the best and hopefully cure your gout.

This website is devoted to options and solutions to treating your gout.  There are options I have tried that have helped my lower my uric acid levels and hopefully will cure my gout.  I am taking an aggressive path to treat my gout and make to make sure I can remain active and not suffer painful, debilitating gout attacks and end up with disfiguring gout like my grandmother had.