I recalled before he felt the pain between the joint on his right big toe, we attended Uncle Tom’s birthday. The food was great with different types of dishes, from bangus marinated in vinegar and garlic, to letchong paksiw, apritada, dinuguan, arozcaldo chicken adobo, etc. My husband doesn’t drink alcohol or smoke. Yet I recalled that time he drunk a couple of beer which he couldn’t resist from his dear cousins.
What is gout anyway, how do we acquire it? Following is a brief information handed out by our doctor:Gout is a kind of arthritis caused by too much uric acid in the joints. The acid causes joint pain.
You may get gout if you’re overweight, drink alcohol or have high cholesterol. Men have gout more often than women.
Some medicines may cause gout such as certain diuretics (water pills), niacin (a B-complex vitamin), aspirin (taken in low doses), cyclosporine and some drugs used to treat cancer.
What is a gout attack like? It may be sudden. It usually starts at night, often in the big toe. The joint becomes red, feels hot and hurts. The joint hurts more when you touch it. Other joints may also be affected.
What should I do if I have a gout attack? The sooner you get treatment, the sooner the pain will go away. Your doctor can prescribe medicine to stop the joint swelling and pain.
You should rest in bed. Putting a hot pad or an ice pack on the joint may ease the pain. Keeping the weight of clothes or bed covers off the joint can also help.
With the treatment, your gout attack should go away in a few days. You may never have another.
What if I don’t get treatment? If you don’t get treatment, a gout attack can last for days or even weeks. If you keep having more attacks, more joints will be affected, and the attacks will last longer.
If you have gout attacks for many years, you may develop tophi. These are soft tissue swellings caused by uric acid crystals. Tophi usually form on the toes, fingers, hands and elbows. You may also get kidney disease or kidney stones. Over time, the bone around a joint may be destroyed.
To avoid gout attacks, the doctor can prescribe medicines to prevent future gout attacks. These medicines wash the uric acid from your joints, reduce the swelling or keep uric acid from forming.
You should lose weight if you need to. If you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, get treatment and follow a low salt, low fat diet.
Stay away from alcohol and foods that are high in purines.
Drinking lots of water can help flush uric acid from the body.
Purine contents of Foods and Beverages:
High
Best to avoid:
Liver, kidney, anchovies, sardines, herring, mussels, bacon, codfish, scallops, trout, haddock, veal, venison, turkey, alcohol beverages
Moderate
May eat occasionally:
Asparagus, beef, bouillon, chicken, crab, duck, ham, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, mushrooms, lobster, pork, shrimp, spinach
Low
No limitation:
Carbonated beverages, coffee, fruits, breads, grains, macaroni, cheese, eggs, milk products, sugar, tomatoes and green veggies including lettuce and excluding vegetables above
