I am a female and doctors are astouned that I get gout. I have been getting it since about 30years old. It was very bad last year but I have stopped all medication. I eat minimal read meat, no alcohol, no seafood. Drink at least 6 glasses of water or herbal tea every day. My gout is much better this year. When I feel an attack coming on, I have a few anti-inflammatories for a couple of days and keep it away that way. I have had no success with allopurinol. Every time I start taking it my gout seem to get worse. I have come to to conclusion there is no cure for it and I just have to live with it.

Hope you feel beter soon.

Hi Susil,
Glad to meet another woman with gout, but sorry you have this disease too. Allopurinol is the only medication my doctor has prescribed for me, and it did bring my levels down. Do you take Vit C at all?

Stay well,
Jan

Hello

I'm a woman with gout.
Allopurinol has helped me eat more sea food.
We can't eat soy... it's bad for gout and I am otherwise vegetarian, so protein sources are hard to come by. I guess my offical lable is pesicarian... it means you eat fish but nothing else like chicken, beef etc.

So I can eat pretty much whatever I want.... aside from bread pasta and all gluten and no alcohol.
Where as.... before allpurinol I couldn't even eat spinach, mushrooms, tuna etc... the list went on and on.

Gout runs in my family and I got it around the age of 19, you're not alone!
hang in there..... swimming has been great exercise for me and I also drink cherry juice and do acupuncture.

Hi JewlzA,
I eat chicken and fish sparingly..and tend to keep my meals around veggies and fruit for dessert. Soy made me ill years ago..so I stay away from that. There is so many things theories on diet for gout symptoms..I have high uric acid levels and allopurinol lowers them to a great level.
I have started on Tart Cherry Juice concentrate..2 Tbsp. a day mixed in water. This helps with inflammation.

Hugs Jan

Yeah cherry juice is good.
The tart version is really harsh.
You can have the Black cherry too, it's sweeter and doesn't have any added sugar.
if you live near a whole foods, wild oats or any natural store, really.

I am a 57 year old female. I have just been diagnosed with gout. Put on Allopurinal and though it seemed to get better for a fews days it is back in full force the last couple days. Right foot is swollen and toe red and in much pain. Called doctor and said med does not seem to be helping much. She ordered me Colchine but after warning me about diarrhea and reading the comments here about Colchine, I am almost afraid to go pick it up and start taking it.

Hi, I am 39 and had my first gout bout at about 30...I find that I only get it when my weight exceeds a certain level - if I keep my weight under that level - I dont get gout.

I do take Celebrex when I need to - and I am meant to be taking allopurinol - but am not taking it at the moment...

Gout is a horrible thing to live with - I'm glad I've found this group. Also - my doctor always comments on how unusual it is for a "woman of child bearing years" to have gout....I am just lucky...

Amanda

Hi i am 24yr old woman who has had 3 gout attacks since december and am actually having the onset of 1 right now :(
I had blood tests and it came back as urate levels normal! unbelieveable!
i am sick of it and i can't think what is causing it. I have cut chicken out of my diet and i am a single mum of 2 and can't afford rich meats and i hate alcohol.

The dr gave me anti inflams but due 2 my health anxiety i am 2 scared2 take them 4 fear of reaction.

I just wanna live a normal life, but as it is i will be stuck for the next week on my sofa in agony, using crutches 2 get anywhere, whilst thefever makes me sleep all the time! argh!! xx

I am a 32 year old female who has dealt with gout as long as I can remember. I remember being a teenager and barely being able to wear shoes to school due to my big toes hurting tremendously.

Unfortunately, I have dealt with other conditions over the years, and set this aside - therefore, my Rheumatologists have never prescribed a uric acid lowering medication.

This current attack I am having, (14 days in, now.) has been almost terrifying. It has spread to my left ankle, entire foot, and all 5 toe joints. It is also in my right large toe joint, as my former typical.
I cannot sleep, and my husband cannot take much more of my yelling at him due to the constant pain.

Does anyone have a suggestion for some kind of spray, or other OTC remedy in the meantime?

I have been using an interesting ice pack which is called "peas" - little gel balls which can be frozen or refrigerated and mold to the foot like frozen peas, although stays cold for a long time... (Although I can only use this when I can bare to have something touching my foot.) Luckily, this is MUCH lighter than any ice pack I have ever found!

My husband found the "peas" at CVS for $15.00 - and they come with a velcro strap attached, and a long velcro strap which can be used to hold the pack elsewhere. Quite useful if you have other arthritic conditions like me! :)

I have a very long family history of Gout - men and women... and several have dealt with kidney issues due to the uric acid as well.

I have not had a Doctor surprised about my being female, atypically young, and surprised about my gout. For some reason, I have gained many things as such at younger ages.

My apologies for being so long-winded. I will try to keep future posts shorter, although I typically do speak, (or type) far too much. =/

~Millenia

I am really new to having gout, but am a woman, 45 years old. My doctor didn't seem surprised as I'm quite obese, but have been so for a long time and this is my first time. No one in my family has ever had it that I know of, so that's kind of weird.

He was really not surprised though about my being a woman with gout. I hope you feel better soon!

Hormones could indeed be a factor, at least in an indirect way. They are thought to be a factor in the prevalence of sleep apnea in women - three times more likely after menopause than before. And sleep apnea is often a cause of gout flares. The reason in many cases is that the gout sufferer also suffers from sleep apnea (frequent episodes during sleep when breathing stops for many seconds at a time),which is a direct cause of a gout flare.

The lack of oxygen during these episodes can lead to a gout flare in short order from two effects. First, the cells begin a process of disintegration (catabolism) which culminates irreversibly in their generation of excess uric acid fed into the blood. Second, the reduced oxygen in the blood makes it more acidic (lower pH), which increases the likelihood that it will precipitate out uric acid in the form of crystals of monosodium urate. When these crystals form in joint fluid, they initiate the severe pain and inflammation of gout.

Gout is an early indicator of sleep apnea. The known long term consequences of sleep apnea are much more serious, even life threatening. They include high blood pressure, stroke, atherosclerosis, heart attack, heart failure, heart arrhythmias, diabetes, kidney disease, depression, etc. All gout sufferers should be screened for sleep apnea and follow the recommended treatment to overcome it. That will probably lengthen their lifetime and improve its quality. That will probably cure their gout too, as is did for me.

Millenia,

When I lived in Egypt I used indomethacin spray as I could not take indomethacin orally.

I thinks that I have gout also...I'm 24, just quit smoking (30 days free and not even going to say how fun that was), jut got off wellbutrin which was supposed to help me quit smoking but it mad me a lil crazy so i stopped, and i just started working out..2 weeks in. Last friday i woke up and my right index finger was swollen and i couldn't move it or bump it without extreme agony. Today I went to a natural food store and the clerk instantly diagnosed it as Gout...!! He gave me Vitamin C crystals to mix in water (only a teaspoon!!!) also if it hurts your stomach he said add a pinch of baking soda...do that twice a day then take about a shot worth of pure black cherry juice....

Since this is my first time i'll let you know how it works cause hey how worse can it get!!!! AT least i'm not still in my nicotine withdrawal phase!!! :)

I had my first attack of gout in March of this year. I also am not a drinker and watch my diet. My uric acid levels were sky high. I think this was from the fact I ate spinach, mushrooms, asparagus and alot of other stuff listed as high in purines during the previous week. Dr. put me on Naprocyn and colchicine (which I am trying not to take as it is hell on the stomach).
When I don't eat any trigger foods, I find I am pain free. When I do eat beans, etc. my achilles tendon suffers with alot of pain as a result and also shoulder pain.
I am looking for natural ways to control gout, but have only been suffering with gout a short time. We have to "hang in there"!

I read that too I found out my hubby has gout and takes a uric acid test and my feet have hurt for years and my dr didnt do a acid test on my blood for gout now im going to ask dr why she didnt . im over meanapause and 55 and dr cant find why my feet hurt thinking maybe its gout also thought it was neurapthy or fibro i have . guess i need a foot specialist next good luck with yours