hello Don,
Sorry about the pain in the ribs mate, but out of curiosity are you sure that’s gout? I mean I’m no doctor and I understand you have gout generally but I’ve personally never really heard of it there (ribs/sternum).
Has your doctor confirmed the location of the pain gout?
p.s. Remember that starting allopurinol may trigger gout flares so get your rib pain checked and resolved before going onto allopurinol and have your pain relief medication at hand for when you do start allopurinol just in case.
Keep us posted.