Sharron Turner

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  • in reply to: Doctor is not sure it is gout. #10253
    Sharron Turner
    Participant


    Thought I would post an update. Latest UA level is 4.1. Hubby is on 100mg of allopurinol and drinking the cherry juice still. Eating pineapple very regularly along with yogurt and some other dairy and avoiding soft drinks and no longer having the occasional beer. Wrist is feeling much better, with a little pain if you rub around the initially inflamed area. His main issue now is his left shoulder pain, but the doctor doesn’t think this is related to gout. The shoulder pain began shortly after he started the allopurinol and feels a lot like a rotator cuff type pain.

    If anyone has anything to add about the shoulder issue, please post.

    We are continuing to take the allopurinol and are thrilled his uric acid is dropping so quickly.

    Thanks!

    in reply to: Remedies for gout pain #10243
    Sharron Turner
    Participant

    So has anyone used the black bean broth for pain relief? My hubby is drinking the tart cherry juice daily, almost totally eliminated soft drinks and eating more fruit and veggies. He really likes meat, so tends to revert back when not paying attention to what he eats. His left shoulder is having constant low grade pain when he moves it. Some positions like moving his arm behind his body cause greater pain.

    We will have another uric acid next week and follow up with the doctor to see what his options are for this low grade pain in the shoulder.

    in reply to: Doctor is not sure it is gout. #10219
    Sharron Turner
    Participant

    Just to add information, the lab report has the last 18 months UA values with the 2 tests in 2019 running at 5.9 and 6.3mg/dl. So the 10/30/20 at 6.5 was a slight increase. And now we have the 5.1 result on 11/17.

    in reply to: Doctor is not sure it is gout. #10218
    Sharron Turner
    Participant

    We just got some new lab tests for the kidney specialists, so we don’t have any liver values we do have UA and other measures. Chuck has been on 100 mg allopurinol for about 20 days now and his UA is now 5.1, down from 6.5 mg/dl and his kidney function is unchanged with a eGRF at 47 which is stage 3a kidney disease. He is experiencing shoulder stiffness daily and a little continuing pain in the right wrist, where he had his last attach a month ago. He is drinking cherry juice daily, reducing his sweets and sweet beverages somewhat and eating pineapple and some more fruits and vegetables. We will hopefully meet with his primary physician soon to see if he can have something for his joint pain. He currently is only allowed acetaminophen for pain due to bleeding concerns. While he is only taking 100mgs of allopurinol it seems to be reducing his ua well. Is this considered a good rate of reduction. Does UA drop fast early in the treatment and level off or does UA levels fluctuate? As he is already having shoulder discomfort, would a higher dosage of allopurinol increase his shoulder pain? And is an increase in dosage called for with his reduction at the rate we are experiencing?

    in reply to: Doctor is not sure it is gout. #10200
    Sharron Turner
    Participant

    Thanks for all the information. In a past life I was a registered detitian, back in the 80’s, but have not practiced or kept up with profession publications. My dear hubby has a strong preference for sweet foods, but has still been able to keep his prediabetes status maintained as he lost weight shortly after his first elevated blood sugars were found 10 years ago. He has started the low level allopurinol and is checking his blood clotting rate (INR level), as coumadin is attenuated by it’s use and we will probably have to adjust that down and following up with other blood test to observe his kidney function. The anti-inflammatory drugs will be a difficult issue as it can interact with his coumadin meds(for an artificial heart valve) and the concerns about bleeding issues. We will boosting vegetable consumption, and he is currently drinking about 4 oz of tart cherry juice daily. I believe this attack may have been brought on by an infected puncture wound from a rose thorn and then on top of that an oral infection under an old crown that resulted in 2 different antibiotics being prescribed at the same time. He is rather frustrated about this new condition as he really tired of all of the other issues he deals with. Amazingly he is pretty vigorous considering all he has to contend with and I hope to keep him that way. Many people follow very restrictive diets, but they are hard to adhere to and most people usually modify them after a period of time or abandon them all together. Eating a balanced diet has always been a challenge for my husband, but he was really shocked at the ugly gout pictures I showed him to try to get his attention to realized he could have some bad effects over time. I appreciate the efforts that have gone into this site and the education I am getting about the Gout condition. Now I am trying to find foods without high fructose corn syrup so he can have some of the things he wants to have in moderation along with other the dietary adjustments. Thanks, again.

    in reply to: Doctor is not sure it is gout. #10183
    Sharron Turner
    Participant

    Sorry for the confusion about the root beer. It is a ginger flavored carbonated soft drink in the US, not real beer. It often is made with fructose instead of sugar. The doctor did agree to prescribe 100 mg of allopurinol once a day. We will follow my husbands INR levels to see if there is an interaction between the coumadin and allopurinol. We have a home INR testing meter, so we can stay on top of that. Do we need to worry about the fructose in the root beer? Is there much difference in risk between fructose and cane sugar for uric acid production? I am pretty sure we will never be a candidate for naproxin or other heavy duty anti inflammatory medications due to bleeding concerns. Will a steady diet of anti inflammatory foods like the black bean juice, sunflower seeds and your gazpacho recipe help out in a flair? I am pretty sure we can get the rescue prednisone pack, but I need a plan to try to put out the inflammation when and if a flare happens. I assume we will be at risk for a flair since we are starting the allopurinol.

    The doctor wanted to do a SUA test in 3 mos, but is agreeable to one in 30 days to check on liver and kidney function. It seems if I can learn enough to make suggestions he is at least will to consider them. Do you think a rheumatologist is more appropriate with other health issues we have to take into consideration?

    I appreciate your help. Your website has been a great resource for me.

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