hey guys - Im currently helping my dad to lose some weight but he is having problems with gout (this is what he calls it anyways). Seems that whenever he starts to lose weight he get it in his feet. his feet get swollen and purple and the joints hurt. some people have similar problems when they drink. Im just wondering if anyone knows a way to combat this stuff, and what causes it so I can help him to eliminate it. thanks.
From personal experience your dad has my sympathy. My father and I are both suseptible to flare ups from it and at its worse hurts more than anything you may have experienced. Look it up in the Physicians’ Desk Reference. When they use the word “excrutiating”, they mean just that. As I recall, it is caused by excess purine in the diet. When byproducts of metabolism are not excreted quickly enough there is a crystallization of uric acid in the joints of the extremities. I think shellfish, pork and beer have higher levels (of purine) and can contribute to flare-ups. There are medications that will give relief, but have never had a problem as long as I drink enough water. If his pee is clear he shouldn’t have a problem and it’s better for him than going to the doctor and getting a script for pills. It’s been awhile since I looked all this up (has not flared in years), but I’m pretty sure I’m recalling the cause/effect correctly. Good Luck
From your description it doesn’t really sound like he has gout although it could be. Gout tends to strike in one joint only such as a bit toe and then maybe a knee with each becoming superswollen and painful. He might have rheumatoid arthritis or some other type of ailment. The best thing for him to do is get the condition appropriately diagnosed by a specialist. If it is gout than it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense that he would see symptoms only when exercising and losing weight as gout is caused by excesses such as high purine foods, alcohol, etc. which are normally part of a sedentary lifestyle
i`m fairly sure its gout - he has had it diagnosed before - it only happens in the joint at the base of his big toe and the pain immobilizes him. so if he drinks lots of water that should help to clear things up? what about some folic acid? from what i remember it helps to get rid of uric acid? (i could be totaly wrong on that… please let me know if i am).
My grandfather gets gout from eating too much acidic food, is he eating a lot of one thing while trying to lose weight? He needs WATER (not coffee, not soda… water) to help flush out his system, if his pee is clear and he goes about once an hour then he should be ok. If not, there is probably another source to the problem. BTW it does make sense that this flares up when he exercises, if he is sweating and working out without upping his fluid intake that could contribute
I talked with my dad last night and he says he is drinking approx. 3-4 liters of water a day (around or just under a gallon for you americans). Is that enough? also does anyone know of anything else besides dehydration that could be casuing this. He said that it usually comes when he loses 10 lbs and then lasts for a period of weight loss for about another 5 lbs and then goes away. Only thing is that its hard to lose that 5 lbs when you can`t walk. Does it make sense that it would flare up when he loses weight?
Allopurinol is the medical tx.