New Gout Diagnosis

[PaulS]

Does Allopurinol cause liver damage? I turned 30 three months ago. I was on vacation with my wife and ate shellfish almost every meal and had plenty of beer laying around on the beach. 4 am I woke up in the worse pain I’ve ever experienced. Since then I’ve been pounding cherry tart juice, apple cider vinegar, and chugging water. Almost been a week and still barely able to walk and now my calf is really messed up from limping. Airline pilot and go back to work in two days. Never went to the doctor because I don’t want to risk my medical and or be locked on a pill the rest of my life. I’m for now just watching what I eat and not drinking any miller lite.. thanks for the responses.

Go to the doctor, they have pills that will stop the attack in it's tracks, no need to suffer for weeks. Welcome to encroaching old age. For me the triggers are beer and distilled liquors. I don't drink them any more, I don't take allpurinol, although if diet stops working for me I will start it in a heart beat. Attacks are bad and before I figured out what it was, through my doctor, I had an attack that lasted 2 weeks, it was bad. Suggest you don't act stupid like I did and go to the doctor. Also, it might not even be gout.

As far as certification, I have a 3rd class medical and got certified with a letter that gave a stern warning not to fly until an attack resolves. Suggest you follow that advice and not fly until the pain is gone, which may take another week or two if you decide to tough it out. I have no idea about 2nd and 1st class, but I'm willing to bet if under control it's probably not an issue. Also note that gout is usually accompanied by a series of other metabolic issues or tendencies that you might as well get checked for and controlled if have them (cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes). Take care of this stuff and you should be fine, let it fester and it will get you.

One of the AMEs who frequent here will hopefully give you a better idea of how the FAA handles this for 1st and 2nd class meds. Good luck, I hope you feel better, I wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemy.

PS, red wine, the good stuff like cabs do not give me any issues.

 

[PaulS]

http://www.aeromedicaldoc.com/ Dr Bruce, he helps pilots with these issues, send him an email, then follow what he says, best of luck.

 

[Rykymus]

I was on allopurinol for gout when I got my medical, and it wasn't an issue. (Plenty of other crap was, but not the gout.) My uric acid levels were fine.

I was 80lbs heavier then. Change in diet, exercise, and lots of H2O seemed to do the trick. No more allopurinol.

 

[Return2Field]

Ok, thanks folks. I’m going to the urgent care today and see if I can get the ball rolling. Woke up this morning and still unable to walk on the toe. My hip and calf muscles are wrecked from limping around. I could probably stand to lose 10 pounds or so. I’m thinking diet must’ve kicked this off.. I’m worried now it could be linked to something else.. this health issue can cause me to not be a professional pilot.

 

[PaulS]

Ok, thanks folks. I’m going to the urgent care today and see if I can get the ball rolling. Woke up this morning and still unable to walk on the toe. My hip and calf muscles are wrecked from limping around. I could probably stand to lose 10 pounds or so. I’m thinking diet must’ve kicked this off.. I’m worried now it could be linked to something else.. this health issue can cause me to not be a professional pilot.

Back away from that ledge my friend, you will be fine, I predict that this is not the end of your career and you will have a long fruitful life. The pain you are in makes you miserable, but it will go away. The meds you get will might take a few days to work since you are in a full blown attack if it's gout. Just don't let the 10 pounds turn into 50 and stay in shape. The metabolic stuff I mentioned may or may not happen, but if they do, you can easily minimize your risk by knowing about them and acting appropriately. Also, if you don't have one, you need a good primary care physician who can help you with this stuff. Take a deep breath, I suggest you contact Dr Bruce with an email and ask for advice, he is very helpful with this stuff, his fees are reasonable if it gets to that point and his success rate high. Watch the beer intake and shellfish once in a while is ok. Make sure the doc today gets a uric acid level, although mine are always normal during an attack, high normal.

 

[Zeldman]

this health issue can cause me to not be a professional pilot.

Just totally bad thinking. Health first, fly later. Professional pilot speaking.

When I had the first sign of the heart attack, I rushed myself to the hospital. I didn't want to wait around for an ambulance to show up. Because I was in such a rush, I show very little to no damage to my heart.

I also have gout, although I have not had an attack in several years. When it first started I reported it and my AME asked me if I had any problems with the gout and/or Allopurinol. No, not a thing. Ok, here is your first class. Just that simple.

I would rather take a hammer to the forehead than go through the pain that gout causes. Walking on the side of my foot screwed up my leg for a while, and I was stupidly flying that way. Letting go of all alcohol except for red wine seem to do it for me.

 

[Return2Field]

I know I guess I didn’t mean to sound that harsh! I just got home from the urgent care doctor and they put me on steroids. I drove myself there and back and using the pedals didn’t seem too bad. Would you guys go into work? The gout flare up is obviously still present but not at its most extreme. Stopped by the health food store and loaded up on all the home remedy jargon.

 

[PaulS]

I know I guess I didn’t mean to sound that harsh! I just got home from the urgent care doctor and they put me on steroids. I drove myself there and back and using the pedals didn’t seem too bad. Would you guys go into work? The gout flare up is obviously still present but not at its most extreme. Stopped by the health food store and loaded up on all the home remedy jargon.

Don't worry about sounding harsh, those of us who know, know your pain. I can't answer the work question for you, I'm not a revenue pilot, hopefully the steroid will work quickly and you'll feel better. My only advice is to get to your or find a primary physician to figure out how to get this under control and get the meds to have if an attack happens again. I have a doc I can call pretty much anytime and get a quick response, you need to find that, just to help with stuff like this. The steroids are a short term solution, you need a long term plan. Best of luck, feel better.

 

[Return2Field]

Don't worry about sounding harsh, those of us who know, know your pain. I can't answer the work question for you, I'm not a revenue pilot, hopefully the steroid will work quickly and you'll feel better. My only advice is to get to your or find a primary physician to figure out how to get this under control and get the meds to have if an attack happens again. I have a doc I can call pretty much anytime and get a quick response, you need to find that, just to help with stuff like this. The steroids are a short term solution, you need a long term plan. Best of luck, feel better.

The steroids worked great woke up and it’s very minute. I called around and left voicemails at numerous docs trying to get a primary physician. I literally haven’t been sick enough to go to a doctor in years. I can count on one hand it seems like how many times I’ve actually gone. Thanks for the advice. Very helpful thread! I need to go and possibly get on the allopurinol because holy smokes the pain was so bad walking would almost make me black out no lying. I have a huge pain tolerance and this one takes the cake. Numerous broken bones, surgery, etc.!

 

[AggieMike88]

I called around and left voicemails at numerous docs trying to get a primary physician.

Bonus points if the primary doc you find is a pilot himself. That way he will be wise to the ways of FAA medical and hopefully won't make treatment decisions that aren't approved by the Fed.

 

[Skip Miller]

I need to go and possibly get on the allopurinol because holy smokes the pain was so bad walking would almost make me black out no lying.

I have gout and can confirm the extreme pain!

Allopurinol is for me the magic cure. Be careful with the medicine. It must be taken regularly. Just increasing a dose can cause a full blown gout attack! Also true for decreasing a dose, watch out. I was on a minimal dose of Allopurinol and my hands puffed up (painlessly). Due to the painless presentation and the unusual location (for me, usually in the foot), the Docs were not certain it was gout. Finally my rheumatologist said "lets try increasing your dosage from minimal to what most people need." BAM! Excruciating pain for two days then steady improvement. Now swelling gone, no remaining symptoms.



-Skip

 

[Return2Field]

I have gout and can confirm the extreme pain!

Allopurinol is for me the magic cure. Be careful with the medicine. It must be taken regularly. Just increasing a dose can cause a full blown gout attack! Also true for decreasing a dose, watch out. I was on a minimal dose of Allopurinol and my hands puffed up (painlessly). Due to the painless presentation and the unusual location (for me, usually in the foot), the Docs were not certain it was gout. Finally my rheumatologist said "lets try increasing your dosage from minimal to what most people need." BAM! Excruciating pain for two days then steady improvement. Now swelling gone, no remaining symptoms.



-Skip

That’s why I’m hesitant to go on drugs. I am trying to go natural. There’s a bottle of pills I bought and I’ve heard nothing but awesome stuff. GO-OUT PLEX.. going to give that a go while changing my diet..

 

[1RTK1]

In school they called gout the rich hunting mans disease. Lots of red meat, lots of booze, and cold weather.

 

[tspear]

In school they called gout the rich hunting mans disease. Lots of red meat, lots of booze, and cold weather.

How does cold weather play into gout?

Sent from my LG-TP260 using Tapatalk

 

[steingar]

Also, allopurinol can spike your BP. Don't take anymore than you need to keep the gout under control. Not knowing any better I actually went flying during my worst attack. Wasn't that bad, though I have to admit I wasn't anxious to stomp on the right rudder

 

[1RTK1]

How does cold weather play into gout?

Sent from my LG-TP260 using Tapatalk

The cold would cause the crystals to form or precipitate out easier.
I have never had it but I know it must hurt. My brother once cut the front out of a new pair of tennis shoes, he is one of the cheapeast bastards you will ever meet. It had to be terrible

 

[Skip Miller]

In school they called gout the rich hunting mans disease. Lots of red meat, lots of booze, and cold weather.

"The King of diseases, and the disease of Kings."

-Skip

 

[PaulS]

All that rich people disease stuff is Bs. It runs in families, i have it and I eat like a not rich person. Beer is my biggest trigger.

 

[Zeldman]

All that rich people disease stuff is Bs. It runs in families, i have it and I eat like a not rich person. Beer is my biggest trigger.

Exactly. You either get or you don't. And if you don't get it, the rest of us hate you.... After quitting beer I rarely have a flair up. Nothing in the last 5 years.

I have friends that are over weight, eat red meat, drink beer and put salt on their salt. And no gout. I hate them too.!!

I have felt pain in my life, but nothing like the pain of gout. Once during a bad flair up, I was going up a set stairs, and on the last step I accidently kicked that top step. I was on the floor for 20 minutes... people were asking if they should call an ambulance, they thought I was having a heart attack. Which, by the way, was not even close on the pain scale.

 

[N1120A]

In school they called gout the rich hunting mans disease. Lots of red meat, lots of booze, and cold weather.

All that rich people disease stuff is Bs. It runs in families, i have it and I eat like a not rich person. Beer is my biggest trigger.

Gout is heavily familial, and affects certain ethnic groups more than others (I'm half French and gout is fairly prevalent). I've not eaten red meat in 20 years, drink moderately and mostly wine (which doesn't trigger gout) and am from Southern California. I don't wish it on anyone, but allopurinol works.