Managing Gout

[Level Neville]

My wife & I intend walking the Frances in May 2020 & periodically she experience gout in her feet. My understanding it normally flares up by eating certain types of food .i.e. some seafood's, some meats etc. No doubt their will be a small percentage of all pilgrims who also had issues with managing gout.
I am interested in hearing from other gout suffers & how they managed this condition in order to complete this journey.

cheers Neville

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Not that the ailment is at all funny and my sympathies to the sufferer but just the word gout brings to mind a joke by a sadly missed Irish comedian:

Two Irish soldiers are sharing a railway compartment with a cleric. One of the soldiers is reading a newspaper and turns to his compatriot and asks: "Pat, what on earth is GOUT?"

His friend shook his head and replied: "No idea, never heard of it."

The cleric then chipped in:"Gout, my good man, is an affliction visited upon those who partake in too much rich food, drink too much wine and, no doubt, indulge in sins of the flesh. Why do you ask?"

"Well it says here the Archbishop of Canterbury cannot perform his normal duties due to a bad case of gout . . ."

But, like I said, my sympathies to your wife.

 

[jony jony]

Hello .
I also suffer from occasional gout flare-ups , but thank heavens never on the camino so far . For several weeks before i depart i pay particular attention to my intake of foods containing purines...as you probably know , pulses , bacon , yeast as in bread and beer , but most important i drink lots and lots of water .
I think the water intake helps to flush out much of the uric acid before it has chance to build up .
Best wishes on your camino .

 

[ConnachtRambler]

I suffered from it once, not on the Camino, and it was rather nasty. I quickly established that it had been caused by an overindulgence in shellfish. I adjusted my diet and it disappeared after a few days, although I did have to take painkillers to get some sleep.

The subject of gout came up in conversation with a friend yesterday and he claimed, with a religious-type fervour, that a health supplement called Honeygar or Honegar is a surefire cure for gout. My friend is what we call here in Ireland a "meat and two veg" guy and would not normally interest himself in health supplements.

 

[Ian Mackenzie]

I suffered with gout for many years on and off and at times could not even stand to having a sheet touch my big toe whike sleeping. Eventually I took my doctors advice an now take a Allopurinol tablet each day and have had no attacks in the last 5 years .

 

[john newman]

Hi Neville
The use of daily allopurinol medication over a period of time will get the Uric acid level down so that gout doesn’t occur. Your wife’s GP can prescribe it and also monitor the blood uric acid levels.
John

 

[HikingGeo]

Agree on the Allopurinol. I had my first of two attacks probably around 20 years ago. The second one, a much less severe attack, came maybe six months later. I have been on 150 mg/day of Allopurinol since and have never had another attack. Good luck.

 

[HikingGeo]

Agree on the Allopurinol. I had my first of two attacks probably around 20 years ago. The second one, a much less severe attack, came maybe six months later. I have been on 150 mg/day of Allopurinol since and have never had another attack. Good luck.

And I should add that I have not had to modify my diet whatsoever since then.

 

[KinkyOne]

For me combination of Diclofenac and Ibuprofen (extremely cheap and over the counter in Spain) works just great when I sense that something's going on in my leg. Being beer lover, cocido maragato (and other intestines) lover and seafood lover I have to take care. But do not take those pills on empty stomach and even more important not very often as you may cause some permanent damage to your liver.

 

[john newman]

Hi Neville
Diclofenac and Ibuprofen are both nonsteroidal antiinflammatories and work in similar ways. Either will help in an attack of gout. But I doubt that using the two together will be more effective than either one in a proper dose. On the other hand their side and toxic effects are likely to be additive, that is to say the worst of both. I would recommend getting advice from the GP rather than self prescribing. John

 

[trecile]

even more important not very often as you may cause some permanent damage to your liver.

I'm not sure about liver damage, but overuse of ibuprofen can cause kidney damage.
Over use of acetaminophen/paracetamol, especially combined with alcohol, can cause serious liver damage.

 

[witsendwv]

My podiatrist said I had a choice, take an allopurinol tablet once a day or alter my diet and not drink beer. He told me if he had to make the choice he would opt for the allopurinol. Had my first attack at the end of my first camino in 2015, none since.

 

[Karl Oz]

I don't suffer the condition, but I expect it's management during the camino will not differ substantially to the regime you follow at home. So following the advice of your doctor is wise, in my opinion. Otherwise, there is a plethora of anecdotal remedies available to you, even on this forum. The problem is, they can often be wildly unrelated to each other, or often contradictory.