General

Topic Ate crab legs- couldn’t walk the next morning.

Feeb

* 20-Feb-2023(#1)

We had king crab for a special occasion last week. I woke up with severely swollen left big toe and right ankle. Could not walk without assistance. 3 days of ibuprofen and it subsided. The DX was gout. It does come on suddenly like this per doc. In retrospect I’ve been experiencing it off and on for a few years- attributed it to exercise injury, bad ankle etc. This makes much more sense. It’s caused by Excess uric acid in blood. Also explains my kidney stones. So now I am dammed to a diet that is the antithesis of my existence if I want to predictably walk. No beer or alcohol, limited meat of most types, more fruit and veggies. Talk about a curse from the gods… I can walk at least.

Good luck out there older folks…

bill

20-Feb-2023(#2)

Sorry to hear that, sounds painful.

For what it's worth, being an even older folk myself.. I've been trying to eat better in recent years. Change sucks, but at the same time, I've come to enjoy a lot of foods I didn't used to appreciate. I feel better too.

Feeb

20-Feb-2023(#3)

bill wrote:

> Sorry to hear that, sounds painful.

> For what it's worth, being an even older folk myself.. I've been trying to eat better

> in recent years. Change sucks, but at the same time, I've come to enjoy a lot of

> foods I didn't used to appreciate. I feel better too.

I had stopped with the beer weeks ago. Was trying to get back into better shape so I thought I’d injured myself. I’ve strangely not been craving the meats I always smoked etc. Seafood especially sounds bad to me. Maybe my body was onto it before I was.

sa330206

20-Feb-2023(#4)

Sorry to hear man. I have a lot of health issues as well and have to stick to a strict diet (low saturated fat, low salt, low sugar). Best advice I can give you is find some things you can eat that are tolerable and stick with them. I've found that consistently eating the same foods helps me know the exact nutrition I am taking in. The only real variety we have is in the dinner which also follows the same strict guidelines however we've come up with quite a few meals that work to keep some variety. It sucks but I guess you just learn to eat to live instead of living to eat.

DarkFact

20-Feb-2023(#5)

sucky! I've got uh... what did he call it. Lymphedema. Oddly Mt. Dew makes it get SUPER bad.

Used to go down with elevation, now it just sorta goes from mid to bad whenever it feels like it.

theJaw

20-Feb-2023(#6)

Hope you're alright bud, here's Kyle Kinane's gout routine:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6oojzh

Feeb

20-Feb-2023(#7)

theJaw wrote:

> Hope you're alright bud, here's Kyle Kinane's gout routine:

> https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6oojzh

Lol. He didn’t listen to a word the doc told him.

theJaw

* 20-Feb-2023(#8)

Lol probably not, he still drinks. But he at least stopped eating meat at a rapid rate. Been keeping up with him via the Boogey Monster podcast.

Feeb

* 20-Feb-2023(#9)

Supposedly the trigger can be different for everyone. Shellfish is a common one but it’s the most uncommon frequency of a risk factor I partake in. Genetics is huge. Dad has it as well. I’ve had three ankle issues and that toe a few times. And I can tell you we had crab 24 hours before every flare. I’ve never had an outbreak from anything else so far as I know. Journaling it now so we will see. Doc told me I had a urate clearance issue when I had kidney stones. He never mentioned this would be a thing shortly if I didn’t avoid purines. He told me mushrooms. Lol. This doc is like nope. Just eat not sweet fruits and nuts with skim milk and water and you’ll be fine. So I’m on a squirrel diet now.

theJaw

20-Feb-2023(#10)

@Feeb what does it feel like? I have a weird foot that I’ve just never gotten looked at because I’m afraid it’ll be like “sorry you’re dying”. Like I walk fine and everything but I get this weird feeling from time to time.

MrBean

20-Feb-2023(#11)

Welcome to the club old timer! I've had gout twice and it's so f'ing awful! It's the booze that did it for me.

Talk to your doc about Allopurinol, preventative that I learned from friends/family that have suffered from gout for years.

Feeb

* 20-Feb-2023(#12)

@theJaw Mild flare feels like one of your joints is sore- like you worked out or sprained it etc. My tie would often hurt when I took a knee to look at a dog on the floor etc. it hurt when I pushed off or over extended it. Ankle kind of the same. The acute bad flare feels like something / needle is in your joint - it’s swollen and red over the painful joint. Can’t walk because it just won’t work right- and it quickly subsided and then feels like workout sore for a few more days. Completely normal between episodes. First doc diagnosed me with a severe medial ankle sprain. I was like- how dude. I use an elliptical… makes sense now.

Feeb

* 20-Feb-2023(#13)

MrBean wrote:

> Welcome to the club old timer! I've had gout twice and it's so f'ing awful! It's

> the booze that did it for me.

> Talk to your doc about Allopurinol, preventative that I learned from friends/family

> that have suffered from gout for years.

He mentioned allopurinol and colchicine. I just use name brand ibuprofen for a few days- Motrin seems to work best- and have some supplements called “Gouch” that made it stop pretty quickly. I’ve been on the elliptical daily for a bit it pretty much stabilizes the toe and low RoM for ankles- so I think if I avoid the crab I’ll do well.

Advised journal and if it’s a QoL issue get the rx meds.

MrBean

* 20-Feb-2023(#14)

colchicine for sure once you've flared, it works wonders (my doc gave me an emergency stash), allo is more preventative. My understanding is once you've had it once or twice, you're basically fudgeed.

Overall health does play a big role. I'm going to try oand get off the med after another 30+ pounds (down 50 since July!).

Absolutely worth it imo to get ahead of it. One of the worst frigging experiences. For me, it felt like I was walking on a broken foot with the bone exposed, scraping on the ground, while someone was taking a hammer to said broken/exposed/scraping bone. Ugh...

theyrhere

21-Feb-2023(#15)

I turn 30 soon and y'all old asses are NOT helping the dread with your issues lmao.

I just tweaked my shoulder using the chainsaw back in december and it's not fully back yet. No pain anymore but I can tell in my workouts that my back is doing more stabilizing to make up for shoulders.

Noid

* 21-Feb-2023(#16)

Woah, @Feeb! That super-sucks. You have my most major culinary condolences! I've managed to dodge that bullet...for now. If you don't mind me askin', how old're you? I'm wondering if this is something in my (not-too-distant) future or if I've already passed that mile-marker. I'm in my early forties, by the way.

Feeb

* 21-Feb-2023(#17)

Noid wrote:

> Woah, @Feeb! That super-sucks. You have my most major culinary condolences! I've

> managed to dodge that bullet...for now. If you don't mind me askin', how old're you?

> I'm wondering if this is something in my (not-too-distant) future or if I've already

> passed that mile-marker. I'm in my early forties, by the way.

I’m 43. Younger end of it but genetically predisposed. It’s more common after 60. It’s what I get for making fun of my dad for being intermittently gimpy for the last 20 years.

Feeb

* 21-Feb-2023(#18)

theyrhere wrote:

> I turn 30 soon and y'all old asses are NOT helping the dread with your issues lmao.

> I just tweaked my shoulder using the chainsaw back in december and it's not fully

> back yet. No pain anymore but I can tell in my workouts that my back is doing more

> stabilizing to make up for shoulders.

Shoulder injuries suck. Don’t let anyone talk you into surgery. They tried to cut me 20 years ago- impingement syndrome : rotator cuff injury. I heard many horror stories of life after sx. I’m fine now- maybe 1-2 cold nights a year I feel it. No RoM or pain issues with swinging clubs, bats, pull ups etc- which I’ve been told you cannot do as well if you get surgery.

citizen_zane

21-Feb-2023(#19)

MrBean wrote:

> Welcome to the club old timer! I've had gout twice and it's so f'ing awful! It's

> the booze that did it for me.

I have an older friend at work (he's 55) who has been dealing with gout. He also had to give up his beloved brews.

MrBean

21-Feb-2023(#20)

citizen_zane wrote:

> I have an older friend at work (he's 55) who has been dealing with gout. He also

> had to give up his beloved brews.

I haven't given up on drinking, just massively declined. There was no rhyme or reason on why my flares happened (only two ever). The only potential similarity I found between the two was going on a bit of a bender (multiple days in a row drinking (primarily wine) - not overboard though) with little water. Yet, I've done that many times throughout my life, so not entirely clear what/why triggered.

Many others, like Feeb, my cousin, and my friend ... all get hit on shellfish/too much red meat. It's why they used to call it the "rich man diesease".

Myself, and from what I've gathered, many others - didn't even know what gout is, sans the Adam Sandler song until they experienced it.

Feeb

* 21-Feb-2023(#21)

It had been years since I had crab until this last summer. The only reason I am dead sure it’s a trigger is it happened after wife’s birthday with crab in august, at the beach in June we had crab, October shrimp festival we had crab, and New Year’s Eve we had it. The episode that finally got me to doc was valentines- we had crab leg meat in a pasta. When he said shellfish can be a common cause my wife was like - yep- that’s it. I have never -for sure- had a clinical response to anything else. But not to be naive- anything with excessive purines or anything that prevents my kidneys from clearing purines (alcohol) will contribute to more gout.

MrBean

21-Feb-2023(#22)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY14zcUM9SI

langev

* 21-Feb-2023(#23)

I feel your pain. Not sure anyone who has not had a gout flare up, knows just how bad it can hurt.

I get/used to get an occasional flare up in my left big toe. I've found that (for me, anyway) daily doses of Vitamin C really reduced the frequency of a flare.

Feeb

21-Feb-2023(#24)

langev wrote:

> I get/used to get an occasional flare up in my left big toe. I've found that (for

> me, anyway) daily doses of Vitamin C really reduced the frequency of a flare.

I need to be better on this. Definitely was told to do it.

Miranda

22-Feb-2023(#25)

That's awful, Feeb. I've never had to deal with it but I've had clients who have and I felt so bad for them. It was definitely painful. I hope you can find a happy medium between what you enjoy and love and not having to suffer for it.

DarkFact

22-Feb-2023(#26)

Ate crab legs- got crab legs the next morning, couldn't walk

Feeb

22-Feb-2023(#27)

Crabs walk just fine. They actually patented their own.

Gypsy

22-Feb-2023(#28)

My older brother had bad gout and ginger has helped tremendously. Has not had a flare up since he started boiling a little in water and drinking it daily.

DarkFact

22-Feb-2023(#29)

I've actually got ginger tea, I should see if that helps with Lymphadema at all, though I'm sure it won't since they're caused by different things

Feeb

22-Feb-2023(#30)

Gypsy wrote:

> My older brother had bad gout and ginger has helped tremendously. Has not had a flare

> up since he started boiling a little in water and drinking it daily.

That sounds easy enough. I’ll add it to my happy hobbit diet.

Feeb

22-Feb-2023(#31)

DarkFact wrote:

> I've actually got ginger tea, I should see if that helps with Lymphadema at all,

> though I'm sure it won't since they're caused by different things

Usually the lymphedema needs to be mechanically moved- like increase the blood flow to your edematous areas by adding heat, motion etc. Lazer therapy might help. And hyoerosmotic soak like milk of magnesia etc.

Gypsy

22-Feb-2023(#32)

DarkFact wrote:

> I've actually got ginger tea, I should see if that helps with Lymphadema at all,

> though I'm sure it won't since they're caused by different things

Basically ginger has strong anti-inflammatory effects so if it involves inflammation it might help. I've never heard of that condition so I don't know anything about it.

Gypsy

22-Feb-2023(#33)

Feeb wrote:

> Gypsy wrote:

>> My older brother had bad gout and ginger has helped tremendously. Has not had

> a flare

>> up since he started boiling a little in water and drinking it daily.

> That sounds easy enough. I’ll add it to my happy hobbit diet.

Should hopefully help. He tried some other stuff before that wasn't as effective but he was also kinda misbehaving on his diet as well. This lets him eat some stuff he wants and he doesn't have flare ups.

I've been having to mind what I eat now as well. I had to cut sriracha entirely. I was kinda bad yesterday (ate something that used whole milk in the recipe then had some garbage for dinner) and felt it today. Maybe if I was less of a fat ass I'd be able to have some sriracha here and there, trying to work on that lol.

Alaisiagae

25-Feb-2023(#34)

Ouch, that sounds super painful and sucky. I hope the strategies you employ help out - and that you don't have to give up 100% of the foods you enjoy. When did eating become so darn complicated?

MrBean

26-Feb-2023(#35)

Alaisiagae wrote:

> When did eating

> become so darn complicated?

Insert Afroman song "When I got High" and replace 'high' with 'old'.