A few weeks ago an acquaintance said she needed my help. She was worried about her friend, Jimmy, who had unbearable pain from a gouty foot. ‘I’ve never seen him so hopeless … the pain is really wearing him down. He’s tried everything but nothing seems to be working. Can you help?’
Gout is a form of arthritis or joint inflammation caused by an accumulation of uric acid crystal in the spaces or connective tissue of the joint. Gout is more commonly seen in men than women and usually develops in middle age. It is an intensely painful condition. Classic symptoms include excruciating and sudden pain with swelling, redness, warmth and stiffness of the joint. Chronic gouty arthritis can lead to enduring pain, kidney stones and a disabling restriction of mobility.
Jimmy’s experience of gout was typically unpleasant. It had started six weeks prior, after a fall in the garden. Not long after, his left big toe began to become inflamed and swollen. Eventually, his whole foot was puffy, red and hot to the touch. Jimmy reported the pain to be ‘like a burning sensation’. ‘If I knock it it’s excruciating,’ he said. ‘If I do any work I really pay for it the next day. The only way to cope is to keep it elevated!’
After a week, Jimmy called me to give me an update. ‘I’m feeling much better! It began to improve the day I started the medicine and it has kept getting better since. It’s no longer red or swollen, there’s a bit of an ache but nothing like it was. Did I tell you, I could hardly walk last week? I just felt like a cripple. I’m so grateful for the relief.’
LEE FORMICA, AHA professional member, Bellingen, NSW