yet another disease

    • Anonymous
      May 13, 2007 at 8:27 pm

      Hi All: Happy mother’s day. Just after I wrote the post about my two year anniversary I started get pain in my knee that went on until I literally had to crawl up the stairs and into bed. Turns out on top of GBS I have gout now. My daughter said I must be trying to work my way through the alphabet. I must say it hit me hard-having one more incurable disease to deal with. The pain was off the charts and the idea of being open to more flares at any time is very depressing. My poor legs seem to be disaster magnets. Coming just two years to the day of GBS also seems like a joke of some kind. Well, I shall cope with this and there are of course meds to help but right now it seems unfair and overwhelming. I wonder if gout is an autoimmune disease too. Anybody know? Well, just wanted to whine a little. The meds have helped and the pain is better but I admit to feeling overwhelmed. Jeff

    • Anonymous
      May 13, 2007 at 9:26 pm

      Hi Jeff I am sorry you are going through a rough time. I think that once you get one autoimmune disease there is a slightly higher risk of developing more autoimmune diseases.

      I know my CIDP is mild compared to most. But I still have the fatigue and the pain from my nerve biopsy I had in 2005 and the nerves never came back to 100%. Last year I had back problem that lasted for about 12 months and the odd times I still feel it. This January I started having problems with my hands and found out I have Raynaud’s disease. Then by March my hands felt worse I went to see a Rheumatologist. He told me I have Tendinitis in both my hands. My fingers swell up and the pain/inflammatory medication is not taking the swelling down much and not doing to much for the pain.

      Also the some people I work with think I got the case of the Lazyitist and last week they wouldn’t let up on me. I was harassed so much It’s not funny.

      My family DR is suppose to fill the functional abilities form for my work place. He is not rushing it because he wants to do it properly and not have it adversely affect me. He also told me the result of the blood work my Rheumatologist took one of the result is positive for HLA-B27. My family DR. wasn’t sure what it means in my case.

      On May 23 I go for a Doppler Ultrasound for my veins and arteries 4 days before my birthday.
      I am not suppose to see my Rheumy till the end of June so I have a waiting game on answers from the ultrasound and blood work.

      Life is not fair sometimes. But I guess we just take things one day at a time and hang around supportive people.

      Gout is an autoimmune disease and on the list of Arthritis.

      Take Care and I know what you mean about feeling overwhelm. I feel the same way right now.

      Sue

    • Anonymous
      May 14, 2007 at 11:38 am

      [IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b8/The_gout_james_gillray.jpg/150px-The_gout_james_gillray.jpg[/IMG]

      [I]The Gout[/I], Cartoon by James Gillray (1799). The artist memorably illustrates the excruciating pain and swelling that are symptoms of the disease

      ——————————————————-

      Jeff, I’m not sure if you came across this cartoon, but I thought it was great – just pretend its your knee and the little devil is crawling into your knee instead of the toe ๐Ÿ˜€ . Oh boy, did that come out wrong? I meant that I’m sure that the cartoon would be quite a good description of your pain.

      Here again, I’m probably telling you what you already knew, and I’m sure you have done the research, but I am finding the research quite interesting because my dad has gout in his big toe, and he really suffers badly – but then again, I’m sure the red wine he loves to drink doesnt do him any good!

      I found this info on MayoClinic.com

      [quote]
      or gouty arthritis โ€” a form of arthritis that’s characterized by sudden, severe attacks of pain, redness and tenderness in joints.
      Gout is a complex disorder that can affect anyone. Men are more likely to get gout than women are, but women become increasingly susceptible to gout after menopause.
      Fortunately, gout is treatable, and there are ways to keep gout from recurring.

      ………affects the large joint of your big toe but can occur in your feet, ankles, knees, hands and wrists. The pain typically lasts five to 10 days and then stops. The discomfort subsides gradually over one to two weeks, leaving the joint apparently normal and pain-free.
      ……..
      [B]Causes[/B]
      The cause of gout is an inflammation in your joint resulting from an accumulation of urate crystals. Uric acid is a waste product formed from the breakdown of purines. These are substances found naturally in your body as well as in certain foods, especially organ meats โ€” such as liver, brains, kidney and sweetbreads โ€” and anchovies, herring, asparagus and mushrooms.
      Normally, uric acid dissolves in your blood and passes through your kidneys into your urine. But sometimes your body either produces too much or excretes too little of this acid. In that case, uric acid can build up, forming sharp, needle-like crystals (urate) in a joint or surrounding tissue that cause pain, inflammation and swelling.
      Crystal deposits also cause another condition, known as false gout (pseudogout). But rather than being composed of uric acid, pseudogout crystals are made of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate. And while pseudogout can affect the big toe, it’s more likely to attack large joints such as your knees, wrists and ankles.

      [B]Risk factors[/B]
      The following conditions or circumstances can increase the chances you’ll develop high levels of uric acid that may lead to gout:
      [LIST]
      [*][B]Lifestyle factors.[/B] Excess consumption of alcohol is a common lifestyle factor that increases the risk of gout. Excess alcohol generally means more than two drinks a day for men and more than one for women. Gaining 30 pounds or more than your ideal weight during adulthood also increases your risk.
      [*][B]Medical conditions.[/B] Certain diseases make it more likely that you’ll develop gout. These include untreated high blood pressure (hypertension) and chronic conditions, such as diabetes, high levels of fat and cholesterol in the blood (hyperlipidemia), and narrowing of the arteries (arteriosclerosis).
      [*][B]Certain medications.[/B] The use of thiazide diuretics โ€” used to treat hypertension โ€” and low-dose aspirin also can increase uric acid levels. So can the use of anti-rejection drugs prescribed for people who have undergone a transplant.
      [*][B]Genetics.[/B] About one out of five people with gout has a family history of the condition.
      [*][B]Age and sex.[/B] Gout occurs more often in men than it does in women, primarily because women tend to have lower uric acid levels than men do. After menopause, however, women’s uric acid levels approach those of men. Men also are more likely to develop gout earlier โ€” usually between the ages of 40 and 50 โ€” whereas women generally develop symptoms after menopause.[/LIST][/quote]

      After reading that, I do feel far more sympathetic towards my father!

    • Anonymous
      May 14, 2007 at 7:51 pm

      I can only offer sympathy. I know gout is extremely painful.

      My father in law has gout. He had a few nasty times with it in the beginning but (this is probably little consolation) it doesn’t seem to happen as much or as badly as it did in the early days. He doesn’t smoke (now) doesn’t drink and is not overweight although he has been diagnosed with diabetes. It seems that the medication he was given does help. I certainly hope that it helps you.

      God bless

    • Anonymous
      May 15, 2007 at 12:06 am

      Jeff,
      If you decide to try a whoolistic method of getting rid of Gout……this one works. Eat cherries….they can be canned or fresh. I used to keep a cherry pie in my freezer and it got rid of it in one day. I know several people that use this method of getting rid of gout. Beats medicine and it doesn’t mess up your liver like a pharmaceutical will.

    • Anonymous
      May 15, 2007 at 1:30 pm

      Jeff,

      BING CHERRIES! My father had a long history of gout and even had to be put in the hospital and they found it in his spine. Ouch!!! Unfortunately, they fixed his gout with steriods but failed to turn him and he died because of bed sores. Lawsuit…

      Anyway, have you been to a doctor for this? You need to have your kidneys checked.

      This used to be called the Rich Man Disease because of eating lots of red meat and such that only wealthy men could afford. Take care of yourself and let us know how you are doing.

    • Anonymous
      May 16, 2007 at 1:45 am

      jeff, i’m so sorry you have to deal with yet another crappy disorder. seems like you and i are both having the month from hell! i’ll private message you next week when i know more about my liver and i want to check in to see how you’re doing with the gout. as always, my prayers are with you.
      love,
      deb

    • Anonymous
      May 16, 2007 at 9:58 am

      Thanks all. I am on vacation right now ๐Ÿ˜€ but will see my doctor early next week. Hopefully I will learn more then and will do some more tests as (naturally) my symptoms are atypical. Might turn out just to be bad arthritis in the knee-meds are not working very well and it is impossible to climb steps of any sort without falling from the pain. Yuck. Thanks for all the support and if it turns out to be gout for sure I will eat cherries til I turn red and give up all meat (not). I’ll let you all know how it turns out. Deb-do let me know how things are for you. Thanks Ali for the info. Jeff

    • Anonymous
      May 16, 2007 at 3:39 pm

      Hey, Jeff,
      For people with arthritis, I ask them if they eat foods in the NIghtshade family – POTATOES, TOMATOES, EGGPLANt, etc If you are a type O blood type, then potatoes are really not good for you. Just by stopping these foods, you may be able to alleviate the arthritis. OR it might be caused by your medications. If it is that, you are on your own.! sorry
      If you love meat, then I am going to guess that you might be an O bloodtype. If you are, then I would advise you to continue eating red mat because it is medicine for you body. (JUst don’t eat it with a carb because it will keep it from getting absorbed.)
      YOU don’t have to eat a lot of cherries – just a normal amount – like a slice or two of pie!! It is amazing how it works. Or you can eat canned cherries or fresh ones.
      Enjoy your vacation……

    • Anonymous
      May 16, 2007 at 11:44 pm

      Hi Jeff,
      It seems once GBS hits a whole lot of other things come along. I had a biopsy on my right breast in november which was benign (thank goodness) and just had a follow up mammogram last friday, still waiting for the results but the doctor told me to be prepared for more biopsies…yuck..but hey, we can handle anything now. right..

      stormy

    • Anonymous
      May 17, 2007 at 11:11 am

      thanks Carolyn. I love meat so that sounds good to me. I’ll just have to see what this symptom turns out to be-I thought it might be residual stuff but doesn’t seem to be.
      Stormy-sorry you are having so much stuff as well. You are right though-we can handle whatever comes along but wouldn’t nothing new be great:mad:
      I am enjoying the mountains of Colorado-tooling around town in my wheel chair and getting a lot of rest while my wife swims and writes poetry. Love to all, Jeff

    • Anonymous
      May 21, 2007 at 3:05 pm

      Hi All: Just an update. Hopefully I have neither gout nor athritis-that is the good news. I have anterior knee pain and hip bursitis caused by weakness of muscles, most likely due to GBS and residuals. There is no quick fix for the pain, but have to go back to physical therapy and start building up the muscles that support knee and hip. Unfortunately my hmo has horrible physical therapy and I will have to do most of this on my own-but at least there is no new disease or so it looks. Thanks for all your support, Jeff

    • Anonymous
      May 22, 2007 at 10:24 am

      Thats good news Jeff, but now you know you can handle more if it comes your way. keep at the pt, i want to hear you’re up and tooling around the yard with just a walker in a short time, man!;) knee and hip muscles are real pain in the rump to keep up on, i’ve been trying for almost 2 years to keep mine from causing more problems, but it is a doable task. take care.