Jill
Jill has had two kidney transplants. She takes 200mg of allopurinol every day, and also eats cherries. She has had four attacks in the last 12 months and finds Reiki helpful to manage the pain.
Jill’s gout started in 2008. She went to bed and woke up to discover that her feet were sore and swollen. She tried to get out of bed and found that she could not walk because the pain was unbearable. Jill telephoned a friend, who took her to the local hospital. She was diagnosed with gout by a doctor, who gave her colchicine tablets to take.
Jill experiences side effects of sickness and diarrhoea when she takes colchicine. She was told about the possible side effects when the tablets were prescribed. She feels that it is difficult to choose between experiencing the pain of gout or the side effects from the colchicine tablets. If she takes colchicine her attack will usually last for about two days, but if she does not take it the attack usually lasts for four or five days.
Jill has had two kidney transplants, and her renal consultant told her that renal patients are prone to getting gout. Jill has also had a quadruple heart bypass and a parathyroidectomy. However, although she found the pain of these procedures uncomfortable, she felt that it was manageable, whereas she feels that gout takes her off her feet’ and makes her feel terrible’.
Jill and her consultants discuss and adapt her medication to try and manage her conditions in the best way. For example, she takes furosemide (a diuretic) as and when she needs it rather than on a daily basis, because it could increase the frequency of her gout attacks. Jill was also prescribed allopurinol to take every day, and the dose she takes was jointly decided by her renal consultant and her rheumatologist.
Jill feels disabled’ for a few days every time she has an attack. She usually volunteers at a local hospital, but when she has an attack of gout it prevents her from doing that activity. She also gets irritable and weepy when she has an attack, because of the constant pain and the fact that she is unable to do things. She spends her time on the sofa and friends and neighbours pop round to help out and make her cups of tea or bring her shopping. Gout now affects Jill’s hands as well as her feet, so she often finds it impossible to open jars or bottles, and it is difficult to get coins out of her purse when she is shopping. Other everyday tasks like making a bed are also hard work for Jill, and driving is too painful until the attack subsides.
Jill has to wear large flip flops when she has an attack of gout, because she cannot get any of her shoes or slippers on her feet. She finds it difficult to walk, and her balance is affected because she shuffles. This results in Jill getting bruises from banging herself on doors or furniture.
Jill has not made any major changes to her diet since being diagnosed with gout, but tries to eat some foods in moderation. She read a magazine article that suggested that cherries were beneficial for people with gout. Jill decided to try eating cherries, and believes that they have had a positive effect on her gout. She also sometimes uses Reiki crystals to help with the pain of gout.
Jill has had four attacks of gout in the last 12 months. She takes 200mg of allopurinol every day. Since she started taking allopurinol and eating cherries, her uric acid levels have gone down. She has blood tests every six weeks and checks her uric acid levels at the same time.