Be completely optimistic. Sort out with your doctor, and with the sort of person you are – who will be very different to me and other people with gout. Theres a lot of different people who will have this what the best approach is for you, but bearing in mind, you know, that there are lots of things that you can learn along the way about it. But, really, above all be, on average, you can afford to be optimistic and positive – and certainly not feel that – handling it yourself and handling the attacks yourself and carrying on with life is completely plausible.

Well theres not really – for most people theres not anything to worry about, and it’s very easily managed. And, don’t get too stressed about the aspects of diet, really. You don’t need to make any drastic changes – unless you’ve got a very strange diet. So yeah, just don’t believe in the mythology that it’s all about – must be living life rather extravagantly because most of the time it’s not true. So that would the main advice.

I think the most useful thing is knowing that actually diet doesn’t make that much difference. Because I think if you, if you try and make too many changes that are unnecessary then that’s probably going to be, kind of, the worst side effect really. So I think that, that it actually doesn’t make that much difference. Because, I do like to have a bit of game every now and then, for example.

Well the only thing that I could try and reassure them that it does come and go, in my experience, so they don’t have to think, as I did initially, Oh my, you know, I’ve got to suffer this but it’s not the case, take the medication, cut down on the things you’ve been told and it will improve, it always has, it’s never, it’s never stayed for more than perhaps 10 days, was the longest spell, but 10 days is a long time when you can’t walk.

And you said, you know, obviously it kind of, comes and goes, is that something that it helps you to focus on when you’ve got gout, knowing that it will…?

Yes it is, oh yes, the knowledge that; I’ve never really worried about pains that come and go, it’s pains that arrive and don’t go, 24/7 and you know you’re heading for surgery, that’s when I get worried, but other pains, even arthritis comes and goes, and most people suffer with it anyway, when they’re my age, so you dismiss it.

What I would say, it’s not the end of the world and you can still lead, you know, a fairly normal life. It’s a matter of just learning to know when – what, you know, depending upon what, what route you go down. As I say, like me, I left it a long time and got to know, as I say, as time wore on, these instances, you know, “Why is that bit of me hurting? Ha, ha, I know what it is.” And that takes a while, I think, sort of to, to understand or to, to get to recognise. But as I say, one, you know, don’t be too – don’t be offended by, by it. It’s not – you’ve got arthritis, basically. It’s just this, this word that people associate with sort of, you know, rotund men and obviously I’m not one of those. As I say, you know, you must do what’s best for you, you know, subject to whatever your GP advises. But I’ve been down both routes, really. I’ve tried, I’ve tried the watching what I eat and yes, it worked to a degree. And now I’m taking the medication.

But I suppose, because of the way I am, I am so anti taking things that probably it was a case of me coming round to accepting that I didn’t have any other options. But, as I say, it’s always easier to be wiser after the event. But if there was anybody, as I say, like me watching, then what I would say is obviously do what you feel best doing, but maybe if you find, as I say, that you’re getting frequent attacks, don’t perhaps be quite so adamant as I was to just carry on down that sort of, “Oh, I’ll watch what I’m eating,” because maybe the medication would have been a better option a bit sooner in my, my experience.

Go to the doctor and, and don’t take no for an answer. Say that you want to, you want to find out what dose is required, and what drug is required. In retrospect I should have done that, but I was younger and, and it’s the least of your worries really.

Reconcile yourself to the fact that it’s unlikely to go away. And get onto medication to get rid of the acid before it starts to do any sort of damage to your joints. Thatin a way the pain that you get at the time I think is perhaps, although painful, is secondary to the effect that it’s going to have – the permanent damage it’s likely to do to your joints, because once you’ve got rid of the gout, chances are that your joints will still be affected by it. It’s like arthritis isn’t it? It’s – the sooner you can get it treated, the less likelihood there is that you’re going to have any permanent damage to your joints. And it’s – it’s well documented where the – where you’re going to be – have joint problems, I think they can almost draw a roadmap now of the progress of gout, where it’s going to go from A to B, to C, to D, and so on. Yeah, go and see your GP and get treated as soon as you can.

Best of luck to you, but I don’t know. I just, hang on, hang on in there because there is people out there who aren’t going to laugh at you, think it’s a joke and that’s not being sarky, not being funny. And there is people, doctors, specialist people out there who do know what you’re going through and do want, and want and want to help you. And they do help you. So it’s going to be a hard, it’s going to be a hard drive for you, a hard ride for you, but in the end theres people there, if you get the right people, who will help you and who will put themselves out for you and they do. They do put themselves out.