Alan
Alan and his wife, Sue, have both had gout. Alan gets attacks around three times a year, and manages these by taking colchicine. Gout usually affects the joints in his foot, but he has also had attacks in his knee.
Alan’s gout attacks tend to occur in his foot, but he sometimes has attacks in his knee. When Alan feels an attack of gout developing, he describes the sensation as being similar to stubbing his toe, but the affected joint also becomes red, and much hotter than the surrounding areas. During an attack of gout, Alan experiences pain all the time, but the pain becomes much sharper if he walks and puts pressure on the affected joint.
When Alan initially developed pain in his toe, he thought that he had maybe stubbed his toe and broken it, although he did also wonder if gout was a possibility. He then visited his GP who diagnosed him with gout and prescribed colchicine.
When Alan was in hospital for four weeks waiting to have an operation, he got what he describes as quite severe’ gout, but remembers being told that the hospital did not have any tablets to give him to manage his gout.
Alan believes that gout does not impact much on his relationship with his wife Sue because both of them have had gout and are therefore more understanding and sympathetic towards each other. When Alan told friends that he had gout most of them found it amusing, although people he spoke to who had gout themselves were very understanding about the pain. Alan believes that there is still a perception that gout only affects people who over indulge in food and alcohol. He does not feel embarrassed about having gout, but sometimes feels embarrassed about the fact that he is limping, or that gout stops him doing things for other people that he would generally do, such as carrying a bag or helping someone up stairs.
When Alan has an attack of gout he finds it difficult to walk, and finds using a walking stick helpful. However, he has found that riding a bicycle is the easiest way of getting around because he can use one foot to move the pedals round which reduces the pressure on his other foot. This has been particularly useful to him when he has to go to see his GP, which would usually involve walking to the bus stop and catching a bus.
The pain of gout stops Alan from doing his usual activities, such as digging in the garden, but he tries to remain active to ensure that gout does not prevent him from doing what he wants to. The pain of gout also often stops Alan from sleeping at night, so he gets up and goes downstairs to read or watch TV. Alan’s gout started after he had retired, but he believes that it would have been quite problematic if he had been working even in terms of the physical effort of getting to work.
Alan feels that he has learnt how to manage his gout more effectively over time by learning to recognise an attack earlier, and beginning treatment quickly. For example, he has found that if he takes colchicine as soon as he notices symptoms of gout developing, the attack does not get as bad, and goes within a few days, whereas if he leaves it until later to begin taking colchicine, the attack is more severe and lasts for longer. He takes colchicine tablets with him if he goes on holiday in case he gets an attack while he is away.
At the moment, Alan is getting attacks of gout two or three times a year. He believes that his GP is monitoring his health in terms of gout as well as his other health conditions. He has blood tests every six months, and his GP checks his uric acid levels at the same time. Alan’s GP has mentioned the possibility of him taking long-term medication to prevent attacks of gout, but does not believe that this is necessary yet. Alan thinks that this might be because he is already taking several other tablets for other health issues, such as his heart condition. Alan is not keen to start taking another daily tablet for gout, but would be happy to do so if his attacks of gout became more frequent.