Eric
Eric first experienced gout in 1986 at the age of 60, when he was on holiday. Eric has continued to get attacks of gout in his feet every few months. He takes colchicine when he has an attack. Eric has had three attacks in the last 12 months.
Eric first experienced gout at the age of 60, when he was on holiday in the former country of Yugoslavia. He woke up with pain in his foot and could not walk. The skin on his foot looked shiny and was very tender to the touch. Eric felt quite alarmed about being unwell in a foreign country. The Manager of the hotel where he was staying sent Eric to the local clinic, where he saw a doctor. The doctor told Eric that he had gout, and prescribed pure alcohol and aspirin. He told Eric to dissolve the aspirin in the alcohol and to bathe his foot with the mixture four or five times a day so that his skin would harden. [This is not a recommended treatment] The doctor also told Eric to visit his own doctor when he got home. Eric could not put his shoe on, so he cut the top off and put an elastic band round to try and keep the shoe on. He remembers having a miserable holiday because of the pain.
On discovering that he had gout, Eric was initially concerned that he would have to live with the pain permanently. When Eric got home, he went to see his GP, who did a blood test and prescribed colchicine tablets. Within a few days of taking the tablets Eric’s attack had gone, but he subsequently had other attacks which he had not anticipated getting. His attacks have always been in his feet, and he believes that the pain is worse than the pain he experienced from various operations including a quadruple heart bypass. He also experiences a side effect of diarrhoea from taking colchicine. His GP has not discussed the possibility of long-term preventative medication with him.
Eric cares for his wife, and so finds it difficult to manage when he has an attack. He has a walking stick that he finds useful to help him get around the house, but attacks of gout stop him from driving. Eric sometimes feels frustrated because he cannot do the things that he knows need to be done particularly in terms of caring for his wife. He keeps a supply of colchicine in the house at all times so that he is prepared for attacks. Eric’s house has been adapted in various ways because of other health conditions he has, and he finds these adaptations such as the stair lift, grab rails and downstairs shower useful when he has an attack of gout. His neighbours and daughter also sometimes help with everyday tasks.
Eric continues to get attacks of gout every few months. His attacks generally last for a few days, but his longest attack lasted for 10 days. He has had three attacks in the last 12 months. Eric has noticed that drinking more than his usual amount of alcohol seems to trigger an attack, but has not found anything else that affects him. During an attack, Eric finds it helpful to focus on his knowledge that the pain will not last forever, and he will have relief from it at some point.