I just received my blood test results back from last week. My uric acid is down to 3.9mg/dl which is great. That means the Allopurinol is doing its job and cleaning out all those old deposits. I know this - just look at my knee below! Other tests also came out fine, so there is nothing to worry about there. It's just going to take time.
I also was able to put a prescription request in for the steroids and pain medicine that I need right now. Hopefully, the prednisone will be able to knock this attack back quickly. I really can't miss any more work. My wife will be picking this up for me in a couple of hours.
Today has been pretty uneventful. I was hoping to be able to do some work on my computer making some more posters and pieces from photos I've recently taken. But, it's just too damn uncomfortable to sit at my desk and I don't have the photos or the correct software on this laptop. That's fine, though. I should just be relaxing anyway.
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Nate,
ReplyDeleteThanks for updating the Tracker. I have some comments for your reference.
1) The size of gout attack increases exponentially with the time the attack is left untreated. Your gout pain increased from 1 to 2.5 on 5/19, but you did not take anti-inflam (Naproxen) until 5/22. This gave the attack time to become exponentially worse. I would start anti-inflam on 5/19.
2) The effective doses of Naproxen for treating gout attacks are: 500 mg 2x/day. You took only about half of that. Therefore your gout became out of control. If your stomach cannot tolerate high doses of naproxen, you may want to try Colchicine, Celebrex,...
3) You need to keep gout med available 24/7. It's too late to chase docs for meds when the attacks are in progress.
4) If Diclofenac, Indomethacin, or Naproxen bothers your stomach, you can try Colchicine or Cox2 Inhibitors such as Celebrex which are easier on the stomach. A study has shown Celebrex is as good as Indomethacin for treating gout attacks.
5) I strongly recommend that, with your doctor's permission, get on long term prophylactic therapy using Colchicine 0.5 mg 1~2x /day, or an friendlier NSAID at low doses.
6) Have you back treated. The inflam in the back increases WBC in the blood and triggers gout attacks. The inflamed back also "steal" the anti-inflam in the blood such that not enough med is left in the blood to subdue gout attacks quickly.
Get well soon.
Anon, don't take the tracker as gospel for my NSAID intake. I often take a pill of Aleve or two here and there throughout the day and may miss that. I will start being a lot more diligent with tracking that from here on out. But, I hear what you're saying.
ReplyDeleteActually, my stomach can handle Naproxen better than dicoflenac and Colchicine. I'm not taking Celebrex. Tried it in the past and it did nothing. Indomethacin hasn't worked for me for over 12 years. I won't be taking Colchicine either. My body DOES NOT handle that drug well!
Where I live in Germany and with the health insurance I have, my options are very limited for health care. It sucks. This is definitely going to be my last job overseas or far away from proper medical attention until I can get this under control. Same goes for getting my back treated. Good luck with that over here. I do not have the time to deal with the convoluted German medical system - literally. They are used to dealing with people who can leave their job whenever they want, take multiple days off at a time, and even get two weeks paid just to heal up from a cold or simple cough. It's a joke from my perspective - and I'm jealous. The American clinic does a good job for a lot of things, but more serious things are refered off-post to German hospitals and clinics. Being a private contractor, I just don't have the time to do this. I can't. My company won't let me. I've maxed my sick leave and my vacation already and have no other options.
Anyway, that was a lot more than I meant to write. Time to get back to the couch.
Thank you for all of the information.
You are worse than between a stone and a hard rock. Too young to retire, gout for life, too far away from complete hospital facilities, no sick time left, and no amount of stiff drinks to drown everything. And worst of all: You'd wind up in the poor house if you tried to get it taken care of here in the States.
ReplyDeleteNate, a far-out question: you, being in Germany now and a private contractor, could you get a job (with your professional background/experience) with a German company and through them on a German insurance plan???
Just a way-out/off idea!!!
Hans,
ReplyDeleteit's something I've considered, but it may not be that easy to implement. There is a lot to consider there.
As I've mentioned before, I am trying to work on something on the side right now. IF, and that's a big if, I can get this working before the end of this September and bring in enough money, I may be able to quit my job, work from home and be placed on my wife's medical insurance. That would be a HUGE change in my life - for the better. I'm also looking in to doing some private consulting, but this can be a bit tricky as an Ami in Europe.
If the art/photography/writing doesn't pan out soon enough, I'll sign another one year contract, continue doing what I can to get better and hope that the side businesses are working by then. That is probably the more likely scenario. But, I am getting some really good feedback on what I'm working on. Now, if it will bring in enough to pay the bills........
Nate, not to pour a bucket of cold water on your plans, however, you MUST consider this: If any unexpected event will put a dent/crimp/end to your sideline business, like a physical immobility to perform your work (as not being able to get from point A to B) and not enough to pay the bills......, then what? ( I can tell a story when a self-employment/business goes haywire.)
ReplyDeleteIt happened to my first wife, too. She became an artist (painter) in her own name and started to pull in good money when our son was killed (17 years ago) and that shattered her ability and creativity to paint and has not painted since. Now, at 73, after surviving two cancer operations, she is still alive and amazingly coping with live, however, no one would envy her and her life for one second.