Its very hard to think straight about getting healthy when exercise is so negatively reinforced. I don't mind being sore after jogging or lifting weights. That's legitimate and its not terribly painful... its a sign of progress. Gout is not a sign of progress. It's punishment. What really makes no sense to me is that I have a flare in my right elbow... not in my ankles from stress jogging this morning. How does that work?
It also tells me that taking 200mg of allopurinol a day is doing no good if one morning jog can create a flare. I'm going to call the doc Monday and see what they recommend. They may very well say that I've only been on 200mg for a month and therefore need more time, but I need to do something if I'm going to continue exercising regularly.
I was diagnosed with gout about a year ago, but I had flares several times in the past. I was given meds to treat the flare but never given anything to manage the problem until last year. I had reached a point where flares were happening a couple of times a month. If you have never had gout, it is one of the most painful things I've ever known. It was once compared as a valid likeness to childbirth. Gout is a form of arthritis where uric acid builds up in joints and causes inflammation. The uric acid forms as razor sharp crystals and as the joint moves the crystals dig into the tissue causing inflammation and pain.
What does this mean for me? I have options: fight through the pain, give up, or search for a better medication or solution. Fighting through the pain when its in the elbow is livable. I can still function with some limitations. When gout flares in my ankles I am almost completely out of commission for days and it could be weeks before I feel comfortable to exercise. Fighting that has failed in the past and I'm afraid of that failure. I need to look at better medication. As I lose the weight and continue to look for health alternatives that minimize my body's uric acid production, I might be able to manage this better.
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