[azasadny]

Remember that the Uric Acid level may not be elevated during an acute attack. Mine is at 6.5, which is in the "normal" range, but is too high for someone with gout. Find a Dr who's familiar with gout (not always easy) and get started on Allopurinol, pain meds (I use OTC Aleve) and manage this disease, just like you would manage diabetes. Don't go crazy avoiding certain foods as this is an inherited metabolic disorder and isn't "caused" by certain foods, although you may find foods that trigger flare-ups. Treat this aggressively and get it under control. I'm going through this right now and the Allopurinol is really helping. Steroid injection made me very sick, but I can't take steroids...