Originally Posted by
shelbyfv
Stay hydrated and avoid foods that are known to exacerbate it. I've had several attacks, usually a few years apart but always a big toe, either side. The most memorable started the first day of a week long bike tour. The pain was just tolerable while pedaling but pressing down to clip in was more than I could take. I resorted to leaving my shoe clipped in and pulling my foot out of my shoe when I stopped. Was tricky. Took lots of Alleve that week.
++ This.
Based on my experiences, and from what's posted here, it seems there is significant variation depending on your body's unique characteristics; but there are commonalities, with however your body processes purines being very important for many.
If you can find out what specific foods you're eating that cause a flare-up, then you're on your way to long-term relief.
For me, it's seems to be specific spicy food flavorings that are added to things like certain pizza toppings, and (interestingly) "Cool Ranch"-flavored Doritos.
I would suggest keeping a very strict diary of everything you put into your face, to try to narrow down exactly what might be causing the symptoms of gout.
A good by-product of that is you may discover other bad habits you can work on reducing. In my case, I was drinking a ton of sugar (in coffee). I simply didn't register this as "food intake". I've certainly improved my health by eliminating that, which was totally unrelated to my symptoms of gout.
