Good on you, Anne, for soldiering on and finding a treatment that works for you! It can be frustrating for a younger person to get an accurate diagnosis for something like arthritis. I was misdiagnosed for years with “sprains” and “hairline fractures” before the doctors finally began to look at other possibilities for what was going on with me. Sounds like your doctors are on the ball with your treatment. I wasn’t aware that the blood lab results for RA were not conclusive. After my worst arthritic episode, which affected both arms and legs and had me bed-ridden for three months, my regular doc had serious doubts that it was gout that was doing this to me. He figured it was RA. He referred me to a rheumatologist who, after reviewing blood labs, decided it was just a bad gout attack so he just went with that for treatment. Since I’ve been taking Probenecid (another “old-school” med) for gout I have rarely had full on gout attacks like I did before but I still find it hard to be on my feet for more than a few hours at a time and still experience some pain and inflammation in most of my joints especially when it’s cold. I figured it was just joint damage from years of undiagnosed severe gout attacks. It could very well be that I have RA as well and the rheumatologist I was seeing had misdiagnosed me. I suppose I’ve become a little jaded over the years by my encounters with doctors and specialists. I don’t want to go into it in detail here but I could write a book on it. Essentially it all boils down to this IMHO: If you have insurance (should you have so much as a hang nail) they will send you to every specialist, sub-specialist and guru they know to be poked, prodded, x-rayed and exsanguinated until your eyes pop out of your head in order to milk your insurance of every drop they can get from it weather or not it actually helps you. If you don’t have insurance they will gladly let you languish and die without batting an eyelash. So I’ve been trying something different starting with switching from the SAD to keto in the hopes that it will help or maybe even, eventually, cure whatever has been causing these arthritic episodes throughout my life. It has helped some with the inflammation in my hands and knees though my feet and ankles still hurt if I stay on them too long. I am hoping that as I continue to lose weight and figure out which foods do what to my body I can get to a place of relative health and well being without having to take any more medications. I’m not totally against prescription medication (and I’m glad to hear you’ve found one that helps you) I just want to give these dietary changes a chance to work before I go the specialist rout again.
Kidney Pain and Considering going off Keto/IF
Thanks for the link. I have watched a couple of interviews with Mikhaila Peterson in which she describes her recovery from a debilitating arthritic condition and depression. Her story is very inspirational. I have been wanting to try carnivore but I’ve been hesitant because of my history with gout which can be worsened by foods high in purines (like red meat). I knew I was taking a chance going keto with a history of gout but so far as long as I don’t try to do longer fasts I seem to be doing okay with it. Carnivore is a little daunting however.
I have experienced the AWFUL kidney/back pain, like painful liquid seeping into my butt, hips,upper thighs, groin, all the way to my knees. Had to stop a few fasts because of it. Continued researching. Another fast, and new pain…this time huge swelling & pain in my already very inflamed RA knees…more research…pseudogout…more research…
Here is what I have concluded. The uric acid overflow from the detox of the fast seeps, attacks joints, because it cannot be filtered out quickly enough. I saw a video on the snake diet site about “cooling the (uric acid overloaded) kidneys”. ACV WITH baking soda. Research found at TED.earthclinic.com said gout, also from uric acid flush overload, is cured regularly in other countries with ACV & Baking soda 2xday…ah ha! Tried it. PAIN & SWELLING (besides the RA) GONE (almost) first day! Since, I have had successful, KIDNEY & GOUT PAIN-FREE short fasts (3 days), & am into the 7th day of an extended fast now, being diligent with the electrolyte water, boron, & ACV/Baking soda (2×/day) & NO GOUT OR KIDNEY PAIN. Hope this may help you as well.