I have been passing kidney stones for 2 years (12 in all). I still have 3 in my right kidney. I have had 10 hypostypsis and 2 laparoscopic surgeries. I also had a hysterectomy with in the two years. I have been taking Allopurinol for 1 year. I have been experiencing aches, swelling and discomfort in my fingers, ankles, and knees. I have this daily and my hands hurt so bad I'm losing sleep at night. My Uric Acid levels are normal so the doctors are saying it is not gout but they do not know what it is because all test are coming back normal. The things I read on the Gout website sounds like me except for the toe pain.

I have severe swelling and pain in the primary toe of my left foot and in the ankle joint of my right foot. I am presently taking 50 mg of Indocin twice daily and have been drinking concentrated black cherry juice that is diluted with water.

I have experienced severe gout attacks for about 15 yrs. It started in my big toe and has made its way into my ankle. My last two attacks have become infected and have been the most painful thing that has ever happened to me. I cannot pinpoint the source, so I am not sure what to do. I will just say, if you think you have a case of gout, get to your doctor and get on the meds. I do not wish this kind of pain on anyone and hope your case passes quickly.

I suffer from gout as did my mother. Mine however did not start in my big toe it started in the toe next to it on both my feet. I take 1 tbsp of concentrated cherry juice twice a day at the first sign of a flare up, and 1 tbsp of concentrated cherry juice once a week as a preventative method. So far it has worked.

I was just diagnosed with bursitis in my hips. I am a 51 yr old female. When I was 11 I was hospitalized with very painful gout in my one big toe. I remember it felt very hot with incredibly sharp pains, and throbbing. It was cured, (I recall there was an IV) or went away after ten days. I also recall all sorts of doctors were coming into my room to look at my toe. When I was 18 my doctor told me and my parents that I had rheumatoid arthritis in my wrists. I had worked that summer cutting trees limbs and other hard physical work. My wrists were very painful, swollen. I went on Naprosyn for several years, and gradually my wrists stopped hurting so often. Then I developed sensitivity to arthritis and related drugs (hives) and I have to be careful even today to not overdo painkillers. When I was 30 I was pregnant with my first child and the doctor put me in the hosp for ten days just before delivery, because I had such HIGH URIC ACID in my system that they were afraid it would compromise the pregnancy. My last 20 odd years I have been plagued with sciatica, 'tennis elbow', a 'bum' right knee with snapping and crackling when I go up stairs, and now bursitis in my hips. I am just now doing research, and I am glad I found your site.

I am a 65 year old woman who has had 2 experiences of gout in the knees 5 years apart. All the information I am finding is usually about the toe. I appreciate your article, it did help to know it can be in the knee. I find the doctors know little about diagnosing the gout. They want to touch your knee and press on it, which is unbearable; this was my clue that it was not an injury, but an inflammation. I want, like most of us to be able to stop it from happening in the first place. Most articles say to lose weight, it just so happens that both times I was on a diet when it happened. I find most articles tell us what not to eat, but not what to eat. I am not obese, maybe 20 lbs to lose, can you help me with setting up a diet to help balance my uric acid.