There are plenty of symptoms of gout that can occur and that you should be on the lookout for. Some people have many symptoms though and others have only a few. It is important though to document what you feel so that you can share that information with your doctor. They can take your information along with some samples from the affected area to see if you do indeed have gout or not.
The joints that have been affected by gout are going to be swollen and they may feel hot to the touch. This is due to the amount of inflammation that is in place and the amount of uric acid that has turned to crystals in that joint area. The swelling is typically going to be very noticeable and the joint area is going to be very red in color.
The area that has been affected will likely be very tender at the onset. This is one of the symptoms of gout that you don’t want to ignore. Before you know it, there can be severe pain in this part of the body due to the uric acid crystals. Taking early action to prevent the outbreak of gout from being full blown is very important.
The pain is usually going to start to develop overnight while you are sleeping. Over the next several days, the skin around the affected joints is going to turn whitish in color. It could start to peel and to pull away from its usual format as well. Itching is very common and it may be very painful to put any pressure on the affected join such as the feet or the toes. The skin may go from red to purplish and look like it is infected.
The amount of discomfort can vary from just a little bit to pain so severe you can’t work and you can’t sleep. The severe pain can last for a few hours here and there but the discomfort can last for several days on many levels. You may think you are just about through the worst of it when you experience a high level of pain again.
As you recognize the symptoms of gout, you will know what is going on. You can follow some of the gout diet home remedies including various herbs and foods that can help to increase the antioxidants in the body and to remove the uric acid that is in place. Don’t ignore these symptoms as gout will only continue to get worse over time. Your frequency of outbreaks as well as the severity of those symptoms will continue to get worse.
Keep in mind though that there are other health concerns that have the same symptoms of gout. Only your doctor will be able to do the right testing and assessing to make sure you get treatment for the right concern. Some people find that their own home remedies haven’t worked for gout – but it is due to the fact that they don’t really have gout but another health issue with similar symptoms of gout.