OK again sorry for the delay. The emails started again… even a few calls…”Hey are you ok?”
I have to admit I always try to maintain a positive outlook but the gout flared on this past Friday again. This time it was much worse than the original onset but the bright side was that it was only the left foot. When I first experienced gout recently I was sure that was as bad as it could get but clearly I was dead wrong.
We went to a service for a dear friend who passed away and got to see some people we have not gotten to see for some time. That was Friday night and it definitely was not a good time to be on my feet but this dear lady was our youth leader at church when I was a teenager. Dixie and her husband Jim were both big-time supportive of the church choir I was in too. It was one of those times that was not optimal to be out and about but I wouldn’t have missed it. We were called the Cross & Flame Singers. You may have guessed by the name but we went to a Methodist Church then. Dixie and Jim (aka Hubba) used to travel with the choir as chaperons so we got to spend lots of time with them. Rita and I planned to meet Dan and Cheryl there and Mike and Debbie were standing at the door (obviously since it was Debbie’s mom). The only other C&F member I noticed was Neil T but I imagine the majority of the choir that could make it likely came Saturday in Gettysburg. Many members are living far away and may not have heard in time or been able to make the trip. Anyways as has been spoken many times it was good to see everyone but under a way less than optimal circumstance.
Saturday morning it was clear that the right foot was feeling left out and flared up too. I had mentioned an Amish Cream we had used initially but it seemed this application was yielding much less favorable results. In my March 7 posting I mentioned that Dr Q had prescribed colchicine for the gout and it was the main use of this drug. I had only done the first two pills to get the “least desired possible result” and the next day was in the hospital for AFIB so as many of us do, I associated the negative change with the last thing that we changed before that… colchicine.
Sunday morning the gout pain was really bad but we still went to church to enjoy the service and fellowship. The left foot was clearing up but the right one was still really angry. When we got home I went for the freezer and emptied a bag of sour cherries into a cereal bowl and ate them. It took about 5 hours but cherries are the #1 natural gout remedy for a reason. I may have exhibited some negative behavior to a couple friends at church as the gout was really a pain in the.. well, the feet of course. I still feel defeated every once in a while it just doesn’t last nearly as long as it used to and I had to ask God to forgive me. If I allow the “defeated” feelings I am not trusting Him at that moment.
Although the cherries definitely helped, I kept thinking of the colchicine prescription I had. I REALLY wanted to get a pill out and try again but having it be possibly a cause or contributor to my AFIB it was just not worth it. I did some research and found something I did not expect.
I found this and you certainly do not have to read the whole thing to get the point, I only included the link for those curious types http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/jared-bunch-rhythm-of-life/a-common-treatment-for-gout-shows-promise-in-atrial-fibrillation-patients/
The info I was specifically interested is this below… (Keeping in mind this article was related to treatment of people who have had coronary ablation(s)…which I have NOT)
What is Colchicine?
People who have experienced gout, a painful condition of inflammation of one or more joints due to the build up of uric acid in the joint spaces, will recognize the drug colchicine. Colchicine has long been used to treat acute gout attacks. Colchicine treats gout through a few pathways. First, it may interfere with the formation of uric acid crystals in the joint space. Second, it reduces inflammation and the way in which the body responds to injury. The use of this drug as an anti-inflammatory agent has been explored for other causes and diseases. Recently, colchicine has been used to treat inflammation involving the sack surrounding the heart (pericarditis) and abnormal heart rhythms that are provoked and worsened by inflammation, most notably atrial fibrillation.
Colchicine in Patients Who Undergo Catheter Ablation
Since atrial fibrillation is worsened by body inflammation, and colchicine is a strong anti-inflammatory agent that had a tendency to work in the heart, it is possible that use of this drug may reduce recurrence of atrial fibrillation after an ablation. In a 3-center study from Greece, 223 patients underwent a successful catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation and then were randomized to receive colchicine for 3 months or a placebo. The most common side effect of the colchicine was diarrhea that occurred in 10 percent of the patients. Of those patients on colchicine, 11 percent stopped it early because of side effects. In the placebo group, 5 percent of people stopped it early due to side effects. The benefit of colchicine in preventing atrial fibrillation was significant. In those on the drug, 31 percent experienced a recurrence of their atrial fibrillation. In the group of patients who received placebo, 50 percent experienced a recurrence of their atrial fibrillation.
I ran into a friend last night while we were at dinner and he had his heart surgery about a year and a half ago. He is an ER doc so he has seen it all but I forgot to take this up with him. Disappointed that I forgot to ask him yet wondering how I forgot while limping from the gout pain!?!? I emailed him today to ask if he thought colchicine was safe for me and unlikely to have caused the AFIB issue? (I included the link above)
He emailed back and said “…I personally think it unlikely that the colchicine caused the a-fib. More likely related to your surgery. A lot of patients will temporarily go into a-fib after aortic valve replacement. They get converted back to normal sinus rhythm and then that’s it- it’s over. Occassionally they will go back into a-fib another time and need another conversion. But the farther you get from the surgery the less likely it is to occur.
That article is very interesting. First article I’ve seen using colchicine to reduce the incidence of a-fib. There’s actually a lot of interest in the anti-inflammatory actions of cochicine for coronary artery disease. Few small articles that were very encouraging regarding improvement in atherosclerosis. I personally wouldn’t hesitate to use colchicine if that damn gout acts up.”
So there you have it, good enough for me. I’ll add colchicine back in tonight as today I managed 4,000 steps but more would feel better. How can one get rehabilitated sitting down? Granted the weather was not much for walking today especially considering the wind (it is March), but any day with less pain is a better day.
Tomorrow we may see about 60 degrees, Wednesday almost 70 degrees, Thursday 70+ degrees so some good weather days for outside activities.
Be Blessed