My index finger on my left hand started giving me problems about two months ago. The joint was red, warm, and hurt when I bumped or bent it. I just woke up with it hurting one morning - no trauma or injury. It would get better then go back again to hurting.
I hesitated going to the doctor. I work in private industry, and with the out of pocket a simple doctor office visit will be around $70 cost after the insurance pays - and it's just a finger for pete's sake! I had people tell me it was just arthritis, but I have spots of arthritis and it didn't feel the same.
Finally my husband convinced me I really should get it checked out so I went to my PCP. She pretty much knew what it was but had me get an xray and blood work (so much for getting out of this for $70....) and guess what - it's gout!
She has been a great PCP and really investigates and discusses my situation with the transplant nephrologist in the same building. My husband actually sees her husband as his PCP. She said that the one kidney can put me at risk for high uric acid levels (hubby has some of the same risk but I had no clue it applied to me). Of course, no NSAIDs, and she was a bit reluctant to use any gout medicine at this point due to the one kidney. So I am on a week of prednisone taper, which has helped a lot. Have also been trying to drink more water as I know I don't drink enough. Vitamin C is supposed to help so have been eating pineapple with my lunch. Tart cherries are supposed to help, so morning snack is a fourth cup of dried tart cherries. Diet is not an issue, as we eat a pretty clean diet and don't eat any of the things on the "no no" list in the literature she sent me.
Many thanks Clark/John for posting the news articles as I was able to search this site and, sure enough, donors seem to have a higher potential for gout.
I guess I am lucky I got this only in a finger and not in my big toe or knee. Hoping when I take another blood test in three weeks that the uric acid levels are lower.