It seems to me I heard somewhere that A M Jackson wrote in article
<JJoRj.1012$1b7.1000@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>:
>> "Jo Firey" <jofirey@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>> Have you been tested for gout?
>
>Jo, I have done a little research. Wiki: Gout is characterized by
>excruciating, sudden, unexpected, burning pain, as well as swelling,
>redness, warmness, and stiffness in the affected joint. Low-grade fever
may
>also be present. The patient usually suffers from two sources of pain.
The
>crystals inside the joint cause intense pain whenever the affected area
is
>moved. The inflammation of the tissues around the joint also causes the
skin
>to be swollen, tender and sore if it is even slightly touched. For
example,
>a blanket or even the lightest sheet draping over the affected area could
>cause extreme pain Gout usually attacks the big toe (approximately 75
>percent of first attacks); however, it also can affect other joints such
as
>the ankle, heel,
>instep, knee, wrist, elbow, fingers, and spine. In some cases, the
condition
>may appear in the joints of small toes that have become immobile due to
>impact injury earlier in life, causing poor blood circulation that leads
to
>gout.
>
[. . .]
>I do not think I have gout problem. But is there simple test I can do
>myself? Or, I have to ask my doctor to perform this at lab? Thank you.
I don't recall if you've mentioned this, but do you have bumps or nodules
in the
palm of your hand near the fingers that have the pain? My assumption is
that
you would have mentioned it if you did, but this is just to rule out the
possibility of Dupuytren's contracture, the effects of which range from
benign
to quite painful. In my case I have fairly large nodules but very little
pain
(< 1 ) and no loss of hand function.
If you do have nodules, you can find more about Dupuytrens at
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dupuytrens-contracture/DS00732
--
Don Kirkman
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