Pat

Age at interview: 61

Brief Outline: Pat was diagnosed with gout after some years of pain. She takes allopurinol and uses anti-inflammatories and painkillers to manage any attacks. She prefers to self-manage her condition but sees the GP for regular blood tests.

Background: Pat is a nurse. She lives with her husband and son, and has three other children. She enjoys walking. Ethnic background/nationality: White English.

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Pat had pain in her feet for some time before being diagnosed with gout in her 50s. As a nurse, she recognised some of the symptoms and asked her GP for a blood test, which confirmed that she had gout. She started on a low dose of allopurinol and now takes 300mg. She wanted to get the gout under control in order not to damage her joints.
 
Pat was surprised to get gout when she was only in her 50s, although she wondered if having a hysterectomy at age 40 was significant. She would like GPs to be aware that younger people can get gout.
 
Pat prefers to self-manage her gout. She uses anti-inflammatories and painkillers to manage any pain. She also tries to drink plenty of water, uses ice-packs and wears support tights at work. She finds that wearing certain types of shoes can cause pain, but generally tries not to let gout restrict her life.
 
Pat has other health conditions including Morton’s neuroma, for which she has had an operation, hiatus hernia, irritable bowel syndrome and back pain.
 
She has regular tests to measure her uric acid levels. She would go back to the GP if she had any more pain. 

Pat had her uric acid measured between adjustments to the dose of her allopurinol. She now has tests about once a year to check that her uric acid is within the normal range.

I asked my doctor to do a blood test, and the uric acid came back high. And because I had symptoms, he started me on a low dose of allopurinol. Sometime later, I had another test and it was still quite high so he did in the end put me on 300mg of allopurinol, which I’m still on, and I’ve taken ever since. I have had periodic tests, and it’s relatively normal range. 

I do ask the doctor to do me a sort of fairly regular blood test, about once a year at least. And I just like to keep an eye on it.

Pat was concerned at first about possible side effects. She has been taking allopurinol for four years and has had no problems.

So when you first went along, and had the diagnosis and everything, how did you feel about starting on a long term medication?

I was a bit concerned, and obviously I did look it up and read all the side effects and things. But then I felt – I took it and I didn’t have any problems with it or any side effects, so I felt that it would probably be all right. And if I have to stay on it, I have to stay on it

What were you main concerns, when you said that you were concerned about the idea?

Well, whether there were any side effects, or whether there’s any long term problems related to taking the drug for a long period of time. I don’t appear to have had any side effects or long term problems, and I’ve now been on it four, five years. It’s four years now, yeah. 

Pat was surprised to be diagnosed with gout because she thought it was more of a man’s condition. She works as a nurse but had not met any female patients with gout.

How did you feel about having this diagnosis of having gout?

A bit strange, because I think previously I’d probably thought it was something that men had more than women. I was quite surprised that I did have it. I hadn’t actually met anyone – any female patients who’d had it, only men. Of course, you still get the traditional, you know, “You drink lots of red wine and eat lots of red meat” type of thing, and I don’t eat any of those [laughs].