Gout Support Group
Gout is a form of arthritis caused by the accumulation of uric acid crystals in joints. It is an intensely painful disease, which in most cases affects only one joint (monoarthritis), most commonly the big toe. The classic picture is of excruciating and sudden pain, swelling, redness, warmness and stiffness in the joint. Low-grade fever may also be present.
I'm asking for a friend (really! LOL) who has had pain in her second toe for a few months----- and for her to complain I know it must really hurt.
She's been seen by several doctors in her town and was in the hospital in a city they were traveling through because the pain got worse. She was there for about 7 days and diagnoses went from cellulitis to staph/strep (not MRSA), bacterial infection, back to cellutitis------ you get the picture.
She felt fine during all this time. No fever etc just pain from the toe.
She was released after the hospital admitted they really couldn't figure out what the problem was and settled on bacterial infection, sent her home with an antibiotic.
Well, back to my subject------ I urged her (and she agreed) that gout should be considered. A blood test said 'no'. Then she asked for synovial fluid analysis which they did (tried).
She was told that there was no synovial fluid in that toe joint (The toe next in from the great toe) or certainly not enough to sample.
Is this common?
What does it mean?
How could that be?
Could it be that the nurse in the hospital didn't do it right?
She's now on Clindimycin which was rx'd by her doctor back in her home town. He said it wasn't gout but didn't try a synovial fluid draw.
She's been seen by several doctors in her town and was in the hospital in a city they were traveling through because the pain got worse. She was there for about 7 days and diagnoses went from cellulitis to staph/strep (not MRSA), bacterial infection, back to cellutitis------ you get the picture.
She felt fine during all this time. No fever etc just pain from the toe.
She was released after the hospital admitted they really couldn't figure out what the problem was and settled on bacterial infection, sent her home with an antibiotic.
Well, back to my subject------ I urged her (and she agreed) that gout should be considered. A blood test said 'no'. Then she asked for synovial fluid analysis which they did (tried).
She was told that there was no synovial fluid in that toe joint (The toe next in from the great toe) or certainly not enough to sample.
Is this common?
What does it mean?
How could that be?
Could it be that the nurse in the hospital didn't do it right?
She's now on Clindimycin which was rx'd by her doctor back in her home town. He said it wasn't gout but didn't try a synovial fluid draw.
I'm not sure I agree with what the doctor told your husband. Synovial fluid is present at ALL joints. That's what keeps the bone ends from rubbing on each other and causing pain.