Hi,

I am trying to figure out if I have had an episode of gout, but my story is not very typical. Would be grateful to know if anyone else has experienced something similar.

I have no risk factors for gout; I am 49 and fit, not overweight, normal blood pressure, etc, etc. Last week, during the night, I had sudden onset of very severe pain on the side of my foot. I have heard that the pain of gout is like a burning pain and this was definitely not burning; it was more like a very deep and intense ache, similar to when you break a bone.

In the morning, it was very painful & I could hardly walk on it. There was one small point over the bone that was extremely tender to touch, but it was not swollen over this point and was not red. Over the next day or two, a little bit of puffy swelling came up around my ankle, with a little bit of diffuse redness, which resolved over the next few days.

Now, after 10 days, it looks normal, and I can walk OK, but there is still some tenderness when I press over the bony point I mentioned above.

All in all, it felt quite like a badly sprained ankle, except that the pain was much greater then I would expect from a sprained ankle, there was no bruising and in any case I am quite sure I had not twisted my ankle.

My doctor was also not sure but thought it could possibly be gout.

Has anyone else experienced gout without any significant swelling or redness?