CentraState - Healthy Directions

Kathy Sundbye thanks John Brandeisky, DPM, for correctly identifying and treating her gout. podiatrist and foot surgeon and on staff at CentraState, to determine the cause of this searing pain. Dr. Brandeisky assessed that Kathy's pain was specifically from gout, a disease distinguished by high levels of uric acid in the bloodstream, and severe joint pain, most commonly in the foot. The uric acid will crystallize, and it can feel as if you're walking on shards of glass. Dr. Brandeisky also suspected gout because Kathy didn't regularly drink much water. "Dehydration is one of the biggest precipitating factors of gout," he says. Although Kathy's uric acid levels were initially low, Dr. Brandeisky was undeterred. "Initial testing is usually negative because all the uric acid is right at the site of the acute attack rather than in the bloodstream," Dr. Brandeisky explains. "The proper time to test it is sometime after the acute attack so that the uric acid is back in the bloodstream." X-rays and subsequent blood work confirmed the diagnosis of gout in Kathy's foot. "Women assume they have bunions, but gout is a possibility. A lot more people have it than is thought," Dr. Brandeisky says. The two ways to treat gout are to reduce the production of uric acid through diet and medication and to increase the elimination of uric acid through medication. Diets high in fat and sugars increase the likelihood of gout. Left untreated, gout will cause joint erosion and destruction and will cause the patient constant pain. Kathy started treatment immediately. "Within 2 ½ hours after the cortisone injection, my pain level decreased from an 11 down to a 2," Kathy recalls. "I started the antibiotics and I followed up with Dr. Brandeisky. I've been fine since." Five months later, Kathy remains pain-free and is back to her active lifestyle. "I feel totally wonderful and confident with Dr. Brandeisky. From the first time I met him, he was just great. It still amazes me that he thought to look at my earlier records and look for the reason behind my symptoms," says Kathy. And now that her foot is healed, she more fully appreciates some of the simpler things in life. "I hadn't worn heels for 2 ½ years," she says. "Now I can wear heels again." To find a CentraState physician, visit CentraState.com/ Physicianfinder or call 866-CENTRA7 (866-236-8727). HD Kathy Sundbye, 64, had always been an active person, but two years ago, a stabbing pain in her foot brought her activity to a halt. The pain was constant, emanating from the side of her foot, and she had resorted to walking with a cane. "On a scale of 1 to 10, my pain scored an 11," Kathy says. This knife-like pain in her right foot caused a serious interruption in Kathy's life. She was advised by a trusted physician to see John Brandeisky, DPM, a board-certified Women Get Gout, Too Symptoms of Gout • Severe pain in a single joint, usually at the base of the big toe but can occur in other areas of the foot, in the hand, elbows or knees • Swollen joint, looking red or purple, hot or stiff • Fever with or without chills • Episodes often occurring at night PREDISPOSITIONS FOR GOUT • Family history • A diet high in protein, fats, sugars and alcohol • Dehydration • Obesity • Medications that eliminate water from the body (i.e., diuretics) • Men between age 30 and 50; women after menopause • Metabolic syndrome Summer 2015 Healthy Directions 14

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