Published 05/30/2024 by Jacob Woodring
It Started Just Before Freshman Year of High School
My Gout Started When I Was Young. You might even say that my story is quite unique. It’s the year 2000 and I was on the brink of turning 14. My family had moved from Oregon back to California. We were living with my aunt and her two boys. My family and I were playing basketball outside when I suffered a sports injury.
That’s right, I suffered a sprained ankle in the pursuit of an easy layup. I was devastated and heartbroken. Normally a sprained ankle would sideline a preteen for a few days and at max a week, but the Gods had different plans for me.
One week went by and my parents were confused why the swelling in my ankle didn’t go down. We went to see a doctor and he told me to rest up and keep my foot in the air, the swelling will go down in a few days. A few days went by and the swelling didn’t go away.
My parents and I went back to the doctor’s office. The doctor gave the same advice, but this time the doctor ordered some blood work.
Another day went by, and the doctor asked to have me back in his office. This was odd to us, we thought this was only a matter of a sprained ankle. Once inside the office the doctor didn’t spare any time. “It’s odd, but your son has gout!”
My parents were confused with what the doctor told them. A 13-year-old with a senior citizens disease? The doctor showed my parents the blood test results, and I tested positive for hyperuricemia. The crystals in the blood were in fact gout and not pseudo gout.
I didn’t care what I had as long as my swelling went down. After a few days, it did.
I entered my freshman year of high school not knowing that gout would get the best of me physically. My gout attacks were mostly in my feet and thumbs. I went from running a seven and a half minutes mile to twelve minutes by my senior year.
After almost 19 years with the disease a very prolific rheumatologist confirmed that my gout was caused by genetics from my mother’s side and was a result of family inheritance. The same two cousins that I mentioned earlier were diagnosed at the same time as me and they were similar to my age. Three teens all around 13 being diagnosed at the same time was like hitting the lottery.
I wish I can tell you that I was diagnosed in my forties or fifties, and that I lived a very fruitful life, but no, I can’t. My story started just out of puberty. Unfortunately, I had my fair share of swollen joints and being bed bound for weeks with horrible pain. By the time I hit 20 years old I had one surgery to remove tophi deposit the size of a golf ball on my left wrist.
When I was 33, I was picked to be in a national medical trial for Krystexxa with Methotrexate. It lasted for one whole calendar year. It was a temporary life changer. I took full advantage of finally having no pain and feeling like I was walking on air. My joints didn’t hurt, and feet could go on and on for miles. That was when I made a decision to move to San Diego and fulfill my beach going life! This lasted for only a year and a half and I was back in Idaho. Don’t worry, we have plenty of articles to come chronicling my timeline.
As of the 30th of May, in 2024 I am a college student at the age of 37 (a month shy of 38) and I’m trying to build a business off of my 24 years’ worth of experiences with gout. I want to share my time going to prom, my first job and dealing with bad doctors and the good ones. My life is an open book!
I’m a little jealous of the people with gout which had the disease thrusted on them because they ate the wrong foods or drank too much alcohol. It’s those patients that had control of when they had the onset of gout come over them. My destiny was sort of planned out already. My life was fully mapped out for me without my consent. From the age of 13 until now, all I have known was physical pain and how to navigate my way through it.
My goal is to share my website and fill it full of stories, research and recommendations to make sure anyone with gout doesn’t suffer as much as I did. I also have a YouTube channel where you can put a face to the words.
(1) Thefamousjacob – YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfxqJmfuWADtczRnKZcb4WA
This is me! If I can get through cancer scares, surgeries and countless months stuck on a bed, I know that you can as well! You are not alone! You have found me, and we will get through this disease together!