For whatever it is worth..........I suffered from terrible (debilitating) gout attacks for close to 16 years. My diet seemed to make no difference. I refused to go on allopurinol most of that time because (at the beginning of the issue) my doctor misunderstood how it should be used. He only prescribed it during an attack, which exacerbated the problem exponentially. Finally, his partner convinced me to “titrate” myself onto it when I wasn’t having an attack and I have been pretty much gout free (1 or 2 very minor attacks early on in the process) for 7 years. So I’m a believer. I might also suggest that if you are on any blood pressure medicine that has ANY hydrochlorothiozide in it, to talk to your doctor about switching meds. HCTZ is a known gout instigator.
I also have arthritis in both knees, but it’s especially bad in the left knee. Compounding the problem in that knee are two torn meniscus’s. The orthopedist refused to do arthroscopic surgery because he said it wouldn’t help and that the only “real” solution was a knee replacement, which I was nowhere near needing. His suggestion was to lose weight and strengthen my quadriceps. And he was absolutely correct. I spent a year riding my elliptical exercise bike (until my back could no longer handle it) and have changed my diet. I still get some knee pain (meniscus related) if I overdo the walking but the arthritis is currently at bay. A big help was eliminating virtually all refined sugars and reducing my carbohydrates (complex or otherwise) by roughly 80% (which helped to quickly trim 25 pounds). On the rare occasions I drink alcohol anymore I can pretty much be sure my joints will ache the next day. So diet can and does have an effect, especially as we get older. It sounds like you are on the right track as far as losing weight goes. I think your knees will improve (and love you) because of that. But I strongly suggest you also get on allopurinol and be done with it. It’s cheap and effective. I just thank God for legal weed and the benefits of CBD. That and the changes I’ve made have certainly improved the physical quality of my life.
P.S. I’ve had gout in my toes, ankles and wrist but never in my knees. But the knee is a joint so gout is always a distinct possibility.
