changing diet and losing weight

After the pain of the initial attack (happened mid December 2007) didn't really subside, in early January I went to see my GP doctor. She prescribed indomethacin, in much larger doses than I was doing before. (4 caps/day for 4 days, then 3 caps/day for 3 days, etc.) That seems to have helped and the swelling and pain went away in about a week.

Since the beginning of the year, I have never stopped taking baking soda (1/2 teaspoon in water twice a day), but am beginning to wonder if it is doing anything. I wish I had a UA level monitor to see if my UA levels are dropping.

After the swelling/pain disappeared, I stopped taking the indo (it's got some long-term bad kidneys side effects). So far so good. It's been 3 weeks now with no pain/swelling.

After reading testimony on celery seeds I have added them to my daily routine (2 caps twice a day). Celery seeds are supposed to act similar to allopurinol by inhibiting uric acid production. (I have researched celery seeds and it seems that their uric-acid-inhibitor property is well-known and yet they are not too popular as a gout-prevention drug. Why?)

Since the first attack (mid-December 2007) I have changed my diet. Before that attack my diet was pretty healthy but since the attack I have reduced wine intake and have concentrated on eating more alkaline foods than acidic (I try to stick to the generally suggested 70% alkaline and 30% acidic).

Perhaps more important than worrying about high-purine, low-purine food (which I try to follow) is moderation; just eating smaller portions of everything. Even though I was not overweight, I am also dropping my weight, but slowly -- don't want to trigger an attack. From 180 (I'm 5-10) I'm down about 6 pounds in two weeks so far; would like to bring it down to 160 eventually.

It's been a big psychological adjustment for me to have to worry about what I eat and drink. Enjoying food and wine has always been a big part of my life; I now have to change my habits significantly both at home and when going out. The possibility of another gout attack striking anytime is a real joy killer. Since I never know if and when gout may strike, it takes the fun out of eating and drinking. Again, I wish I had an easy way to monitor UA levels.

Stan