Michael \"Dog3\" wrote:
>
> Bleh... About how long does an episode last? This man was jovial
> even though he was in a lot of pain.

Depends on severity, but not usually more than a few days.
However, that must be followed by several days of an
anti-gout diet. If the pain goes away and you return
to a normal diet too soon, it can flare up again even
worse. Because today is the third day after the warning
sign, I allowed myself a little chicken and cheese.
If I had a full-blown attack, I'd wait a few more days
before returning to regular eating.

Prevention is the key, because the more attacks you have,
the more susceptible you become to future attacks. I've
had attacks since I was a teenager, and after I discovered
what caused them (which I actually self-diagnosed after
learning about gout in biochemistry class in college),
I've learned what to avoid. That's why I almost never
eat eggs.