tophaceous gout - anyone any experience ?

[gingeroots]

Very elderly mother with lots of health problems ( heart ,kidneys etc ) has this in her fingers .
We have an appt at an elder persons clinic ( supposed to look at all health issues ) next week ,but they weren't very interested in the gout at the first appt .
But as her fingers were bandaged ( and they were in any case looking at her ankles ,tho I did tell them it was her fingers affected ) ,they've not seen it .
This is the problem really - no one seems very interested .

It is truly awful ( I imagine all you pus lovers would like it ) breaks thru skin ,becomes infected ,really difficult to dress and for mother to keep dressings dry .
Has huge impact on her life - hard to function with fingers and a thumb bandaged . Both hands affected .

Has anyone had this or know of anyone ( appreciate by time we're talking tophi it's probably a condition affecting only old people ) with this who can offer advice ?

Mother lives alone ,I visit 6/7 and quite frankly am in despair over this .

So we attended appointment today and I took dressings off the worst affected digit ( which the DNT had ignored on their previous visit despite it being on their care plan ) and insisted doctor looked .
Referred for xray immediately because concerned infection may have spread to bone and now he's doing an urgent referral to rheumatolgist.

But doctors bottom line ( repeated ad nauseum ) is that it's because my mother doesn't drink enough .

She actually drinks more than most old people I know ,probably 2 litres a day .

Doctor suggests carers and residential home - which will cure her gout how ?

I know no ones interested in this - I'm just off loading .

Don't get gout - no one seems to have any expertise in the area.