You can not control what you can not measure

If you have any background in project management, you know the adage "you can not control what you can not measure". Maybe you know it as "If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it".
The quote is usually attributed to management guru Peter Drucker, but I am pretty sure he did not have gout. Nevertheless, the quote applies to gout management perhaps more than other types of management.
If you do not know how much uric acid there is in your blood - over time - you do not know if anything you do to change the uric acid concentration is actually helping. This is why the doctor insists that you come back for a second visit when you get allopurinol. The doctor wants to check that the medicine has the desired effect by doing a second blood test.
However, if you manage your uric acid level by diet and water intake, there is no doctor to do the blood test. You have to be your own doctor. You need a uric acid meter. Using it involves the slghtly unpleasant part of pricking your finger, since it measures the amount of uric acid in your blood. but if you have one, you will know any changes you make to your lifestyle have effect.

TODAYS MENU
​Breakfast: Today I had fried noodles with mixed vegetables for breakfast. Yes, very unhealthy, especially with the amount of fat I used. But I went for a long bicycle ride with my son right after, so maybe I burned off some of it.
​Lunch: Inarii-zushi, a kind of sushi made with a fried and marinated tofu shell.
Snack: Well, maybe late lunch. Or second lunch. A hotdog at Costco.
Dinner: Garlic rice and beef. Without beef.