When it comes to a gout attack, that feeling is just so typical; once you've experienced it, you'll never forget.
The most agonizing part is the pain. It's not ordinary pain; many describe it as if a joint was suddenly clamped by a vice in the middle of the night, or feeling countless shards of glass pricking inside the joint. This severe pain comes on very quickly, often waking you up suddenly in the middle of the night while you were sleeping soundly.
Then you look down, and the affected joint (most commonly the base of the big toe, but it could also be the ankle or knee) will become red and swollen, like a puffy bun, with the skin stretched tight and shiny.
If you touch it, you can clearly feel the area is hot, like a small stove, burning to the touch.
Finally, it's untouchable. Forget about pressing hard; sometimes even covering it with a blanket or putting on a sock causes excruciating pain. Even a breeze feels unbearable, which is where the name "gout" (literally "wind pain" in Chinese) comes from.
Basically, it's these four classic signs: excruciating pain, redness and swelling, local heat, and extreme tenderness.