A Final Word On Gouty Arthritis

http://www.gout.com/professional/index.aspx

The gout in my left foot is still evident and woke me from a sound sleep again...but it may be subsiding on my diet of NSAIDs and Second City gaffaws. The above link shows even more factors that are implicated in gout. Although I don't eat a ton of red meat (in fact, very little), I did enjoy shrimp kabob at Red Lobster this week--a minor factor in this major flare. Interestingly, it's not only the beer that hastened my episode, but two new additions to my "diet": low dose daily 81 mg aspirin and niacin. I added a low dose aspirin as part of my plan to live forever about two months ago. I added niacin tablets about two weeks ago! Known to possibly prevent heart disease, I thought "what the heck". Well, "the heck"! Combination of low dose aspirin, newly taking OTC naicin, a couple of shrimp earlier this week, and a few beers on vacation, and boom, my foot looks like a hacky-sack. Each of the factors added to my risk, and the sum can be painful. Immediately, I will flush the baby aspirin and the niacin. I enjoy shrimp rarely. I avoid red meat in general. So, that leaves my one vice as beer, and only on vacation.

I'll keep the beer.


For anyone wanting information about gout, the professional videos in the link above are very infomative.

That's the story, boys and girls. I will not post more about gout here as there are plenty of websites about it. Let's just say that I'm still in anguish over here, but will, prayerfully, be over this sometime in the near future. Signed, the Gimp.


P.S. By looking at these photos, you'd think I have a thing for blue dresses. I don't.

I Gots The Gout! Wicked Bad!

I've been limping all week from sudden onset gout in L foot. Very hard to walk, and impossible to paint my condo as I had intended. Shucks. : - ) I get gout about 1-2x per year. Prednisone and Advil keep me upright. Barely. I couldn't go to Ikea. I even found a tophi on my ear (those with gout know what I mean). Strongly hereditary, I know my grandfather and dad have had it. I have friends that have it, but I've not seen a scientific relationship between friendship and tophaceous gout, so I guess I'll keep the friends for now. My brother never mentioned it to me, but I'll ask him so he'll know when it strikes suddenly at night like a venomous spider sinking his fangs into the toe...and then twisting them around for shits and giggles.

Well, I had been doing the exact wrong treatment: aspirin and beer. Both are horrible--not just horrible, but downright deplorable--for gout. I did not know this until WebMD review. I swear, I'd down a couple beers--I am on vacation, you know, and even the dastardly gout can't take that away from me--and six hours later it'd hurt like someone spanked my foot with a ball peen hammer. Beer contains uric acid, a sin for us gouty types. I thought it'd kill the pain. And aspirin, another uric acid no-no. So here I sit, 4AM, foot inflammed going on day 4, popping steroids like a raving insomniac. But my gut is full of pizza...no beer, lads and lassies. Wonderful event for about 8 friends--Lou Malnati was in da hooouse. Last night was special--cheers! We spoke of movies and books. About three people said they're going to buy Travis Thrasher's Ghostwriter, set in Geneva, IL, as I told them what a wild and fun read it is. You go, Travis. Truly enjoyed the guests and will plan another in short order. Very fun time had me forget about my foot for, oh, about three minutes, until I stood on it again. Sincerely, the Gimp.

P.S. Don't look up your health problems online or you'll see x-rays of people with completely rotted out joints, like the one above, and then you'll feel lower than the testicles on a salamander.