Saturday, May 16, 2009

The Gout Is Back...Again



Poor poor Dusty... He is suffering his fourth gout flare up in two months.. and I am really getting tired of looking at his Big toe!! Of course, I feel sympathy and doing all I can to ease the pain...but the guy just does not listen.. He still golfs without a cart.. He still climbs the rocks in the backyard trimming his precious palms... He needs to rest that foot when it's flaring.... He's like a cat on a hot tin roof... jump up here.. hobble over there...jump on one foot up the stairs.. limp through the backyard..."look at my toe - do ya see anything?"...Welcome to my life..

We've been to the doctors twice. The first time he got two shots in his bum and it seemed to help right away... and a little over a week later (after golfing without a cart) he's in pain once again...and we make the pilgrimage to Urgent Care.. where this time they won't give the most wanted shot... they give him more pills..

Gout is an inflammatory joint disease that causes acute pain and swelling, usually developing after a number of years of buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints and surrounding tissue. Gout usually affects one of the big toes but can attack any joint.. In the past, gout was thought to be due to drinking too much alcohol and eating too many rich foods. Although eating certain foods and drinking alcohol may trigger a rise in the level of uric acid in the body, these habits may not by themselves cause gout. Gout is most often caused by an overproduction of uric acid (due to metabolism problems) or decreased elimination of uric acid by the kidneys.

His diet has not been high in the "no no" foods.. He has been making it a point to stay away from foods high in purines. His water intake has also increased. I'm thinking that due to the fact he has always tested high in uric acid is the reason he is suffering so much lately.. He is getting older... I am officially married to an old man...(don't tell him I said that) it's taking his body a while longer to get the gout out.... So after another round of golf - (without the cart) his poor toe is on display for all to see once again...lucky me and lucky you....

3 comments:

  1. Ouch! Poor Dusty. That is supposed to be very painful. Is he on Allopurinol? I've ehard it is helpful and some people have to stay on a maintanence dose.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Poor guy. I really hate that for him. We have two relatives that have that from time to time. However, a change in their diet helped them to clear it up and keep it away. Certain foods seemed to bring it on them. I hope maybe he will find something that will help.
    Hugs, Sandy

    ReplyDelete
  3. Poor guy. Steer clear of duck meat, at least that's what the Chinese believe!

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Widget for Blogs by LinkWithin