Another coming of age story...

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Glock 'em down

Sharpshooter
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I dunno if this is just me staring 52 in the face or my poor old abused and worn out corpse begging (read: SCREAMING :scream:) for mercy, but lately I've noticed that my eating habits have changed significantly.

I used to love a good chili dog and a cold beer. I also could buy a big bag of peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp and a bottle of cocktail sauce and be happy as a pig in sheet.

But about 2 or 3 years ago, I got hit with a scorching case of gout. Those of you that have had it know my pain. Those of you that have never experienced gout, go have your wife run over your foot with the car. Feels about the same.

For the sake of boring you to tears, describing exactly what gout is, I'll just tell you that it's triggered by certain foods. Including, but not limited to...

Red meat, shellfish, organ meats (hot dogs, sausage) beer, some sauces and gravies, mushrooms, any drink containing high fructose corn syrup.

Anyway, since my first battle with gout (I get a case of it about 2-3 times a year) I've tried to watch my diet. I don't do real well, but I do try to avoid those foods I listed above.

Nowadays snack time consists of celery with pimento cheese or baby carrots with a little dab of ranch dressing. No more Mt. Dew and a Snickers bar or a big bag of fried pork rinds for this fat boy. The later pain isn't worth the small pleasure. I do miss cold beer and rare ribeye steaks, and I'm sure the staff at Red Lobster wonders where I went, but I just can't have that stuff any more.

My PSA to you guys...take care of yourselves, especially if you're in your 40s heading towards the big 5-0. It's tough. Like the late, great Mickey Mantle once said, "if I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself."

Sorry for the novella. :blahblah:
 
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druryj

In Remembrance / Dec 27 2021
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I have calcichondrdinochous (or something like that)...better known as "pseudo-gout". Same symptoms, except gout is from a build up of uric acid crystals and in pseudo-gout, it's calcium crystals. These crystals feel like needles or bits of broken glass in certain joints, mine hits me in my right big toe and my elbow/wrist/hand on both arms. When you have an attack, it will bring you to a screeching halt. Unless you enjoy the feeling of sharp things digging sat the nerves in the affected areas. I take a medicine called Colchicine for it, (I believe it also works for regular gout too) two little pills and within an hour, I get significant relief. If everything worked on physical ailments as well as this stuff does, life would be truly good. The only drawback to it is it does give some people the runs. It doesn't do me that way so much, it just frees the bowels up a little from the constipation I get from other meds I have to take. It really does suck getting older. My mind says I'm still a 28 year old Force Recon Marine, harder than woodpecker lips and tough as a box of nails. But then I bend over to put on my socks and my body disagrees with this assessment.

@Glock 'em down is absolutely correct, it is excruciating. Crippling even. So if you have yet to hit say...50, see what you have to look forward to?
 

TerryMiller

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You guys scare the crud out of me...

...but actually, I figure that I am blessed in so many ways. I'm 2 months short of 74 and have seldom ever had any real bad health issues that dealt with pain. What with eczema, I have lived with my share of itchiness, but that is nothing in comparison to your issues.

Prayers for relief.
 

skyhawk1

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I take 300mg Allopurinol daily. Haven't had a bout since I started taking it. Only diet change is I don't eat grapefruit which I love! Don't eat many gizzards anymore but occasionally(1-2 times a year)

Had it in left ankle first, then right big toe, then left wrist, then left toe last time. Doc said he wanted to do a biopsy to look for crystals, he stuck a turkey baster needle in the joint of my toe. THAT HURT! It was so bad the Doc could see the crystals with the naked eye. So I would suggest you talk to your primary and she if he/she would prescribe it. been about 10 years now since last one attack.
 

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