Monday, March 16, 2009

You've got to help me! I've tried nothing and I'm all out of ideas...

Well I'm home sick again... I've come down with a really bad case of gout in my right foot and I can't walk.

For those of you not familiar with gout, lets go to Wikipedia for some info;

Gout (metabolic arthritis) is a crystal deposition disease hallmarked by elevated levels of uric acid (hyperuricemia) in the bloodstream. In this condition, crystals of monosodium urate (MSU) or uric acid are deposited on the articular cartilage of joints, tendons and surrounding tissues. It is marked by transient painful attacks of acute arthritis initiated by crystallization of urates within and about the joints and eventually leads to chronic gouty arthritis and the deposition of masses of urates in joints and other sites, creating tophi. Gout results from a combination of prolonged elevation of uric acid and overall acidity in the bloodstream.

So right now my big toe on my right foot is hot, swollen and extremely painful with a very localised and painful arthritis. I got next to no sleep last night as its so painful to have anything touch my toe, let alone let it touch the bed. So every five minutes I would roll over and try to get comfortable, only to be jolted awake in extreme pain.

Unfortunately there is nothing I can do about it right now... just have to keep taking pain relief and wait for it to go away.

But the concerning thing for me is that having another bout of gout (hey, that rhymes) is very indicative of how crap my diet and lifestyle has been the last few weeks.

When I was in the dating wonderland, there was lots of pizza for dinner, lots of wine, lots of beer. All foods that are not only bad for the waste line, but also can contribute to gout.

I jumped on the scales this morning and saw my weight hit 98kg again... only three weeks ago I was back down to 94.8... so I've chinked on over three kilos just by eating shit, drinking too much and not working out enough.

I need to get my arse into gear and get back on track. Food is an issue for me again... I just have an appetite that can't be sated right now.

Maybe a 10 day detox program is in order? Flush all the crap out of my system.

Anyone done one of these? Will it kill me? Am I just looking for an easy fix instead doing the hard work that I know I need to do?


9 comments:

Josh said...

I have heard that both beef and carbonated beverages can aggravate gout, so that might be something you could avoid.

Stu said...

My grandmother suffered from gout, and from what I can remember, consider these remedies (with the standard caution of check these out for yourself first, etc.):

- Take more supplements of Vitamins A, E and B Complex.

- Blueberries, strawberries and grapes are all good for reducing uric acid build-up. I think cherries were on her list as well.

- Something that seemed to be very effective for her was 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda with meals to help prevent gout attacks. Don't know how - with water, I assume?

- Foods high in potassium are also very good.

And something I picked up from a quick Google search that I know you'll be interested in:

"Having sex prevents men from getting gout. It seems that increased sexual activity reduces uric acid levels in fertile men."

So Ben, you'd better force yourself to have more sex!

Stu said...

Oh, and drink lots of water as well!

Anonymous said...

I don't mean to rub it in but I finally got back to the right side of 90kg recently........ I'm 88kg for the first time since I was 21!

And Ben - the secret is BOOZE.

I cut out booze for exactly 3 months.... Not a drop went past these lips......... and I hit the gym like a mad man and 12 kg fell off me! Try it?

CumPuppy said...

Gout? Seriously? How old are you man? DOn't only old farts who have colostomy bags get gout?

Just toughen the f*ck up!

Stu said...

Andy, the majority of gout sufferers are males between the ages of 20 and 60.

CumPuppy said...

Oh crap, karma is probably gonna serve me up a dose now.

Ben said...

Josh - I hadn't heard of either of those things causing flare ups... but I have been having way too much coke zero lately

Stu - I heard the grape and cherry remedy today... but will def try out the others too... need a volunteer for the sex though.

Tom - but without booze how will I look more attractive to the gays? It boosts my confidence, makes me dance better, and gives me a six pack every time.

Andy - Screw you... I hope you get a painful case of shingles now for being such a shit head.

Stu - thanks for sticking up for me.

Victor said...

My doctor told me to masturbate twice a day to look after my prostate.

Not relevant to your situation, I know, but it is the only thing I could think of in answer to your problem.

(By the way, I drink far too much Pepsi Max and am having the greatest difficulty trying to get back under 90kg.)