[For those who don't get the reference in the title, it's a parody of the theme tune to the old children's TV show on the BBC, "Record Breakers" - which was presented by (and he performed trumpet and vocals on the theme tune) Roy Castle. The lyrics went, "Dedication's what you need/ if you wanna be a Record Breakeeeeeeerrrrrrrrr!"]
Anyway, I realised I don't think I've talked about my medication regime that I am now on, and in lieu of a body-image post I still have to write about the meaning of "Ladybird Year" for me, this one will do as a "quickie" tonight.
Just over a month ago I noticed odd white lumps on my toes, which turn out to be tophi: uric acid crystal deposits in the soft tissues. These are symptomatic of chronic gout, and my dietary sins it appears have caught up with me. There is only one solution to this, a drug called Allopurinol. While my body gets used to this drug, gout attacks are in fact more, not less, likely, so I also have to take Dicloflex (diclofenac sodium - some standard painkiller tablets have the related diclofenac potassium in them). Finally, the information that my GP printed out for me said that 1000mg vitamin 'C' tablets also help to lower the amount of uric acid in the blood, so I have added one of those dissolved in water to the regime. I didn't expect to be on a daily pill regime for the rest of my life - not until I was a couple of decades older anyway - but I guess it comes to us all in the end.
I think the vit. C tablets are having other positive effects, which is nice, but I'd rather not need any of the tablets at all!
Diet-wise, I have had to make a major reduction to my intake of cola (it's just about the worst thing to drink apart from alcohol in terms of causing gout...) - I long ago switched from Coca Cola to supermarket own-brand (I check for where it's made/bottled, if it's n the UK I buy it, if it's overseas I assume it's just as bad ethically as Coke/Pepsi) but in terms of my health, just as bad. I admit it: I'm kind of addicted to cola. Most probably the caffeine in it more than anything, but I suspect possibly also the sugar-high (which is another very good reason to cut it down/out: I don't particularly want diabetes any time soon). So anyway, I doubt I'll ever go completely cold-turkey on it, or even go all the way to cut it out totally - but getting the intake as low as possible seems like a good idea for sure even without the need to reduce as much as possible the uric acid.
So that's what's rattling around in me today!
Sunday, 4 April 2010
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You need to eat dark cherries. In heavy sauce is fine.
ReplyDeleteMy dad has gout - no medication, managed with diet. But if he veers from the diet too much - acute gout. Serves him right when he does get gout, given that he's a jerk & all.
But yes, eat dark cherries. Every day.