(no subject)

[omorka]

I know I bitched about my recent medical issues on Tumblr, but I don't think I mentioned them here when they happened. Short short version: we discovered that my recurring foot issues for the past three years or so were not the result of my injuring myself and then not remembering what I did; they were an atypical case of gout, or more specifically gouty arthritis. So now I'm on meds, a heavily restricted diet, and an occasional cane. The restricted diet was even more restricted up until a month ago, but now I've been cleared for pretty much anything vegetarian, plus occasional chicken and/or chicken broth (but no alcohol, except for the occasional splash of white wine for cooking). This has resulted in my having to learn to grocery shop, and to some extent cook, all over again.

Oddly enough, my father (who developed gout in his very late fifties but had recurring foot problems before then that I now suspect might have been related) was given much stronger meds and much looser dietary restrictions when he was diagnosed. I'm not sure if that's because the medical industry assumes that everything wrong with a woman is a lifestyle issue, while anything wrong with a man is clearly a disease, or if the underlying assumption is that men are just less likely to comply with the restricted diet.

On the bright side, I now have a socially acceptable excuse for turning down a whole host of fish and seafoods that I don't like anyway, so there's that.

Comments

[morgi]

How long since your father was diagnosed? It may be a cultural change from "we must fix this with medications" to a more integrated approach as well.

[omorka]

Maybe, but I think it's only been six or seven years, and there hasn't been a whole lot of relevant research published since then (the last big study was in 2004, and it's what I used to convince my NP that I could add legumes, whole grains, and mushrooms back into my diet; prior to that study, they were off the menu for gout patients too).

The meds I'm on are both older and cheaper than the ones they gave him. I'm actually okay with that, since the newer ones have harsher side effects.

[morgi]

Well there goes that theory!

Jeez, what IS on the menu for gout patients?

[omorka]

Not bloody much. According to the list they gave me on diagnosis, I am absolutely not allowed any organ meats from any source; any meat that comes from a mammal; any meat that comes from a dark-fleshed or fatty-fleshed fish; most seafood; any turkey, goose, or game bird; any nutritional yeast or yeast-derived foods such as Vegemite or Marmite; dried legumes such as beans, split peas, or lentils; poppy or sunflower seeds; or any alcohol save white wine used in cooking.

I am allowed only occasionally (this was not defined clearly, but appeared to be once a week or less) any products made with whole wheat, barley, rye, or oats; raisins, along with certain other dried fruits that I never have anyway; chicken, duck, or cornish hen; cauliflower; mushrooms of any sort; fresh legumes such as green peas or lima beans; white-fleshed fish; crab, lobster, or crayfish; oysters or clams; spinach; or asparagus.

As I mentioned in the original post, I discovered that in 2004 a study had indicated that vegetable purines of whatever sort did not aggravate gout, and I took this to my NP at the follow-up appointment, along with the fact that basically all the low-purine diet allows is fruits, greens, and starches - I'd been gaining weight, which I have not done since college. She agreed to let me have whole grains, legumes, and mushrooms back on a trial basis, so currently what I'm trying to do is eat a vegetarian diet with occasional lapses for chicken, or for bacon in small quantities.

[stardreamer]

Jeezus H. Christ on a pogo stick. On that diet, I would starve -- literally. You've ruled out everything I can actually eat.

My sympathies.

[omorka]

The first few months, when I couldn't have legumes or mushrooms, were really tough - cheese, tomatoes, pasta, eggs, broccoli, and rice do not make more than one or two meals before getting really boring. (Oh, and peanut butter was okay for some unexplained reason, despite peanuts being legumes too.) Now that I can have beans and portobellos again, it's not so bad, although I find myself missing pork chops an awful lot.

[pinesandmaples]

I hope this fixes your problems!

[omorka]

Thanks for the well-wishes! Unfortunately for me, gout is a metabolic disorder, and like most of the rest of them can't be permanently fixed, only monitored and controlled. But I haven't had another full-blown flare-up since they started me on this regimen, so right now I think things are more or less under control.

[tdotbabs]

Geez, that sucks!! My ex roommate had gout at one point too! It seems to have gone away though.