Sunday, January 01, 2017

It's Damned Near Over!

2016 was a STINKER!  So many innocents murdered in cold blood, so many tallented people died.  A genuine TERRIBLE YEAR!  I'm, however, fine...sort of...gout flare!

Yesterday I finally got a working yard light up on the front corner of the house.  Finally!  I had an old automatic light assembly and it seemed to work as it should when motion is sensed but once mounted on the house it refused to operate as it should so I shit-canned the damned thing and ran off to ACE Hardware and bought a brand new one.  It even comes on automatically at dusk as a dim 1/2 power lamp and switches to high when it senses motion.  Turns off completely at Dawn.  Nice thing and it worked fine last night.  Replace the old 100 watt bulbs on the deck light for new 14 watt LED ones that are brighter and so much cheaper to operate.  Cost is about the same as the old ones were when they were new.

I am in the tail end (hopefully) of a gout attack.  Both feet and my hips!  Awful!   I'm not taking Colchicine any longer, my Dr. A at Kaiser switched me to Allopurinol instead.  Why? I have no idea.
I do, however, KNOW what I have been eating as of late and that's the beginning of my gout session!  First, beer, I LOVE beer, especially ales and ipa's, porters etc.  Then there was shellfish, clams and mussels, shrimp too.  Days between but gout is a sneaky bastard, a little purine today can make a BIG GOUT day tomorrow!  Then there is dehydration, not drinking enough plain ol' water can do it.  Here's a list from the Mayo Clinic site that seems quite concise and to the point.  

"During symptom-free periods, these dietary guidelines may help protect against future gout attacks:
  • Keep your fluid intake high. Stay well-hydrated, including plenty of water. Limit how many sweetened beverages you drink, especially those sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.
  • Limit or avoid alcohol. Talk with your doctor about whether any amount or type of alcohol is safe for you. Recent evidence suggests that beer may be particularly likely to increase the risk of gout symptoms, especially in men.
  • Get your protein from low-fat dairy products. Low-fat dairy products may actually have a protective effect against gout, so these are your best-bet protein sources.
  • Limit your intake of meat, fish and poultry. A small amount may be tolerable, but pay close attention to what types — and how much — seem to cause problems for you.
  • Maintain a desirable body weight. Choose portions that allow you to maintain a healthy weight. Losing weight may decrease uric acid levels in your body. But avoid fasting or rapid weight loss, since doing so may temporarily raise uric acid levels."  credit to The Mayo Clinic, here's their site:
  • http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gout/basics/definition/con-20019400

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