Walking on a Limp

I'm literally limping on my left foot while writing this entry. It's been more than a week since I wrote an entry. I never imagined this to be my topic for my comeback post. But still, it's nice to be back - for now.

June is a busy month! I thought otherwise because I just finished a term in school. It turns out I have to accomplish more than I expected to do. And the funny thing is, my foot is making me suffer!

If you're wondering what's the limp all about, I acquired gouty arthritis even before I reached 30 years old. People say that I am too young to deal with this because it is more common among older people men. But I know a few people my age who suffer the same.

Gouty arthritis is a form of inflammatory arthritis that attacks the joints, usually the big toes. In my case, it moves from my ankle to the sole, sometimes interchanging from my left foot to the right. Whenever I have a gout flare, it will not make me sleep because of pain, and mobility is drudgery. So I have no choice but to take pain relievers and anti-gout medications even if I am not a fan of taking meds.

Gout happens when there's too much uric acid in the blood. These uric acids are crystal-like that seep into the joints, which causes swelling and pain. Uric acid comes from food rich in purines like mackerel (which I love very much), red meat and organ meat (goodbye, pork and beef), high fructose beverages (oh no, fruit juices and sodas), shellfish (crabs and shrimps), and even gravy! Too much alcohol also causes gout but I don't have an issue with it.

The last time I had an attack was last year, and I promised myself to take good care of myself and watch out for gout-triggering foods. Unfortunately, I lost it last weekend when I succumbed to too much meat. I am now limping as a result.

I remember when my first gout attack happened and I am so confused about what happened to me back then. I thought I twisted a joint or am having a muscle cramp. But I am not even athletic nor active enough to sprain an ankle. So aside from the swelling pain, I am also confused as hell! When I learned about my proclivity to gout flares (because of my diet) I know I need to discipline myself (which is hard, by the way!)

What burdens me more is that aside from the pain, I have several things to do. I have financial reports to finish before the fiscal year ends. I also have a number of devotional entries to write about. I have research papers to check and grades to submit. Lastly, I have overnight planning and a banquet to attend to (which will happen tomorrow and the following day, as of writing.) Limping on my foot is an added burden aside from the actual tasks to think about.

But I have no one else to blame. I should have known better not to eat things that are not good for me. I had it going well for the first half of the year, but I blew my good record. What I can do now is to make sure when things get better, I will be more disciplined with my food intake.

And also, I need to shake off extra pounds! I wonder how things will be different when I become more physically active. Perhaps I can shake off this gouty arthritis for good.