By I tempted fate by including a picture of my feet in a post a few days ago. That night my left big toe flared with gout...a recurring problem. Look at my lovely pair now:
(Note the shading on my left foot. Crayola would call it, 'Irritated Pink'.)
Gout is caused by crystalized uric acid. The crystals gather in a joint, typically a big toe joint, and act like glass dust. It can be noticeably unpleasant, and can lead to a nasty form of arthritis if not treated.
Luckily, gout can be treated with medication. Trying to control gout with diet is very difficult, and not recommended, but I did check into it once. I went to the health food store and looked in the, 'Controlling Gout Through Diet' book. It alphabetically listed foods to avoid. I looked at the beginning of the list and read, 'Alcohol, anchovies, avocados...'. That was just the A's. I closed the book and put it back on the shelf.
I've had gout often enough that Michele painted the following scene during one recovery period:
This was six years ago, when Buzz was a comforting, concerned friend. Since then both he and Jackie have accepted my infrequent gout attacks as normal events.
Here they are, displaying no interest in my efforts to photograph my mismatched feet. Their attitude seems to be, 'That's the problem with you duck-footed bi-peds. Hopefully, your progeny will evolve four dainty, perfect paws like ours. In the meantime, may we go outside by ourselves, leaving you with your stinky pursuits?'.
It is now unanimous: we are all ready for me to go on Allpurinol, the permanent, daily, gout prevention pill.
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