I had gout for three years and didn’t even know it. In fact, until my family doctor diagnosed gout, I thought the disease was something I read about in Jane Austin novels, like dyspepsia. Or the plague. But no, gout is real…and a real pain.
Gout Symptoms: Fingers like Sausages
My particular bout with gout manifests itself in my fingers. They occasionally look like balloon animals. At first I thought the swelling came from my hobbies: woodworking and drumming. Stupidly, I considered it a badge of honor. Hey, look how hard I work, I can’t even make a fist! A few years later and the condition became so bad I was no longer able to wear my wedding ring and the pain woke me up at night. That’s when I decided to stop popping handfuls of Advil and actually see a doctor. Like most manly men, I refuse to see doctors even when it’s obviously necessary, but this time I decided machismo wasn’t paying off.
Reluctantly Getting Gout Treatment
My doctor’s a short fellow from Thailand with a love of dirty jokes. Over the years I have seen him for various conditions, and it took him all of fifteen seconds to tell me I had gout. He gingerly lifted my fingers, bending them slowly and fired off questions about my diet, nodding slowly as he received the expected answers. Then he put my hand down and giggled. “Gout,” he said. “You have gout.” Then he chased the diagnosis with a dirty joke.
Eating like a 20-Year-Old: My Causes of Gout
My gout symptoms were actually mild compared to other cases. If you want to see some real nastiness, just do a quick search of gout symptoms. Just don’t do it during dinner. I was lucky enough to have easy fixes for my condition. No more eating sleeves of crackers for lunch. Reserving space for vegetables and fruits on my dinner plate. Dropping 20 pounds. Cutting back on my Dos Equis.
Since my condition was so mild, he didn’t even recommend any gout prescriptions, just a change in diet, weight loss and doses of Advil if the symptoms returned. That was a year ago and since I followed his advice, I haven’t had to remove my wedding ring once.
Recommendations for Gout Candidates
If you’re reading this, chances are you might have a few similar symptoms. You might be putting off going to the doctor, and this I understand. I reserve doctors for actual emergencies and haven’t had a routine checkup since I was fifteen. But I am imploring you to go as soon as possible.
It’s an hour out of your day and you might catch the symptoms before they turn into something out of a Stephen King novel. Want more inspiration? Follow my advice earlier. Just do a Google image search of gout symptoms . I guarantee you’ll be picking up the phone a few minutes later.
