Monday 27 July 2009

Knocked out by a bout of gout

It had to happen. Probably better sooner than later.

On Sunday morning, I woke up with an aching pain in my left leg, around the ankle joint. It is the type of pain that you get when you've sprained the ankle, except that I don't think that my ankle is sprained because there is no tell-tale swelling. The day before, I did some hard trekking at the project site which involved climbing some steep slopes and hacking through undergrowth. But apart from being slightly out of breath, I didn't think I hurt myself.

As Sunday wore on, the pain got worse and it became impossible to walk properly because I couldn't put any weight on my left foot without feeling severe distress. The clinic that I normally go to is not open on Sundays, so I had to tough it out by taking some Panadol Extend.

Waking up this morning, the pain hadn't gone away. With my son to provide temporary crutch support, I hobbled into the clinic to the amusement of my doctor. My ailment is gout-related, he says, although the full symptoms of gout such as swelling toe-joints is not visible. The heavy stress on my legs during work on Saturday may have been the trigger that flared this pain.

He gave me a jab of painkiller and some other tablets to be taken later. I was told to rest and not move around too much.

Apart from the throbbing pain in my leg, starting from the ankle joint and going up to my buttocks, the rest of me is okay. I am not feverish or feeling poorly in any way. It is the lack of mobility that is truly depressing, and at 47 years-old, feeling like an invalid is not cool at all. For the first time in my life, daily solat prayers had to be performed sitting on a stool.

As some of you may have read in an earlier post, my annual blood test results revealed that I have high levels of uric acid and as such, is prone to gout attacks. Subsequently, I have revised my diet to reduce red meat, ikan bilis and tempe while having more fresh salads that include capsicums, cherry tomatoes and carrots. Apparently, the change in diet regime is too late in preventing this first painful encounter. Nevertheless, we shall strive on.

As I type this entry, the pulsating pain in my left leg has reduced significantly but the signs of a slight swelling around the ankle is now visible. Hopefully, the whole thing will go away soon.

32 comments:

HLiza said...

That's painful, ouch! Rest now ya pak..I hope you'll recover fast. It's definitely not nice being sick. You can keep on eating fresh food, it may do good in the long run. Funny..with my knee injured, now I too solat sitting on a chair all the time..and my kids want to imitate me; thinking that it looks cool!

Unknown said...

Dear Oldstock,

I am so sorry to hear about your pain. I sincerely hope that you will recover soon. I have many friends and relatives who have the same ailment and am aware that many types of vegetables can aggravate the problem.

Do take care and may you be on the road to recovery asap.

Best wishes,
mws

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Oh dear! Do go slow on seafood.. all those udang and ketam and sotong are the main culprits.. ikan isn't too bad. While I am so far spared gout, I have family members who suffer from it.. take care..!

Snakebite said...

swelling left ankle? no no no there is no way that you could be my kembar.

u know, like they say, when one kembar is being inflicted by an ailment, the other would suffer the same.

but i am very sure you are not my kembar.

(refer to my latest post at me blog for further explainantion)

Anonymous said...

Oldstock,
Try avoid anything related to beans or nuts... esp that innocent black sauce called KICAP.!!

Yes... you should avoid that ikan bilis & tempeh... totally...
I know these things are the worst enemies for gout patients... my hb is one of them...

Take care...
Miezarra

Unknown said...

Awwwww..... kesian nya!

Do take care, and get well soon!

Fadhil said...

Hliza,

Takleh rest lama-lama. Tadi pun pegi keje kejap, heheheh. Esok dah back to work.

Nice to see you up and about too.

Fadhil said...

mws,

Thanks for the kind wishes. I think it should be okay by tomorrow or the day after.

Fadhil said...

Kak Kama,

kenape ye, benda yg sedap tu selalu juga yg membawa mudarat?

I'm learning things the hard way, but insyaallah, I'm more aware of what I eat now.

Fadhil said...

Tok snake,

I read your latest entry last night actually and was surprised that your suffering from a foot ailment as well. Kebetulan je kot...

I used to play volleyball too... but after I gave up playing soccer.

Fadhil said...

Zara,

Nak buat camno... memang dah peminat ikan bilis, tempe dan kicap. Ini lah akibatnya, heheheh.

Aduh, sakit betul rasanya. Bila dah kena baru boleh appreciate orang lain kata sakit gout ni macamana.

I hope I can avoid it altogether in future.

Fadhil said...

Verse,

Thanks for the wishes. It's getting much better. Should be okay by tomorrow.

The pain I felt is on par with what I experienced when I had my tonsils taken out.

Nin said...

Ikan bilis, tempe and kicap - my regular diet too.

Sakit sampai ke punggung? Ouch! That sounds miserably painful. It's quite depressing when you have a source of pain that radiates to other parts of the body. I get that every month!

Wish u speedy recovery!

D said...

Oh dear.. I just got off a phone with a friend who told me that his husband who's 38 has gout (apparently he's got it for a few years already). Now, you tell you've got it!!

Other than avoiding the main culprits and eating more of others, I'd recommend Habbatussauda'.

Hope it'll be under control!

Oimira said...

bos, welcome to the diet club :)
get well soon.

Anonymous said...

So sorry to read about the pain you have to go through.

It's a diet thing isn't it ?Something many of us, who can't quit tucking in, know and dread the day when the pain comes.Hope mine would not be too soon.

Get well soon - and watch the diet will you

allanwee

Matt Kopikarat said...

Deen here!
Thanks for bid my painting. I like to appreciated that. May Allah bless you Sir.

Deen

Anonymous said...

saya doakan semoga uncle cepat sembuh..insyaAllah

Anonymous said...

bro...mai penang tak leh p din ikan bakar kat kepala batas.

Unknown said...

Hello Oldstock

Just swinging by to say I hope you are feeling better now.

Take care.

Salam,
mws

Anonymous said...

Bro Oldstock

I have a crazy remedy for gout. But don't ask me how or why it works. I don't know - it just does.

Get yourself one of those combs they use for grooming pets - and get the metal one, OK? Now run the comb along where it hurts. You may need to put a little pressure, though.

Do this often enough, the pain just goes away. You will need to do it often, though.

Good luck, my friend.

Fadhil said...

Madam,

I can survive on ikan bilis, tempe and kicap. It doesn't take much to keep me happy, diet-wise.

I'm better now. Thanks for the wishes.

Fadhil said...

D,

I am hoping this is my first and last attack of gout. I don't want to go through another painful experience again. I know some people who had it for years (eg. my own father).

I'll keep in mind your suggestion of habbatussauda. Thanks.

Fadhil said...

Moira,

Thanks for the reminder. When you and I meet, we shall be having only salads, huh? :-)

Fadhil said...

Hi allanwee,

I guess it's no pain, no gain. The gain that I got here is the experience. Sure cannot forget.

You take care too, my friend.

Fadhil said...

Salam Deen,

From the photos that Pak Zawi showed of your paintings, I can see that you have great talent. I wish you all the best.

Hopefully I can try your homestay when I get the chance to visit Kelantan again in future.

Fadhil said...

Salam Anon@13:24,

Terima kasih atas doa anda. Saya dah semakin sembuh.

Are you a real nephew/niece of mine?

Fadhil said...

Bro Anon@15:15,

Din Ikan Bakar kat Kepala Batas tu boleh pi. Nak makan daging bakaq tu pun buleh... tapi kena cover dengan makan ulam lebih sikit :-)

Fadhil said...

mws,

Yes, feeling very much better. Thanks for the concern.

Fadhil said...

MatB,

Strange remedy but I can see the logic. Perhaps the pressure of the comb tips help dissolve the particulates that get trapped within the swelling.

I keep this in mind should I face another painful gout attack. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

salam uncle

actually i'm not ur real nephew/niece. my name is hanida and i am arshad's friend.Saya pernah call makcik rashidah, hopefully makcik masih igt saya lg

Fadhil said...

Salam Hanida,

Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. I believe Arshad's mom still remember you :-)