[First Experience] Could it be gout? Excruciating pain at the base of my thumb and both feet. Apparently, even women can get it (crying). I'll briefly write about what happened this week.
It started with my right foot. I didn't remember falling or spraining it, but my big toe hurt when I walked.
That night, I suddenly felt a pain in my left ankle as if glass had been stuck in it. Stabbing! Stabbing! Throbbing!
"Ouch! Ow, ow, ow!!!"
The pain was so intense I couldn't help but cry out.
This intense pain would strike every 5 to 10 minutes.
Come to think of it, I remembered that two years ago, when I had a blood test, the head doctor at the internal medicine clinic wrote on a paper that I should be careful about gout because my uric acid level was high.
Oh... could this be... [Gout?!]
Anyway, I asked Chappy (ChatGPT). The cause of gout ishigh uric acid levels.
Uric acid seems to be a type of waste product produced in the body.
On average, for both men and women, 7.0 mg/dL or less is normal.
In my case, the result from my previous blood test was over 8.1 mg/dL. Could this be... oh no.
[Question] What happens if your uric acid level is high?
Here is Chappy-sensei's answer.
Uric acid is a type of waste product produced in the body.
A state where there is too much uric acid in the blood is called "hyperuricemia."
Generally,a uric acid level exceeding 7.0 mg/dL is considered hyperuricemia.
When there is too much uric acid, it turns intoneedle-like crystalsthat accumulate in the joints and causeintense inflammation.This is
"gout attack."──────────────────────Main symptoms of gout
* Sudden pain at the base of the big toe
* Swelling of the ankle or knee
* Redness and heat
* Pain so severe you cannot walk
* Likely to occur at night or early morning
The pain can last from a few days to two weeks.
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🌟
Things you can do immediately to lower uric acid levels1⃣
Drink plenty of waterUric acid is excreted along with urine.
The guideline is around 2L per day,
but please consult your doctor if you have heart or kidney disease.──────────────────────2⃣
Refrain from alcoholAlcohol tends to raise uric acid levels and causes gout attacks.──────────────────────
3️⃣
Weight managementObesity is a cause of increased uric acid levels.Let's lose weight slowly, not through rapid dieting.
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4️⃣
Sleep and stress managementLack of sleep and stress can also trigger attacks.──────────────────────
[Finally] When you have an attack, when it hurts.
* Cool the affected area
* Rest
* Drink plenty of fluids
However, if you have severe pain or swelling, please visit a medical institution as soon as possible.
Japan Gout and Nucleic Acid Metabolism Society
Guidelines for the Treatment of Gout and Hyperuricemia
e-Health Net (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)
Since the day the attack occurred, I have tried to drink as much water as possible. I feel like the symptoms have subsided a little, but I wake up in the middle of the night when a sudden, sharp pain strikes ← I wish it would stop. I think it's very similar to gout, but there is a possibility of neuralgia, so I want to wait and see for a while.
[Recent health condition]
・Work trouble
・Family trouble
・Moving
・Stress
・Menstruation
・Overeating
・Financial anxiety
・Lack of sleep
・Mood swings
Writing this down, I think there might have been various factors. Now that the move is done, I'm job hunting, but my physical condition is not stable at all...
I still have back pain, body pain, and even foot pain...
I'm still getting beaten up (actually, I'm in my 'honyaku' - a year of bad luck) (last year's main bad luck year was even worse, etc.)
I've been eating only strongly flavored food in Tokyo, so I'm reflecting on that. I want to eat Malatang or seafood again, but I guess it's off-limits for a while. I want to be careful so that I can maintain good health little by little (crying).
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[Diet Control Edition]
🌟I have summarized what you should be careful about regarding food when your uric acid level is high.
To maintain health on a daily basis
This is regardless of gout, but
"not eating too much strongly flavored food" is something I want to keep in mind.
When nothing is wrong, I would often drink extra ramen soup, and basically, I loved strongly flavored things, so I've come to realize that I've reached an age where I need to think properly about my own body.
I wasn't even living luxuriously (crying).
Now, without relying on hospital medicine, I am focusing on drinking plenty of water andrefraining from foods containing purines.
It is extremely rare for women to get gout; more than 90-95% of gout patients are men, and the incidence rate for women is said to be about 5-6% of the total.
Am I a rare case... I'm not happy about that (crying).
Gout is hard for women to get, and 90% are men, it seems.
I never thought I would get it. So, the men of the world have been enduring this much pain (crying).
I want to live healthily soon (crying).
It's been a long post, but thank you for watching until the end.
Take care of yourselves, everyone.
I'm sorry for all the painful stories. If you'd like, I'd be happy if you could also check out my article on the Muji curry and naan I've been into lately. See you again!