Last April I passed 8th Anniversary of the last time I got Gout - a painful inflation on my toe. That was April, 2016. Glad so far I have been spared from getting gout. Yet as always illnesses can be predictably unpredictable and have a knack of hunting you at the most inopportune moment. Quoting Scarlett O Hara from Margaret Mitchell's classic movie Gone With the wind, "Tomorrow is after all another day".
My first bout with Gout was 14 years ago when I was in India during the summer of 2010. One fine hot and humid morning, I woke up to a painful, inflamed toe. It hurt pretty bad, even the slightest touch of the soft blanket on my toe gave me a throbbing, stinging pain. It was so bad that one evening I couldn't wear my shoes and had to cancel my planned trip to Bhubaneswar Club, a place which mandates wearing shoes.
The first thought came to my mind was that it's probably an insect bite which was causing this lingering pain on my toe. I took several painkillers which gave me some temporary relief, but the pain stubbornly refused to relent. My father's friend Dr. B.K. Das, an eminent physician, upon seeing my symptoms suspected it as gout. The lab tests soon confirmed it, finding my blood saturated with more than the normal amount of uric acid. Medicines prescribed by Braja Mausa reduced the pain, but it still persisted, with me walking with a perpetual limp like the legendary character SHAKUNI of B R Chopra's MAHABHARAT serial from my college days, until it fades away slowly after completing the full course of the medications.
Now fast forward to April 2016, almost 6 years later. My tryst with gout continued, as after years it showed at my toe step. This time on American soil as I woke up to a big, painful toe. My Primary Care Physician prescribed a medicine to reduce the pain and another to reduce my high level Uric acid, which apparently caused gout. The medicine acts fast and swiftly reduces the pain, but gives severe diarrhea. Less than a day after I started taking the medicine, at my workplace a sudden urge to relieve myself hurried me towards the Restroom (toilet). Before I could bang through the door, my boss appeared right in front of me, exchanging pleasantries, though my mood was hardly pleasant at that time.
Struggling to hold on to my bowel with a smiling face, I had to bear the imminent nature call with clenched teeth. Suddenly I remembered Shakuni ridiculing Duryodhan in B.R. Chopra's MAHABHARAT serial - "MURKH WOHI HAI JO RONE KI WAQT PAR HASTE HAIN" (Fools are those who laugh at the time of crying). My smile was now slowly turning into a helpless grin. You should have seen my face and captured it on camera. It would have gone viral with million plus hits on YouTube.
To my relief, my boss got a call on his cellphone and melted away, leaving me alone to attend my nature's call. The journey of less than 10 feet from the restroom door to the stall seemed eternal. I tip toed as fast as I could, sat, shat and burst myself. Ahh..finally came out immensely relieved of both bowel and gout pain, which was now gone with the wind. It reminded me the story of the legendary Odia witty jester Gopal Bhanda who convinced his King that world's greatest feeling of relieving oneself after taking a huge dump in toilet.
Gout used to be known as the Rich man's disease during medieval times though I, a poor man, no where close to being rich has been its victim. Mughal Emperor Akbar had gout. His Hakeems (doctors) struggled to treat him. The King of England Henry VIII had multiple wives and multiple bouts of gout. Protein rich, high purine foods like red meat, shrimp, crab, turkey, bean, beer etc are said to cause of high Uric acid, leading to gout. But I know someone, a strictly vegetarian and frugal foodie who also gets periodic gout attacks. Guess genetics plays a role here.
The prescription medicines are good at providing instant relief, but would like to avoid them as they're not free from side effects. Eating a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water and doing regular exercise are recommended to prevent gout. As always, prevention is better than cure. Thanks for your patience for hearing my goutlandish story. Glad gout has spared me for 8 long years though tomorrow is another day.
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