*ahem*...lesson time!

Some have been asking me about my footie problem and what it's all about. I read up online about it quite regularly, especially more when i'm trying to understand more about it so that i feel that 'at least what i'm going through is the norm', it's kinda like a sharing session for me.

Hee...so for the benefit of some..here's an intro of it that I pulled out from a gout website. (with extra silly commentray from me!

-- A kind of arthritis that “flares” periodically—so the pain of gout is experienced as an attack.
-- Attacks usually appear with no warning and leave sufferers in severe pain. In fact, gout is one of the most painful medical conditions. It's been compared with childbirth and bone fractures.
-- Usually last from 3 to 10 days and can cause knife-like pain, tenderness, redness, heat, and swelling in an affected joint.

-- The underlying cause is an excess of a waste product in your blood called uric acid. Many people have excess uric acid—and most of them do not get gout.

-- Painful gout attacks result from inflammation caused by deposits of needle-like crystals in connective tissue and/or in the fluid that cushions the joint. The crystals are made up of uric acid, a waste product produced during the natural breakdown of purines. Purines are part of all our body's cells as well as many foods we eat.

-- Uric acid is carried through the bloodstream to the kidneys. Your kidneys eliminate it from the body mostly through urine. However, if the body produces too much uric acid or if the kidneys don't eliminate enough of it, uric acid will build up in the blood.

-- No one can predict exactly when an attack might occur for someone with hyperuricemia. It may be triggered by something you eat or drink, or it may be triggered by certain medicines, the presence of an illness, stressful events, or some other factor. Many times it may be difficult to say what triggered a specific attack.

Gout Friendly Foods ---
Additional low-purine choices include carbonated beverages, (YAY!!! Can drink more Coca Cola...MUAHAHHA)...coffee, cereals, chocolate, (SLURPS!!) fruits, breads, grains, pasta, rice, olives, cheese, eggs, milk products, sugar, tomatoes, and some types of green vegetables.

-- Gout can progress, eventually causing damage to joints, nerve compression disorder, tissue damage, potentially leading to disability. Problems with kidney function may occur as well due to the over strained kidney.