What Next?

If it ain't one thing, it's another. Sciatica, leg weakness, pre-cancerous thingy on forehead (actinic keratosis), dentist says I need a new crown starting next week, today I was told I have gout in my big toe. (Did you know that doctors call it the great toe?) And through all of this the aqua therapy people think I'm some kind of a deadbeat because I've had to cancel appointments that conflict with the dentist, etc. Anyway, I got some kind of a strong anti-inflammatory prescription which is suppposed to eliminate the gout by Monday. Sounds too good to be true, and you know what that means!

These are all minor afflictions and I'm really not complaining because in the infinite scheme of things I'm really very lucky in every way. Today we got the news that one of the Northern Michigan Geocachers (Crafter Cat) has died from complications of a stroke. We were merely acquaintances of hers - did not know her well at all, but as John Donne wrote, "any man's (woman's) death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind..." I feel especially sorry for her husband and son.

Here's a list of foods to avoid and foods that are OK to use if you have gout - a lot of it is counter-intuitive, recommending white bread and white rice, for instance. I'm including this list just for my reference - ungouty people can stop reading here!

The following foods have very high purine levels, and should be avoided completely:

Anchovies
Bouillon
Brains
Broth
Consommé
Dried legumes
Goose
Gravy
Heart
Herring
Kidneys
Liver
Mackerel
Meat extracts
Mincement
Mussels
Partridge
Roe
Sardines
Scallops
Shrimp
Sweetbreads
Yeast (baker’s and brewer’s)
Yeast extracts (e.g., Marmite, Vegemite)

These foods have high purine levels:

Fish
Shellfish
Poultry
Meat (except those with very high purine content, noted above, or those with moderately high purine levels, noted below)

These foods have moderately high purine levels:

Asparagus
Cauliflower
Legumes
Lentils
Mushrooms
Oatmeal
Peas (dried)
Soy
Spinach
Tripe

Best bets:

Beverages (carbonated)
Butter
Cereals and cereal products
Cheese (all kinds)
Cocoa (however, caffeine is prohibited in Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome)
Corn
Cornbread
Eggs
Fruit juices
Fruits
Gelatin
Ice cream
Milk
Noodles
Nuts
Refined wheat flour
Tapioca
Vegetables (except those noted above)
White bread and crackers (but not whole wheat, which is moderately high in purines)
White rice