Well, true to form, at least my latest, no loss again this week. I seem to be loosing every other week. Oh well, at least I didn't gain!
Had a nice surprise this past week. I have google mail, and on there you can set up "alerts" which will send you an email whenever there is a new article, news item or blog about a topic of choice. So naturally, I set one up for low carb! Well, imagine my surprise when I see the name of my blog mentioned, but not in an article I posted! So I follow the link and find a very well written piece about low carb diets. And, near the end of the article, I see my blog listed as "Other Great Resources on this Nutritional Approach"!!! What? Me? MY blog? Cool!!!
Needless to say, I've added Mark's blog to my list of must read blogs! Check it out! His article How to Lose Weight and Keep it off Permanently, is very well written. Mark is "25 years young, Irish and hopelessly addicted to continually improving myself in every area of my life and, in turn, sharing this knowledge with others." Looks like a good site to watch!
Last week, I posted about my visit to the doc's with ankle pain. Well, since then, things have gotten interesting. Not interesting good, however.
After reading a post on Dr Mike's blog, I started taking Krill oil (2 caps/day, increased to 4/day. 500mg each) and noticed a VERY fast reaction!! I have fairly severe degenerative arthritis in my spine and pelvis, have bone spurs in my neck and pelvis, and have at least 3 (old) ruptured discs. I've also been told I have bursitis in both shoulders (L worse than R).
I took 1 pill Friday (3/30) evening, and then 1 in AM and 1 in PM daily. Yesterday (4/7) I increased it to 2 AM and PM.
Sunday afternoon....not even 48hrs after the 1st dose, I noticed my neck didn't hurt!! When I do my stretching I still notice the pull, but much less painful, but no pain at rest, no pain with movement!!! This has been pretty consistent over the week. I get a little pain, but it doesn't last long.
Now, this is the reason I increased the NKO: For several months now, I've noticed that I often have joint pains, in joints that have never bothered me before (except one knee). When I started paying attention, I found that I would have pain in 1 or 2 joints, it would last for about 36-48hrs, and go away. Sometimes another joint or two would start in, sometimes I'd have several days between episodes.
Both ankles, knees, elbow, wrist and various finger joints. About 2 weeks ago I ended up in urgent care for my right ankle, which was now also red and swollen. Doc first said gout, then strain, and gave me the name of a new doc (long story, but no PCP for over a year). Since then, I've continued to have various joint pains, but only my left knee was red or hot. Well, over the last few days I've had red, hot, swollen joints: right (inner)wrist (Friday), base of right index finger (Saturday), and now (Sunday) the last joint of my right middle finger. I see the new doc 4/20. I've done some research, and think I might have rheumatoid arthritis. I hope I'm wrong.
I'm a bit concerned, as I'm figuring the NKO is helping to at least lower the degree of inflammation, but yet I'm seeing redness, swelling and a fair bit of heat in the joints...I mean, what would I be seeing if not for the fish oil and NKO!?
Anyway, whatever this is, at least my neck and back don't hurt!!
I've been following Protein Power pretty cleanly since Jan 2. Few processed foods, cooking/preparing almost all my own foods, mostly keeping under 50g carb a day. I also take Mg, CoQ10 and a couple of other supplements. I still take fish oil, but cut back to 4/day.
I've read a bit on anti-inflammation diets, and the only thing I eat that they say I shouldn't (except more fats than allowed) is red meat. Beef is big in my diet. I love beef. I'd be willing to cut back or even stop it, but I'm not sure it would be worth it.
I am planning on calling the doctor's office and see if I can move the appointment up some, but I doubt they will have anything.
I've only been checking my blood sugar in the morning, fasting sugars over the past week have been running 84-86. I did check after one meal, but I had been drinking tea (with milk) so I'm not sure the after meal reading (95 after 1hr) was really accurate.
Showing posts with label Gout. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gout. Show all posts
Monday, April 09, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Gout?
Gout?
Well, I went to the doctors, an urgent care center, for severe pain in my right ankle. His first impression was gout. Or a strain. Kept asking me if I'd injured it, and I kept repeating, no....not that I can remember. But a strain is exactly what I thought it felt like. I also mentioned that I have 2 fairly good sized dogs that I frequently walk with on uneven ground, so there may have been a minor pull at some point.
Do I have gout? Who knows, time will tell. If I have another "attack" I will have a joint aspiration done, and that will prove positive or negative. I doubt it's gout, simply because I don't really fit the profile. Recently I've had a lower protein intake than normal for me, I've not had a big massive gain or loss, have no family history and the symptoms don't match. This feels like a pull. According to what I've read, gout feels like there are needles or broken glass in the joint....and that is not what I felt. This was an ache. The more pressure I put on the joint and the more I flexed it, the more it hurt. The area was red and a bit swollen, but not like "typical" gout.
The first doc was fairly young, and I guess an intern or something, as he had to talk to another doc before prescribing. He immediately said gout. Now I know my age was a factor in his diagnosis, but I can't help wonder if my weight also was an influence. I didn't dare tell him I followed a low carb diet! Of course, he never asked. Never asked about "purine intake", which is supposed to increase chances of developing gout. He never asked about menopause, which is also supposed to increase risk. He did have my blood pressure, which was very normal.....120/82, and he did ask about kidney function....I'd had a creatinine level done recently and was fine. But he never asked about alcohol intake. (See The "risk factors" for developing gout here)
OK....so he knew my BP was normal, and I am "obese" (but only a couple more pounds until I'll be "overweight"....but they didn't check or ask my weight). He knew I was a woman, but did not know my menopause status. Now I am completely grey, so I am sure to a young kid the assumption is that I'm well past menopause, despite my age of 53. He also knew I had, per my report, normal kidney function. I was never asked about diet, exercise, alcohol intake, other diagnoses other than for the meds I mentioned I was taking. I was never asked about thyroid function, or if it had been checked, nor was I asked about family history.
As I sit there, obviously very confused, the doc said he had to run things by the other doc (can't remember how he referred to him, but he was obviously in training). After a few minutes, the second doc came in. An older man, he also examined my foot and said he didn't think it was gout, but just an inflammation. He did say he wanted an Xray, and that if it didn't get better or if it came back I should be tested for gout (joint aspiration), but at this point didn't think that was the diagnosis.
I had an Xray, which was normal, and got a prescription for a "stronger" NSAID, nabumetone. I'd taken ibuprophen and tylenol with no little effect. I was hesitant about the prescription at first, the latest NSAIDs seem to be more dangerous than the older ones, but when I found it was one that is indeed older, figured I'd give it a try. I did, and the pain was gone within 15 hours or so. I only took 2 doses of the prescription (I got 20).
So....is it gout? Who knows. I have been having a problem over the past few months with joint pains. One joint in my body will just ache like crazy....it might be my right elbow, or my left wrist, or one of my ankles, or a shoulder. Sometimes the pain last 3-4 days, but most of the time it's gone within 36-48 hrs. I think this was just another "attack" of this pain. I'd still suspect gout, but the joints involved are all over. My jaw, my back, knee or wrist. Never fingers and toes...and according to the literature it's more often seen in distal joints, meaning joints farther away from the body core.
Well, I went to the doctors, an urgent care center, for severe pain in my right ankle. His first impression was gout. Or a strain. Kept asking me if I'd injured it, and I kept repeating, no....not that I can remember. But a strain is exactly what I thought it felt like. I also mentioned that I have 2 fairly good sized dogs that I frequently walk with on uneven ground, so there may have been a minor pull at some point.
Do I have gout? Who knows, time will tell. If I have another "attack" I will have a joint aspiration done, and that will prove positive or negative. I doubt it's gout, simply because I don't really fit the profile. Recently I've had a lower protein intake than normal for me, I've not had a big massive gain or loss, have no family history and the symptoms don't match. This feels like a pull. According to what I've read, gout feels like there are needles or broken glass in the joint....and that is not what I felt. This was an ache. The more pressure I put on the joint and the more I flexed it, the more it hurt. The area was red and a bit swollen, but not like "typical" gout.
The first doc was fairly young, and I guess an intern or something, as he had to talk to another doc before prescribing. He immediately said gout. Now I know my age was a factor in his diagnosis, but I can't help wonder if my weight also was an influence. I didn't dare tell him I followed a low carb diet! Of course, he never asked. Never asked about "purine intake", which is supposed to increase chances of developing gout. He never asked about menopause, which is also supposed to increase risk. He did have my blood pressure, which was very normal.....120/82, and he did ask about kidney function....I'd had a creatinine level done recently and was fine. But he never asked about alcohol intake. (See The "risk factors" for developing gout here)
OK....so he knew my BP was normal, and I am "obese" (but only a couple more pounds until I'll be "overweight"....but they didn't check or ask my weight). He knew I was a woman, but did not know my menopause status. Now I am completely grey, so I am sure to a young kid the assumption is that I'm well past menopause, despite my age of 53. He also knew I had, per my report, normal kidney function. I was never asked about diet, exercise, alcohol intake, other diagnoses other than for the meds I mentioned I was taking. I was never asked about thyroid function, or if it had been checked, nor was I asked about family history.
As I sit there, obviously very confused, the doc said he had to run things by the other doc (can't remember how he referred to him, but he was obviously in training). After a few minutes, the second doc came in. An older man, he also examined my foot and said he didn't think it was gout, but just an inflammation. He did say he wanted an Xray, and that if it didn't get better or if it came back I should be tested for gout (joint aspiration), but at this point didn't think that was the diagnosis.
I had an Xray, which was normal, and got a prescription for a "stronger" NSAID, nabumetone. I'd taken ibuprophen and tylenol with no little effect. I was hesitant about the prescription at first, the latest NSAIDs seem to be more dangerous than the older ones, but when I found it was one that is indeed older, figured I'd give it a try. I did, and the pain was gone within 15 hours or so. I only took 2 doses of the prescription (I got 20).
So....is it gout? Who knows. I have been having a problem over the past few months with joint pains. One joint in my body will just ache like crazy....it might be my right elbow, or my left wrist, or one of my ankles, or a shoulder. Sometimes the pain last 3-4 days, but most of the time it's gone within 36-48 hrs. I think this was just another "attack" of this pain. I'd still suspect gout, but the joints involved are all over. My jaw, my back, knee or wrist. Never fingers and toes...and according to the literature it's more often seen in distal joints, meaning joints farther away from the body core.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
