[Granville-Hough] 13 Sep 2009 - How About Gout

[Trustees for Granville W. Hough]

Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:49:46 -0700
From: Granville W Hough <gwhough at oakapple.net>
Subject: How About? 13 Sep 2009

HOW ABOUT A BOUT WITH THE GOUT?

    One never knows when you take too many medications what will 
happen.  You upset your metabolism and suddenly, you have shingles, 
gout,or something else you never heard of.  On Sunday, 6 Sep, I had a 
delightful visit from my friends Faron and Juliana Shepard.  We went to 
my favorite Soup Plantation and had a memorable lunch.  Then I had my 
afternoon nap, light supper, and evening walk.  I went to bed at my 
usual time of 1030 pm and had a strange dream that I was going to have 
an arthritic big toe on my left foot just as I had had an arthritic left 
thumb a month ago.  Monday, 7 July, the dream came true.  I had a big 
red bump on my left toe joint where it rubs against the shoe.  I did not 
worry as I knew I was to see my cancer doctor on Tuesday morning.
    On Tuesday morning, the condition was a little worse, and Dr. 
Miranda suggested I see a joint specialist right away, as the condition 
looked like gout, or arthritic gout to him.  He wanted me to get on 
antibiotics.  I went by to see the joint specialist, but they had no 
emergency operation, and I was only able to get a 1:30 pm appointment on 
Friday, 11 Sep.  They were the doctors who had treated my left thumb and 
right elbow, and I had some confidence in them..  However, my foot 
continued to swell each day, but I only had a slight temperature.  By 
Friday, my entire foot had swollen so much I could not walk, wear shoes, 
or do anything else normally that had to do with feet.  My cane was no 
help at all, but my deceased Carol's stroller or walker was a god-send.
    What my joint doctor's diagnosis was that I had an infection, and 
that I should go immediately to the Saddleback Emergency Room and get 
started on antibiotics.  He called the ER to expedite my admission and 
treatment.  I could have told him that I would have gone to the ER on 
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or earlier Friday; but I expected that he, 
as the joint doctor, would put me on antibiotics.  I now know that this 
firm of joint doctors only do remedial work after the diagnoses are 
settled by others.  I could have sworn to high heaven and gotten all 
heated up, but I knew I had drive very carefully to the Emergency Room, 
shuffle my self up the incline with Carol's stroller, and get admitted.  
I was admitted at 3:15, and underwent several tests.  My blood counts 
were low, and I had high levels of uric acid in my blood.   doctor 
thought I had gout, and another that I had a spreading infection. It 
looked obvious to me that I had both.  I began getting antibiotic 
injections at 8:30 pm and pills at 11:00
I had such low blood counts that I got a deluxe singles room with shower 
and amenities, which I was not able to enjoy.  They did not want me 
exposed to others.  By Saturday morning, 12 September, the pain had gone 
down to the point I could get to the bathroom without a stroller. 
    The nurse came in early Saturday with two swabs.  She said: "Just 
insert this swab in your right near/neare so I can test to see if you 
have picked up some new infection."  I had taken out my hearing aids the 
night before and thought she must have said my right ear.  Surely that 
was not a place to look for a new infection, so I put it in my mouth, 
where I put most swabs.  "Oh No," she said, "your right near/neare of 
you nose.  So she had to go find another swab for right and left neares 
of the nose.  So I learned a new word for my left and right nears of the 
nose, places I had previously called nostrils.  I must not know how to 
spell the word, as I do not find it in my dictionary. 
    Shortly, Dr. White came in with his diagnosis of gout.  All the 
symptoms of starting point, redness, soreness, swelling, temperature, 
high uric acid, and recent chemotherapy suggested gout; however, he 
could not rule out a spreading infection into my blood stream.  I 
continued treatment until noon today, 13 Sep, and was discharged 
afterwards, with five new drugs to go get and start taking , one for 
gout, and four for infection.  I got home about 3:45, hoping to get a 
late nap, but I only got to lie down with my feet elevated for a few 
minutes.  I did get to call my children that I was safely home. So in 
the last six days, I have learned a little bit about a bout with gout.

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I thank Paul Trejo for this little gem that tells me that when I pray, I 
am like the little boy whose pastor asked him if he said prayers every 
night.  "Yes, sir," he replied.  Then the pastor asked if he always said 
his prayers in the morning as well.  "No sir," the little boy said, " "I 
ain't scared in the daylight."  Grampa