Yeh, I Do NOT Like Going to the Doctor

But. . . I almost made a jaunt to see my “permission slip guy” last week. From decades past car “swat” (40mph impact while riding my bike on the shoulder of he road) and resultant surgeries, rehab, etc., “lessons in horsemanship  (that I still feel to this date), other broken bones, cuts and unforeseen “piercings” that required medical intervention, the occasional dislocation of knee/hip joints, etc., etc., I had thought I had a good idea what pain was.

Nope. Gout i on another level altogether. *heh*

But. I did discover a combo of thing that have brought me, a week later, to a point where a bit of walking supported by a cane (not used for stability but support: very different uses) is merely uncomfortable as opposed to impossible. *heh* And yeh, dietary changes, too.

The Big Two things?

A diclophenac topical gel, and a set of foot and leg air massager boots (for circulation and relaxation). The diclophenac gel has done a GREAT job dealing with the pain and even the edema (though there is still some of both, of course), but over he last two days’ use of the massager units, I’ve seen a remarkable decrease in the swelling after each use. Apparently, its use ameliorating some effects of arthritis (gout is a form of arthritis) is solid.

I have planned and prepared for other things to avert future gout attacks, but for now, I am just pleased to be able to walk again. *heh*