Saturday, April 21, 2012

Perfect Saturday

I felt wonderful today.  Almost manic.  I don't know if it was the anti-inflamatory medication I took at three in the morning when I was feeling the first signs of gout acting up or if it was just the glorious day.  I have a suspicion that it was a bit of both.  I think the medication calms down a awful lot of aches and pains that I've gotten more or less used to living with.  It was nice to feel no pain.

The gout was nipped in the bud so I took a long hike this morning with Benni and Dottie and her dog Katjia.  After lunch I worked on a project outdoors, repairing a wooden bin where we keep recyclables.  I also hooked up the hot and cold water for the outdoor shower.  When Leon got home we gave the dog a bath (it takes two of us), then we took our first outdoor showers of the season and took a wonderful "awake" nap on the bed.  I was feeling wonderful.

After our rest, we decided to go out to dinner at Chute Gates.  Hadn't been there in quite a while.  I ordered a Blue Moon draft, and although I am not a big beer drinker, this was easily the best beer I've ever had - cold, foamy and served with a slice of orange.  I drank about half of it in a few gulps.  Really hit the spot.  Should'v taken my camera.

Leon ordered the Country Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes and Veggies, and I had a Half Rack of Baby Back Ribs, Baked Potato and Veggies.  Both came with a very nice salad.  We shared entrées.  Both were excellent.

 I am also not a big country music fan but I even enjoyed the country music that was playing during dinner.  Even the waitress was nice.
 If it had been a gay restaurant with hunky gay cowboys parading around it would have been absolutely perfect (alas, they have pin-up girls on the men's room walls), but barring that last fantasy, it was pretty perfect just the same.

4 comments:

Russ Manley said...

Now you're talking real food, yeehaw! Sounds like a grand day, hope the rest of the weekend is just as good.

Moving with Mitchell said...

You should add a pin-up boy to the collection the next time you're in that men's room.

I have never had a country fried steak!

Stan said...

I wish I knew the medication you take for gout. I have it too and I take Uloric 40 mg which helps a little but not much. Sounds like you had a great time.

Frank said...

Stan,
I take Indomethacin for flare-ups. It is not a medication you can take for long - 3 or 4 days and you must take it with food and lots of water. I think it can cause stomach bleeding if not taken correctly. My current primary doc won't refill my prescription so I am using some pills that expired in 2010. I am looking into options like allopurinol and Uloric, but I'm concerned about side long term effects. There is an excellent article, without all the old home remedies, here: (be sure to click on all the tabs across the op of the article) http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/329958-overview#showall

The article seems to indicate that the Allopurinol may actually help to dissolve the uric acid crystals over time, so that with diet and good hydration, a person may be able to discontinue the medication after a few years. I'll have to re-read it more carefully. What I didn't know is that the condition over time can cause kidney stones and other damage (liver) even if there are no flare ups. Thing is, when I get tested for uric acid, the results are normal. But the article says that tests for other substances are more reliable and that tests should rule out "pseudo gout" before starting meds.

Frank

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