health is wealth

Health is wealth, as the old adage goes. It's one of the first that I've learned and the first that I used when started filling out those fancy slum notes in my second grade. Never realized its real meaning and that it became a BIG DEAL after I came across a certain chronic illness. Yeah, it's chronic; therefore I gotta be careful with what I eat because it is mostly influenced by the kind of diet that I consume. The manifestation of elevated uric acid could trigger my gout. This was due to the fact that my kidney cannot excrete well the excess uric acid that my body produces.

At first, I was confused after knowing the doctor's diagnosis of my condition. I’m in a state of confusion because I'm a person who practices and observes clean living. I don't smoke and I don't drink alcohol just to name few. So where the hell did I get this? Or how did I ever have this?

Then, I was pissed off. Way pissed offffff (can't count the number of f's from there hehehe) because as advised by my physician, I cannot eat just any kind of food. Now, eating is becoming paranoia. If you’ve seen those cartoon characters being stopped by an exclamation point on top of their head, that happens to me every meal. I have to ask every time what are its ingredients. Got to make sure that there’s no such that’s high in uric acid. Otherwise, the effect would be a disaster. It is a disaster because of the excruciating pain. When it triggers, it’s affecting me not only physically but also emotionally and psychologically.

I’m just envious of those people who can eat whatever they want without an immediate adverse effect on their health. Although exercise can help, high impact exercises are not recommended. It could possibly strain my joints and can even damage the cartilage. I want to blame the genes, yeah, yeah…but I can’t. They were inherent the moment I was born. Therefore, I don’t have a choice so I just mumble hehehe.

Having the right mind set was one of the first move I made to accept what I have. Then, I just need to focus on the things that I have control. So now, I’m in a state of “be careful of what you eat” (now used to it) so I could prevent those possibly sleepless attacks of the gout. Lastly, continuous research of my current condition that even if I skip some food, thru alternative but natural means, I don’t deprive myself of the nutrients that my body needs. Because knowing more about it is my best defense against future attacks.

What's your story today?