Oh the horror....GOUT means no more tiki drinks for GROG!

GROG was diagnosed with GOUT, which is a kind of arthritis that occurs when uric acid builds up in the joints. It only flares up now and then.

That's not the bad news.

The BAD NEWS is the Rheumatologist tell GROG NO MORE ALCOHOL!!
That means no more TIKI DRINKS!!!

GROG' life is basically over. Not much to live for anymore. GROG try to stay strong, and hopefully with the help of friends, (and non-alcoholic tiki drinks) GROG will survive this. If the Rheumatologist tell GROG no more chocolate, then GROG life will definitely be over at that point.

GROG
Get better soon Tiki-Kate and Marie.

[ Edited by: GROG 2010-05-28 13:45 ]

[ Edited by: GROG 2010-05-30 11:53 ]

Damn Grog! I'm bummed out too, man.

I know a few people that have been diagnosed with gout. On rare occasions of course, they may enjoy a few cocktails. I believe they smoke (or eat herb) for their relaxation (always an option.)

You still have chocolate. You still have all your many tiki friends. Life is still awesome!

Talk to you soon. Take care. G

Meet your new friends

A friend of ours was having problems with gout.
They eliminated the consumption of foods from the nightshade fambly like potato, tomato, etc.
They had a really positive reaction to this.
Every once in a while they would have potato salad or something that contained potato and they could feel the gout come back.
Here's a link that might provide a beginning to find out more.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=62

All of my syrups are alcohol free and quite tasty when mixed with bubbly water and or lime juice.
I know that Kelly will keep you plied with plenty of NA tiki drinks, and maybe she'll slip you a mickey once in a while, if you're up to it.

Best
mark

As long as you're not in the middle of an attack, would one cocktail on Tonga Hut Tiki Sundays be all that bad ? I'll bet if you drink 1-2 glasses of water with that cocktail then you should be fine.

Aw Fuck Grog!

But not so fast.
I hear people with gout can have small portions of red wine.
Now of course don't listen to me, but do check it out.
But if so, give Weird Uncle Tiki a call, and shove that umbrella in your wine bottle! (12)

Here's a Christmas present for ya, a Tiki Wine Stopper

Stay well Grog!

I was reading that lithium salts were a common 19th Century treatment for gout...although there may have been side effects.

They used to use lithium salts in 7-Up:

"As with cocaine in Coca-Cola, lithium was widely marketed as one of a number of patent medicine products popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, and was the medicinal ingredient of a refreshment beverage, 7 Up. Charles Leiper Grigg, who launched his St. Louis-based company The Howdy Corporation in 1920, invented a formula for a lemon-lime soft drink in 1929. The product, originally named "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda", was launched two weeks before the Wall Street Crash of 1929. It contained the mood stabiliser lithium citrate and was one of a number of patent medicine products popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. The beverage was marketed specifically as a hangover cure. Its name was soon changed to 7 Up. According to Gary Yu (UCSB) and researchers for the "Uncle John's Bathroom Reader", the name is derived from the atomic mass of lithium (approximately seven daltons). Lithium citrate was removed from 7 Up's formula in 1950." (Wikipedia)

Maybe we need to balance out the vintage cocktails with some vintage soda pop?

C'mon, Grog, that's not so bad. At least you'll have plenty of cheese & fresh milk, right?

....oh, you said "gout" not "goat." (Just trying to cheer you up, my friend!)

All kidding aside, I'm really sorry to hear about this but it sounds like the things you need to do to keep it in check aren't too radical. I just did a quick Google search regarding treatments and remedies & there're plenty of outlets for information that can help. And don't forget to do what your (witch) doctor tells you to do. Hang in there & keep us posted!

Sorry Grog - I was bummed to find out I had Type II diabetes and could not eat sugars the way I used to - which does affect the number of Tiki drinks I can consume as most of them are LOADED with yummy sugars. Keep telling yourself it's not the liquor that makes the Tiki experience - it's the atmosphere and the good folks that fill it! Just look how they all come out for their sick and injured brethren and sistren! Keep your feet and your chin up - you'll feel better in no time!

Two of the guys at work get flair ups of gout from time to time. They usually cut back on red meat and salt and that does the trick. Maybe altering your diet without omitting tiki drinks could work? I'd get a few more opinions and explore other options before I got too concerned.

I had a case of gout when I turned 30. Runs in the family - dad also had first case when he turned 30. I've been drinking like a fish since then, and it hasn't come back yet!

(Fingers crossed while they knock on wood.)

Grog get better soon... HipHiP's job is not so fun without making Jungle Jetsetter for my friend Grog ARRRGGGG..............

Oh bummer...you may have to swap over to the medicinal ganga for an escape from reality. Take care...we will all have to consume your drinks for you.

FOOD ITEMS TO AVOID (have you been having too many tongue sandwiches!!!!)

1. mushrooms

2. offal foods (heart, kidneys, liver, tripet, tongue)

3. game meats

4. red meat

5. fish roe

6. mussels

7. sardines

8. anchovies

9. herring

10. mackerel

11. scallops and shrimp

12. sweetbreads

13. peas

14. spinach

15. lentils

16. beans

17. asparagus

18. alcohol

19. gravy

20. yeast

Think of it this way....

tiki drinks are loaded with sugar and empty calories which means if you are NOT drinking them you will end up svelte and modelesque and make the rest of the male Ohana extremely jealous of the lack of X or XX or XXX in front of your clothing size.

There is always a bright side to every situation..even a caveman should be able to see that!

Holy Mackerel! (#10) That's a big list of foods! But let's take a closer look;

Numbers 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, & 19 really all pretty nasty

Numbers 1, 3, & 15 are OK but easy enough to do without

I'm already allergic to shrimp so that takes out #11 and my wife would be happy if I never ate #16 again :D

GROG, I hope you get this under control and are feeling better soon. Seems I've seen you in Bilge lately dancing your heart out - wouldn't want that to slow down :)

I think the Doctor mis-diagnosed, This is not a Gout hand and foot...

Its a GROG hand and foot! How many cavemen does your Doctor see?

Hope you feel better buddy,!

Wow, thanks everybody for your support. GROG have a couple of flare ups in the big toe, but they only lasted half a day. Now GROG have swelling in elbow, and it's been swollen for about a week. The rhuematologist thinks the swelling will go down, but may take a bit of time.

Next time GROG at doctor, GROG ask if GROG can sneak one drink in every now and then. The doctor tell GROG that beer is usually the biggest offender, so maybe Tiki drinks aren't as bad. GROG already taking Allopurinal to help with uric acid in the blood, so doctor said we'll probably up the dosage. GROG also read that potassium helps eliminate uric acid, so maybe a banana-a-day will help keep the gout away.

On 2010-05-29 13:30, GROG wrote:. GROG also read that potassium helps eliminate uric acid, so maybe a banana-a-day will help keep the gout away.

Here ya go Grog

The sugar drinks are not good Grog. I agree with UB, red wine. Get better buddy.

Arrrr.....

I thought all Cavemen and big ugly club hands and feet?
:wink:

seriously though.
hope you can beat this Grog.
Get well soon.

Jeff(btd)

Sorry again about your GOUT,Ernie...
No more Tropical Drinks?
i got 2 words for you...
Medical Marijuana.
:)

This thread spurred me to google 'gout'.

A 1799 cartoon depicting gout.

From wikipedia: "Gout usually presents as recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis (a red, tender, hot, swollen joint).[1] The joint that is most commonly affected is the first metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe (approximately 75 percent of first attacks) and when this occurs it is known as podagra."
Funny, I went to my doctor about that a couple years ago, and she told me it's the first sign of arthritis. She never mentioned the word gout. I was also getting the same pain in the base joint of my left thumb.

I don't drink all that much, or eat much meat and seafood, another cause mentioned. Then I saw this: "A sedentary lifestyle also increases the risk of developing the disease."
Guess I need to move more!

Ernie, a few months after I saw the doctor, I coincidently started drinking kombucha tea. It cut my symptoms (pain) by about 90%. Yeah it's anecdotal, but I think it works, for me at least. You might want to read up on it. I make my own at home, it's almost as cheap as water, vs $4 a pint in the store, and easy, too.

Thanks for the advice, guys.

GROG will look up kombucha tea on the internet. Thanks 4WD.

As a the friend of a sufferer I'd also advise that you avoid the following as they were all diagnosed as his 'trigger' foods:

Red Wine (particularly the heavier full bodied reds which are packed full of Tannic acid).

Fried Chicken.

Oranges.

My friend cut these out of his diet, and managed to continue drinking with only the occaisional flare up.

Black cherry juice, very good for gout. You can get the concentrate at a natural foods store. Google it, see what people say.

is it safe to say
that your new nickname
is now...... GROUT?

Grog showed me his elbow last night. It's pretty scary loooking. Anyway, I was researching it and one of the things that might happen with gout is also kidney stones, and it is something I would not wish on my worst enemy. The pain was beyond intense! (yeah, I had them..)

Grog drink plenty of water please!!!!!!!!!

[ Edited by: lucas vigor 2010-05-31 09:29 ]

GROG' dad had kidney stones, so GROG has seen the pain that he went through and GROG definitely not want to get kidney stones!!

gal stones rock too! trust me!

( the key word is Diet.

I read about a doctor named Banger or Bynner or something who has had some success with a new (though controversial) gout treatment.

The treatment does have a couple side effects that have freaked out a few of the study participants but I doubt you would notice the effects much much...

You may want to look into it.

the Incredible GROUT!

As the reverend BBooBen so wisely said, the key to keeping the gout at bay is DIET. Mr. Cheeky had a bout wid da Gout and it aint a happy time.

Keep away from the processed meats, sausages, organs, your basic "I know it aint good for me but it tastes sooo good" food. Drink lots of water, and the cherry juice worked for me too. Supposed to exercise too but who has time for that?

I haven't had to give up booze (but I was never a heavy boozer anyway) and the occasional yummy sausage at the street fair (the key here is definitely 'occasional') hasn't brought the hurt back to my foot.

But boyoboy! When it first struck it was the most excruciatingly painful thing I've ever experienced!

Good luck Grog, there's hope out there. Just not in the sausage aisle.

Thank you very much.

There is some good news, though...

I was starting to have some joint pain, a year or so ago, and I thought it might be gout related. I sympathize with the initial sense that everything that makes life enjoyable is now prohibited! Not a fan of pharmaceuticals (as a first resort, anyway),I did some research on diet, etc., and made some changes - more vegetables, fish, drinking cherry juice. My pain eventually went away, and probably wasn't really gout - it was in my elbows, not my toes - though maybe was early arthritis symptoms.
Anyway, you can learn which foods tend to make your body more alkaline or more acid, and adjust your diet. There are a number of other health problems associated with being too acid. Oddly, many foods that are acid (e.g., pineapple) produce an alkaline effect on your system. If you generally keep yourself slightly alkaline (about pH 7.4), occasional acidifying food or drinks aren't going to be a problem. You can see how you're doing by monitoring your pH level (by peeing on a test strip - you can buy a spool of the stuff). With a generally proper diet, you shouldn't have to give up alcohol and tiki food, but they'll be more "special occasion" than daily.
Realize that modifying your diet in this manner may stop your gout symptoms, but it will also produce side effects: fat loss, more energy, less chance of heart disease, sudden cranial hair re-growth, etc.

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2010-06-01 14:41 ]

Thanks for info Limbo.

On 2010-06-01 14:33, Limbo Lizard wrote:
Realize that modifying your diet in this manner may stop your gout symptoms, but it will also produce side effects: fat loss, more energy, less chance of heart disease, sudden cranial hair re-growth, etc.

How about enlarged penis? Is that one of the side effects?

On 2010-06-02 01:13, GROG wrote:
Thanks for info Limbo.

On 2010-06-01 14:33, Limbo Lizard wrote:
... it will also produce side effects: fat loss, more energy, less chance of heart disease, sudden cranial hair re-growth, etc.

How about enlarged penis? Is that one of the side effects?

Yes... at least, that's what* she *said!

Get yourself some colchicine.

It's a cure for gout attacks. The downside, is that once it has taken care of the gout in your body, it turns its attention to wreaking havoc on your digestive system.

Let's say you can't walk because you woke up with gout holding your foot hostage. If you have colchicine, within 20-30 minutes of taking it you will notice the gout begin to fade away. You have to keep taking the tiny tablets according to the prescription until you've given yourself enough to drive the gout away.

Here's the nasty catch. If you fail to guess exactly right, you will end up taking more colchicine than you need to defeat the gout, which is something very hard to guess. If you don't stop taking the colchecine BEFORE the gout symptoms are completely gone, then you certainly will end up taking more than is actually needed to finish off the gout.

The nasty part is when the colchecine runs out of gout inside you to attack, it starts working on your digestive system. When it does, you can be in a meeting or in the middle of something important, have to excuse yourself, and dash to the nearest restroom. That will continue periodically until all of the excess colchecine has run its course so to speak.

Here is the upside. If you are ever incapacitated by gout, this stuff will get you back in action within an hour and eliminate the gout gradually throughought the day (or night). The nasty effects of any residual colchecine IMO are tolerable, especially, if you get gout a lot.

As for me, in the past I had to take off work once in a while due to gout, which I do not any longer. Plus, after finding a cure for the symptoms, I was able to stop adjusting my diet to reduce the uric acid build-up in the body (which is the main culprit in gout) and instead simply be conscious of healthier options.

Alcohol and red meat are huge sources of uric acid, so with colchecine, I can eat all the red meat I want and wash it down with all the rum I want. Of course, then you're talking cholesterol and liver issues, but no gout.

Naturally, pursuing a strategy of taking antidotes to avoid changing your lifestyle is probably not recommended by the AMA. Still, I eat eggs when I want, plus stuff you might find in our TC bacon threads, because my cholesterol medicine makes it possible, and when I go a little too heavy on the rum or red meat, I sometimes have to turn to the colchicine, but hardly ever.

Clearly, the more you can do to reduce uric acid (i.e., the more recommended diet items you can deal with as substitutes for the stuff you should avoid), the easier it is to keep it under control. If you have colchecine on hand, you'll probably try to keep the gout at bay to some degree with a new diet, but you won't give a second thought to enjoying things like red meat and rum whenever you feel like it, even if that is more or less all of the time.

Other than PhD, I am not a doctor. Mainly just telling you what I do and dispelling any fears or depression that you might have based on my experience. You might not be able to deal with colchecine, but you can easily find out from your doctor.

Cherry juice concentrate (available at the Food Whole Markets around here), pomegranate juice concentrate, and celery seed are all great for reducing uric acid in the body. 8)

And just to give this little nugget of wisdom a big boost in credibility, I allowed a polyp to develop in my large intestine, which seems to be pre-cancerous, but needs to come out asap, so I'll be going under the knife in a couple of weeks or so and will be off from work for a month (two weeks of recovery under narcotics and another two or so recovering from the narcotics). Not sure when I'll be back online, but I can tell you it will be a while before any rum will be involved.

On 2010-05-31 19:49, RevBambooBen wrote:
gal stones rock too! trust me!

( the key word is Diet.

Gal stones SUCK! Feels like someone's stabbing you in the back and the front and from both sides, and squeezing the living crap out of you! Diet doesn't help when you're pregnant and the docs don't bother to look for stones and then tell you "the pain's all in your head." Like I WANTED to be barfing for 9 months straight and feeling like I'd been run over by a truck the rest of the time! My only retribution was finding out the lady doc I had was pregnant and ill for her entire pregnancy! HA! Hey, doc - it was all in your head!

Sorry - I hijacked - can you tell that 20 years later it STILL pisses me off!?

Mike Adler from The Picture Show Gallery in Seal Beach just told me last Sunday at MariePalooza that he wasnt drinking because of his gout. Something tells me that he dropped some purple blotter back in the day so i thought for sure is acid level would be good :)

Mark Twain understood that it was all about diet, he said "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day." :D

I'd like to be the first to congratulate Ernie
for creating our first Tiki Central
OLD PERSON GRIPE THREAD!
:)

it's about TIME!

get it?

Time?

eh he heeeeee...

I know I'm a little late to this party and everyone else has advice and blah blah, but I've had kidney stones and gout before at a young age (I'm only 30 now) because I tend to enjoy salt a little too much. THAT, I've heard is the biggest culprit in just about every health problem we face nowadays. So, with gout and the like, I'd cut as much salt out of life as possible, and I agree with whoever said it earlier - cherry juice. The real kind from real juice. It seemed to help me a lot.

I suppose you could kill two birds with one stone and mix drinks with cherry juice... That's proactive, right?

As a sufferer of both kidney stones and now acid reflux disease, I feel yer pain, Grog. The acid reflux diet, according to all the books, excludes alcohol, chocolate, any fried and/or fatty foods, pepper, tomato sauces, onions, citrus and essentially anything with any flavor. After giving it four weeks, I decided that being sick was preferable to the awful diet. I'm gradually working in moderate amounts of all the above, along with altering my eating schedule, habits, etc. Bottom line: a little moderation goes a long way.