Long time sufferer - Rare case

by johanne michel
(Montreal,Qc,Canada)

Hi,

I am french from Quebec so forgive my spelling errors.
I am happy I found this web site.
I have been suffering from Gout since the age of nine, since both my mother and father shared the same gene.
Our family was research by a team of doctors and they found that we were 1 out of about 5 families in Canada with a similar condition.
Now at 45, I went through every aspect of the disease.
And the ups and downs too!
It is very difficult for me to express all the pain I've been through since I saw my mother, father and one of my sister passed away from complications of the disease because in our case, the kidney and heart are attacked as well.
I have to keep in mind how to take care of myself the best possible way (and gout sufferer knows that it is a daily challenge especially with food), and still contemplating the idea that my chances of dying young remains. Not having kids, under the advice of my nephrologue, was a time buyer.
The side effects of the diet (lack of iron), of the pills (allopurinol, colchicine, prednisone), and also the limits of physical activities are pushing me to see the beauty of life in other directions ; arts especially, social life, volunteer work.
I have learn to limit the stress impact on my life with better management of my emotion and better communication skills. I also choose my battles more carefully. Or if you prefer, my priorities.

One crucial thing I want to share about preventing gout and a potential crise, is that over the years, I have come to recognize THE FIRST SYMPTOM for me, which is, feeling sad. It took a long time in order to come to that realization, since I had to pay close attention to any other reason for me to feel that way.
In fact, it is a sadness combine with tiredness a bit, women will understand, when you are moody because of PMS.
Now, when it points its familiar face during the day, I ask myself why do I feel this way ; is it because of an event that happened, an emotion, an need or it's that thing I ate yesterday and thought I could get away from?
Usually, the answer is there, waiting.
So to you who is reading this I want to say, pay attention to the language of the body. It's telling us everything we need to know.
The way I see it is this : My body is the temple that protects my soul and my heart, and therefore, I cannot take care of one without taking care of the other.
Mind and body as one.
Thank you for your attention and I hope we will share our tips and advice in a near future.
Johanne Michel