Getting Older

My dad had gout and kidney stones at 45 and watching him go through that did not want me reach that age.

Donā€™t apologize for being in shape. You havenā€™t sat down for n years and are trying to overcome it late in life. Thatā€™s great, DONā€™T STOP.

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Gout is pretty genetic, so if you ever have signs of it get your uric acid tested and then get on allopurinol. Donā€™t even bother with trying to manage it through diet or youā€™ll just be doubly miserable being in pain and giving up a bunch of things you enjoy.

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Develop a routine of regular exercise and core strength training. Canā€™t emphasize enough how much that helps mental health.

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I have the opposite opinion to that as my gout is 100% linked to how well I take care of my body/diet. It is a pretty good warning sign that I need to cut back on certain things and exercise more. If I were to just treat the uric acid to avoid the gout then I would weigh more and have a higher blood pressure and end up with other issues. All I need to do to avoid attacks is drink more water, limit certain foods and exercise more.

The main thing Iā€™ve noticed about getting older (57) besides the minor maladies is the perception of time. The months and years just go by much faster than they did when I was 35. Iā€™ve heard that this is common but not universal.

So in that sense if it keeps accelerating I just feel like Iā€™m hurtling towards inevitable death.

To balance that, I know a bunch of people in their 70s and 80s, even 90s (mostly through pickleball), who are still sharp and active and healthy, and mostly seem pretty content.

The other weird thing is when people your own age start having adult children and even grandchildren, youā€™re pretty much forced to acknowledge that you are getting old.

You are definitely one of the exceptions. Everything I"ve read, and my own personal experience, has said that lifestyle changes have a pretty minor effect on uric acid levels. Iā€™m a little jealous that youā€™ve been able to manage it through lifestyle changes. Iā€™m the healthiest Iā€™ve been in 3 decades but the only thing that controls my gout is allopurinol. :frowning:

As a forum, where are we on mom jokes? Asking for a friend.

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Free game, just like your mom.

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Yes, but I put my left leg behind me instead of my right.

Could have to do with being left-handed?

Itā€™s normal yah. My left hip is definitely more flexible than my right (and Iā€™m a lucky lefty too) so that move will be easier for your dominant leg in most cases.

Iā€™m on a group text with my buddies from KC where we still regularly jokes about plowing each otherā€™s moms and much grosser stuff. Itā€™s our little way of raging against the dying of the light. Think Iā€™m too mature at 55 to joke about tongue-punching your momā€™s fartbox? Think again.

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I have just one word. It was a secret word that no one ever told me about because it has a much more famous sibling word that everyone knows about and talks aboutā€¦but this word lurks there, waiting for you to turn ~40 then gives you a bunch of symptoms that even doctors donā€™t really talk about and they also donā€™t really know how to deal with.

Perimenopause.

Guys, you should know about it too because if you know any women in their 40s, then you know women who are in perimenopause.

Justā€¦ugh.

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I am an exception too I guess. I got gout for the first time around 50 despite not having many of the risk factors. Not obese, blood pressure is good, donā€™t drink a ton. I hardly eat any red meat, although I think the conventional wisdom on that being a big factor has changed. The doctor did offer me daily meds but I thought Iā€™d see how bad the attacks got.

Turns out mine isnā€™t too bad, so far.

Every once in a while it flares up; I just stop all alcohol, pound some Advil, and drink a lot of water, and it seems to go away quickly.

I will say that first bout of gout I got was super painful. I thought Iā€™d broken my foot, although I had no idea how. The doctor looked it it for two seconds and said ā€œnope, you have gout.ā€ Blood test confirmed it

@TheHip41 thoughts?

I think we just still donā€™t understand gout very well. There is definitely several genetic components to it which all impact what works and doesnā€™t work for you. There are 3 things that need to happen to get a gout attack. You need high uric acid levels and that depends partly on diet and drinking water. Then those acid levels need to cause crystals in your joints and that is mostly genetic and finally those crystals need to trigger an auto immune attack which we still donā€™t understand at all. I am glad it works as a warning system for me but I would definitely not hesitate to medicate if I couldnā€™t control it with diet as it hurts badly and eventually does permanent damage.

Thatā€™ll stop on January 20. Get ready for the longest four years of our lives.

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Everything hurts and I want to die

Currently have a cold, right wrist tendinitis and my right oblique hurts

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I recently tore a ligament in a finger while sitting on the couch.

Have to wear a finger splint for 8 weeks. Huzzah

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Concerning!

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