My big toe hurts...

Tuesday, September 25, 2012
I was surprised to wake up with the toe still bothering me.  It was swollen and pink and didn’t look so good.  I managed to pull my shoe on with some difficulty, but spent the day limping from place to place.  I drove to the park after work thinking that at the very least, I could do the Survival Workout.  I managaed six sets of different exercises while working in some time to search…and find…21 golf balls before returning to the car and driving home.

Jack and I drove to Kohl’s to try and find the right Homecoming outfit for him.  I went into sticker shock when I saw prices over $200 for a simple, black jacket.  Jack had a particular look in mind, something I knew nothing about, and tried on numerous coats and pants.  I tend to forget that kids don’t wear pants around their waists anymore…what kind of a crazy concept is THAT…so I was having troubles helping him pick a length.  He was trying on pants with a 32” length, which is what I wear and at 6’3”, he towers over me.  He ended up with a black suit, black shirt, black shoes, and a silver/black tie and with the 30% discount we got from a coupon Holly had, the whole bill was less than $300.  I suppose that’s not too bad when you consider that it’s the only dress clothes we’ve had to purchase for him in the last two years.

We came home and he tried on the entire ensemble.  He liked it, looking like something off the cover of ‘GQ’ magazine.

“I think I’m going to just keep it all on until the dance on Saturday,” he said while modeling the look for me in the living room.

“Umm…sure, Jack.  Good plan,” I said, hoping he was kidding though you never know with Jack.
I remained in an easy chair for the rest of the evening thinking that if the toe didn’t get any better by the morning, I’d be visisting with Nilesh again.  I’d spoken to my cousin Donnie and described the symptoms.

“You’ve got the gout.” he stated emphatically.

He’s suffered with it for years and reminded me my father had gone through it as well.

“My doctor at the Cleveland Clinic says it’s bad genetics…and you’ve got them,” he concluded.
I did some research on-line and had to agree with him.  The cause, high uric acid levels and the ensueing crystalization that most often manifests itself in the knuckle of the big toe causing extreme pain, redness, and swelling were certainly the symptoms I was experiencing.  Well…I’ll know tomorrow.