As if gout wasn't enough ... I'm pre-diabetic, too!
It's been about 10 months since I was diagnosed with gout. Since
then, I've completely revamped my eating patterns, lost 40 pounds,
gotten on allopurinol. I was feeling pretty good about conquering
this thing; it's been several months since I've had an attack.
Well, today, my doctor tells me I'm pre-diabetic. (Happy
Halloween!) I'm now beginning my research to determine exactly what
that means. Roughly speaking, it seems to mean that I'm likely
heading to full-fledge diabetes unless I fix things. Diet and exercise.
Dang it, I though I *was* eating right; that's how I managed to lose
40 pounds and get to a healthy weight. A quick look at the American
Diabetes Association's "Making Healthy Food Choices" page ( http://
www.diabetes.org/diabetes-prevention/nutrition/
healthyfoodchoices.jsp ) tells me I'm right: almost everything on
that list I've either been doing, or it's directly against the gout
recommendations. "Include dried beans and lentils into your meals."
"Include fish in your meals 2-3 times a week." I wish.
I have no idea how to weigh the diabetes guidelines against the gout
guidelines. I guess some of the gout guidelines I have followed a
little more strictly than necessary; I've found it easier to cut out
meat and fish entirely rather than have the two or three ounces
allowed per day. Maybe I should introduce that in. Maybe the
allopurinol will protect me enough that I can pretty much ignore the
gout guidelines and just follow the diabetic ones. I don't know. I
dread the thought of finding out by experimenting and see what drives
shards of glass into my toe. I suspect it's going to come down to that.
Are there any other people who are fighting both gout and diabetic
tendencies? Any words of wisdom?
Thanks,
Terry