Sad Silence
Bougainville civil war: The battle of Koromira Catholic Mission

The everlasting pain

Gout cartoonARNOLD MUNDUA

An entry in The Crocodile Prize
Kina Securities Award for Poetry

I wrote this poem while recuperating from the affliction of gouty arthritis and it is dedicated to all victims of this disease....

Ooooff…the pain is burning
It’s pulsating
It’s excruciating
It’s agonizing

The toe aches
The ankle aches
The knee aches
I can’t walk

The finger swells
The wrist swells
The elbow swells
I can’t hold

I moaned
I hissed
I cried
All in vain
I downed disprin
I downed aspirin
I downed Panadol
No help

I swallowed indomethacin
I swallowed colchicines
I swallowed amoxicillin
No cure

I quit red meat
I quit beer
I quit sugar
No improvement

I tried aloe juice
I tried noni juice
I tried herbal tea
Still the same

Oh---the pains strike again
The swells rise again
The pain killers gulped again
It’s Gouty Arthritis again

Come you there
Wherever you are Mr Cure
And heal me
And the million others

Give me new life
And new hope
Be my champion
And my reason to celebrate

Restlessly I wait
Eyes out and ears open
For your coming
With the everlasting pain

Comments

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Arnold Mundua

Thank you Michael, Peter, William and Philip for your comments and remarks.

The poem was a real life experience transferred onto paper and I appreciate all the helpful tips you indicated.

I sure will share the information with other 'prisoners ' of gout. Thank you. all again.

Michael Dom

I like this poem, Arnold: the simplicity is entertaining and educating.

Metphorically, it also speaks of the Gouty Arthiritis afflicting our democracy and caused by our politicians.

Is there a cure for that ailment or ais it a life sentence for PNG?

Peter Kranz

Arnold - great poem and hits home. I've been told gout is the nearest pain to childbirth that a man can suffer.

Get clear first (Voltaren usually works) then go on Allopurinol, but please talk to a doctor first.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a682673.html

It'll have to be permanent.

Arnold Mundua

Thank you Robin for the wonderful advice. The website you posted is great. Thanks .

William Dunlop

1 Pro Gout 300 after breakfast will most likely fix you up. But It's a lifetime sentence. Each and every day. My doc has me on them for 25 long years now.

Philip Fitzpatrick

I never thought that reading a poem could make my knees ache.

Good one Arnold.

Robin Lillicrapp

Ouch, indeed. You make it so real

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/19/five-steps-to-overcoming-gout-naturally.aspx

A Recap: The Top Steps to Prevent and Treat Gout

If left untreated, gout can become increasingly painful and lead to joint damage. So if you experience sudden, intense pain in your joints, especially your big toe, it’s important to seek help. Here is a recap of the essential steps to addressing gout:

Find out your nutritional type. This will tell you what foods your body needs to thrive, including whether you should be eating more fats and protein, or less.

Avoid drinking soda, fruit juice, and other sweet beverages. Instead, drink plenty of pure water, as the fluids will help to remove uric acid from your body. Cutting back on all forms of sugar and grain in your diet is also important.

Limit the alcohol you drink (or eliminate it altogether). Alcohol may raise the levels of uric acid in your blood.

Exercise. Being overweight increases your risk of gout, and regular exercise will help you to maintain a healthy weight and improve your overall health.

Try tart cherries or concentrated tart cherry juice. Tart cherries contain two powerful compounds, anthocyanins and bioflavonoids. Both of these compounds slow down the enzymes Cyclo-oxyygenase-1 and -2, which helps to relieve and prevent arthritis and gout in your body.

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