Andrew J. Lederer

. . . Gout!


according to wikipedia, second attacks usually occur within 2 years. (it is now 22 months.)

i can still walk.

puttin' on my shoe may be a problem, though.

and to think i walked across the williamsburg bridge yesterday.

in fact, i walked all the way from the clinton hill area in brooklyn to 25th and 3rd in manhattan.

and last week i walked to and from, across the brooklyn bridge one way and the williamsburg the other.

the day before that, i did the manhattan bridge to the "green room" in noho.

tomorrow, i may not be able to stand.

as last time (of course) i did all the wrong things just before the attack and even after i suspected one was coming on.

hey, it's been almost 2 years -- i forgot what i'm not supposed to have.

so, last night, i had beans and scotch and coffee as the infirmity descended.

and i switched to diet soda lately. (guess what.)

i keep moving my toe as if waggling it will prevent the uric acid crystals from settling in.

two years ago, my gout treatment was the first time i used my brand new, government-funded, poor people's health insurance (to treat the "disease of kings"). now, due to an error on their part followed by a year of avoidance and inactivity on mine, i don't have any health insurance.

i wonder if my father has any of his stomach-punishing anti-inflammatories left.

he did this to me with his gouty genes.

of course, he also did this life thing to me, so you win some, you lose some.