The Hands of My Father: Update

I wrote about my dad's condition last January. It wasn't that bad or alarming. He could still walk normally and use his hands normally. We only worried about his diet so as not to further trigger his arthritis attacks.

Hard-headed as he is, he kept eating those food not recommended by his doctors. When I went home last June, i was shocked to see him walking with crutches. His leg was hurting, he couldn't use it due to excruciating pain. He didn't see a doctor, actually doesn't want to see  a doctor, because he is okay with taking painkillers from time to time.

A week after that, he couldn't walk anymore. There was just too much pain. And he was left with no choice but to see a doctor. The doctor immediately recommended surgery so as to remove the gout/uric deposits that have been causing the pain. However, he would have to get clearances from his cardiologist and pulmonologist to ensure that he is physically well to undergo surgery.

My mom panicked with all the lab tests that my dad will be going through. That time, my dad had cough and colds that went on and off for days. My mom worried that dad might be ill with pneumonia, and if ever, he wouldn't be operated on.

Thank heavens, my dad passed all his lab exams. He was actually healthy and strong as a stallion, sans the arthritis. We couldn't believe it! Sugar level, normal. BP, normal. Lungs, clear. Liver, clear.

And so the surgery was pushed through. My dad was in the Operating Room for more than 4 hours, attended by 4 doctors. The surgeon was my cousin's husband, who called on the help of his interns upon seeing the numerous gout to be removed.

Most joints were inflamed, especially the joints in his feet and hands. This was his right hand last January:

Not all those bulges were removed. Some uric deposits already hardened like stones and are embedded in the bones, and removal was not advised. The doctor said it will be dangerous to scrape everything, as the possibility of hitting the nerves/muscles is high, which could lead to paralysis. Those deposits are now part of his bones, and my dad will just have to live with that.

This is right hand after the operation last July:

Big improvement, right?

 And this is his left hand:

 

Arthritis is hereditary. I am becoming more conscious with my food intake. I don't want to go through what my dad went through. I need healthy hands and legs for my mobility. 

You are what you eat.

I must stay healthy. We must stay healthy. All the time.




 

The Hands of My Father

My Dad turned 65 last September. He has retired from work long ago. He is always home, except on days when he has to visit the farm. He grows mangoes and bananas. He gambles whenever he can, drinks with his highschool friends and neighbors, watches TV all day, or does nothing at all.

Truth be told, he had all the vices a man could have. He started drinking and smoking when he was 13. If he didn’t get terribly sick 4 years ago, he wouldn’t give up the cigarettes. He gave up liquor for a few months, but went back to drinking when he got totally well.

This is his right hand:

It looks like a rootcrop. Or the root of an aging tree. Or the hand of a witch.

The joints are bulging. Gout. Uric deposits that hardened like stone.

There came a time when he couldn’t walk anymore as his knees were inhabited with gout...several gouts. The only solution was surgery, in order to remove the uric deposits.

His left hand was also operated at the same time, check the scars. This is better looking compared with his right hand.

Unfortunately, it seemed like alcohol was flowing in my dad’s body instead of blood. The anesthesia never took effect on him. He was injected 3 times, walang epek talaga. In order for him to walk again, he agreed to have an open surgery. As may be culled from the stories of my Mom, my Dad was really screaming in pain all throughout the operation! Kawawa.

I pity my Dad whenever I see his hands. Ang pangit kasi talaga. The hand made him look sickly, when in fact he is still strong as a cow. I had been urging him to have those gouts removed, but I am always silenced with his argument: surgery without anesthesia is very painful, I will not do it all over again.

Fine. There is no way for me to convince him regarding surgery. Instead, I urged him to have a healthy diet, to avoid foods that are high in uric acid. This is where we actually debate. However, since I don’t live with my parents anymore, I cannot totally monitor his food intake. It is then also a useless fight with him. Sigh.

On my next Davao trip, I’ll take photos of his knees and feet. Then you will perfectly understand me why I had been makulit with surgery and his diet.

Question now is, will I be like my Dad in the future, studded with unsightly gouts?

Afraid. Very much.