What is going on with my big toes? Agony.

[keyboardkat]

It could be gout I suppose. I don't drink alcohol and don't eat red meat or seafood either, not overweight. Just in bad pain on the pads underneath both big toes. Cannot put my foot to the ground properly so am veering to the outside of my feet and walking like a duck! In fact walking is very painful and I'm fed up being restricted, poor me. It came on gradually, and I thought I might have stubbed it or something, then it happened in the other toe aswell. WHAAT?

I have a GP appointment on Wed so want some ideas to present, in case I'm fobbed off. I cannot take NSAIDS so am just taking paracetemol and it ain't touching it really. I've taped big toes and adjacent toes to each other with cotton pad between them and that gives some relief, but NOT ENOUGH!!

There is slight swelling, no bruising, no redness. Anyone had anything similar?

Inflammation around the sesamoid bones, maybe?

Gout is a possibility, have you got red skin which is hot to touch? Is it worse at night? Feels like you are treading in a pin cushion with the pins pointing out?

Drink plenty of water to try and flush out the uric acid crystals

Yes that sounds like it:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21671-sesamoiditis#:~:text=Sesamoiditis%20from%20overuse%20develops%20gradually,Pain%20under%20the%20big%20toe.

Thanks for your replies so far. I've just discovered that coming down the stairs is really painful now. I have to place my toes over the lip of the stair to make any progress and I'm scared of falling. I'm a (non walking now) disaster!

So no, the skin is not red, not hot to touch, not worse at night, no pin cushion feeling, thanks @Tippingadvice it's good to have these things in mind when talking to GP. So I'm not convinced it's gout, but could still be I suppose. I am drinking water a lot so it might help anyway.

@Fordian That sounds a bit more like what I am going through. As you may have guessed I looked it up, never having heard of it before! Good to suggest anyway, as most of the time the GP wants you to diagnose yourself, and then supplies the treatment lol 😉

@Greentree1 Definitely sounds like it alright. We shall see. Thanks to all for the suggestions. It's great to have something to go on with these things. I'm going to print off the info from Cleveland and hope for some relief eventually!

Not being able to walk properly, and hence having no desire to do so, is making me head for the biscuit tin. That can't go on.....

Glad to help even if it’s to rule it out.

Just an update for anyone interested, I had blood test and uric acid is raised, so it is GOUT! I laughed as I couldn't believe it, I pictured an old man from bygone days sitting in a chair with foot up on a stool and his big toe wrapped in a humungous bandage!

Oh well, so be it. As I cannot take NSAIDs I have been prescribed Colchicine. Side effects sound awful, nausea, the runs. Pain is gone now so I might just not take them and save for another attack, which doc said would happen. WOULD, not might, would. I am not going to tell doc I didn't take them, but I'm going to a wedding tomorrow so if pain returns I will start them Monday.

I have no arthritis or pain anywhere in any other joint, I don't drink, I don't eat seafood or red meat, WTF! Unfortunate really but thankfully not life threatening.

Oh @keyboardkat many sympathies! I had gout about 6 years ago. The psi was hideous, I thought I'd broken my toe!!

DH couldn't stop himself from laughing when the nurse said it was gout!! He said "but she lives off strawberries and broccoli", which apparently is a perfect mix to create the acidic conditions required to make the crystals in your joints that cause gout. I have had a second attack.

@IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads Aw thanks for the sympathy, and same to you also.
How long before you had second attack after the first one?
I'm a bit fed up now, I do not do ANY of the things that are supposed to raise risk of gout. What do docs know I often wonder!
Anyway I'll stay off the strawberries for a while. I suppose that would include all berries, would you know? I do use them a lot in smoothies for brekkie. But I detest brocolli lol.

Gout is awful, poor you. DP gets it, he's realised if he has any citrus at all it brings it on. Even orange squash, which has probably never seen an orange. Since he's realised that he rarely gets it. If he stubbs / bashes his toe that seems to bring it on too.

@keyboardkat it was several months between my first and second attack.

My advice, which I didn’t follow, is to drink plenty of water.

I ended up taking allopurinol and I can tell if I am dehydrated as I get symptoms.

Sorry.... meabt to say that I have never had another attack!

Fingers crossed you don't either!

Thanks everyone. I managed a short walk today and that helped my cabin fever! Not much pain today although I am dosed on co codamol and it's working. I'm going to walk further tomorrow, this beast of gout is not going to defeat me, how easy to say now that the pain has eased 😉

I hope I never get another attack. But if I do I will know there is no fracture or other stuff going on. Must lay off all the things that could lead to it. But wait! I don't do any of that anyway. Slowly exhales and wonders.....