Hi
I have swollen feet around the big toe joint after a painful attack of gout possibly brought on by eating Turkey sandwiches which are very high in purine.
This breaks down to uric acid in the blood and when it isn't excreted it builds up and crystallises in the joints of the feet and bones and is very painful. The other symptom is swelling in the ears and lumps on the scalp also caused by crystallising uric acid in these locations. Like having shards of glass in the tissues there causing the inflammation. It is very painful in the ears and causes ongoing flaking of the dead skin. Particularly severe at the front of the ear.
I recommend that you treat for gout but keep the treatment going as there is a large reservoir of crystalline uric acid to get out of your body. I have also gone onto iron supplements which has had a dramatic effect but more to go. I also have a friend who cured it using a sleep apnea machine. The theory to this is that low oxygenation in the blood during Apnea events causes the crystals to form or the uric acid not to excrete. This was the reason I tried the Iron supplements.
Best of Luck