Harv
Coming in late to this thread read the opening and don’t have time to read all the way thru I can tell you high certainty that You have gout
I went thru this a couple years ago when I lost 25 pounds. All that fat you lost was storing Uric acid and when you lose the fat it got released in your blood and goes to a joint usually a big toe.
Ive talked to many others that have experienced same thing with weight loss and Docs acknowledge this happens after the fact but they don’t want to tell you it up front or you might not lose the weight
If you get a bad case it’s painful as hell
If I eat sushi or mussels it ones back a bit and now goes to one of my little finger joints
Look into allopranal to take daily to reduce the acid
If you get a flare up there is a z pack of pronalzone a steroid that knocks it right down as well as makes your knees feel good and sinuses clear up but it’s very rough on your stomach and you can’t drink at all when on it. Also gives you intense dreams
I’ve done a lot of research on gout once it got diagnosed
Coffe is not a trigger but caffeine is really bad for your prostrate so moderation in caffeine intake is a good idea
if You French Fry when you should Pizza you are going to have a bad time