Thanks for the replies so far!

The Doctor took some x-rays and did some blood work, not sure what else is needed to confirm this is gout.

I have high BP (I've talked about it on here), but I've ALWAYS had it. Regardless of weight, regardless of diet, regardless of exercise, it stays the same.

I'm not on any meds for my BP because the side effects are always a big problem for me. ANY medication I usually have problems with the side effects. The last specialist I went to regarding my BP I got into an argument with because he insisted not EVERY medicine should cause a problem and if that was truly the case, I needed to pick one with side effects I 'could live with'. Ummmm......no.

Spent too much time last night looking for causes. Looks like I will have to cut out (diet) soda completely. I've cut way, W-A-Y back on my consumption of soda (I drink in a month what I used to drink in two days), but I still drink it on a regular basis. And possibly avoid tomatoes? I don't eat many fresh tomatoes, but I do consume quite a bit of spaghetti sauce. Other than those two things, I'm not really seeing anything else that could be the cause. By my own choice, I try to follow a gluten free diet. I don't live on fast food, I've always tried to avoid fried/greasy foods, and I've never been one for obvious sugary treats like cakes and candy.