How can i tell if my toe pain is a developing bunion or gout?

A developing: Bunion is not painful like gout. Gout is pretty painful. Gout is usually red, hot and swollen. A doctor could "tap" the joint and if gout present would likely find monosodium urate crystals. A developing bunion would have a clean tap. Bloodwork might show elevated Uric acid but developing bunion would not have any influence on Uric acid levels.

Sometimes not Easy.: Sometimes separating the two possibilities is not so easy. More than once, I have been referred a patient for the wrong initial assessment. A very mild gout attack can mimic an inflamed bunion problem. The proof of the pudding is in the clinical presentation, experience and the family history. A person having a raging attack is a whole lot easier to recognize and differentiate from bunion.