So as I said on Tuesday, it's not likely to be gout, though it can't be entirely ruled out.

Since the issue is in the heel/ankle area, and not in the front of the foot at all, that already makes it lean against gout. There also isn't the typical gout redness, nor is the area hot. The rheumatologist does not believe it's gout.

I went for that MRI yesterday, and the radiologist who read it also believes it's not gout. Big time inflammation is shown in the area of the tendon, but it is not clear why. There is no blood clot. There is no apparent injury to the area.

I had made it clear on Tuesday that I don't want one of those strong anti-inflammatory meds -- at least for now. I didn't tolerate the last one well, as it seemed to be the cause of my dizziness, nausea, stomach issues, and general feeling like I wasn't right. Since getting off it, most of that has gone away. I was told that, as an alternative, I can take a high dose ibuprofen and see if that helps. So that's what I'm going to try.

Blood test results still pending, but I don't expect them to reveal much.

It is looking like this will be a mystery. Hopefully it clears on its own and I don't have to figure it out. It's possible this could stick around awhile. I'm actually going to be buying lower-backed shoes, because the present shoes I have are hurting me as a result of this. (The shoes didn't cause it, but now seem to be aggravating it.)

I was told this could possibly be the beginning of an autoimmune issue or something like that revealing itself, but at the moment it's too early to conclude such a thing.

And they didn't say this, but I can't ignore the fact that I got a really bad case of elbow bursitis 2 weeks after the vaccine booster, and this awful thing 6 weeks after the vaccine booster. I'm not saying the vaccine did this, but I'm also not saying the vaccine isn't a suspect.

While I am not regretting my decision to take the vaccine, shit like this is why it's not as "obvious" for younger people to take it as is being portrayed in the media. There's a lot we don't know about what this thing can to do you.