Update: I saw a podiatrist today and I do not have a bunion (or gout). He did x-rays and so forth and it's clear to him that I seriously jammed my big toe at some point in my adult life, because I have trauma-induced osteoarthritis and some bursitis in my left big toe only. The x-rays show absolutely no arthritis anywhere but my left big toe. He advised me to wear shoes that are relatively loose in the toe box (as we in the podiatry game call it), to use Ben-Gay or something similar when it hurts, to take short strides (to reduce upward stress on the toe and which I kind of do already being a short person), and to come in when it gets inflamed again. He suggested an outpatient surgical procedure if the toe really starts to bother me constantly. So, as happens so often for me, it's an idiopathic issue rather than some normal kind of condition...
If you'd not had that nasty habit of kicking people's asses you'd not have this problem. See, your mother was right!
(Spouse has proto-bunyons and uses the toe spacers. Makes a tremendous difference for her.)
