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The 46-year-old woman developed significant swelling and pain in the right metatarsophalangeal joint of her big toe, on the outside, in November 2024.

We went through the last few weeks and months. We discovered a stressful situation. In September, her daughter's school friend had suddenly moved in with them. He had gotten into trouble at home and had been kicked out. After her older daughter had moved out, there was a spare room with a bed in their house, and her daughter invited him to stay. The decision to let her friend stay was made more or less without consultation. Is it ok if xy stays with us?

At first, it wasn't clear how long the classmate would stay. Whether it would be just for a few days or longer. But it turned out to be longer, with no apparent end in sight. Over time, the woman realized that she no longer felt completely free and comfortable in her own home. Suddenly, you have a roommate in your own house whom you can neither completely reject nor really accept (“I actually want to kick him out, but I can't”). - But she didn't admit that to herself. Big toe, right foot – partner/outside world. You want to help. When it became clear that the “guest” could get a room in a flatshare, the rental agreement was signed, and moving out was in sight, the pain set in and the tissue began to repair itself. With pain and swelling.

At first, there was uncertainty about the cause of the symptoms. Once the woman understood what had happened, there were no further (consequential) conflicts. After about five months, the swelling/inflammation had completely resolved and there were no more symptoms.