Why does my big toe joint slightly swell and hurt to walk on?

Over the past year or so, my big toe has been swelling and hurting for no apparent reason. It hurts to walk some days. When it first started hurting it would last a few days and the swelling and pain would eventually subside, but over time the duration would be much longer and that few days has now turned into weeks and even more pain and suffering. I mentioned it to my doctor today and he kept saying I must've accidentally stomped my toe or something and told me to take some Acetaminophen. I wanted to tell him so bad that masking the problem does not mean solving the problem. If I did accidentally stomp my two, It wouldn't be swelling and hurting almost 2 years later. My mother thinks it's gout, but I'm only 21 and I'm a vegetarian, so is it safe to rule that out? It's just one toe, and the rest of my toes are fine. Has anyone else experienced something like this?