Toe pain?

I have had arthritis before (in my eyes) and I have been dealing with some terrible toe pain. It's mainly the first three toes of each foot. But mostly it's the right foot. I can't take my socks off at night anymore because it seemed to make it worse. I tried a cream to relieve pain in feet (gold bond), ache cream (Hyland's cramp cream), but nothing has helped. It's come to the point where I'm walking funny, trying not to put weight on the toes. I walk (I have diabetes too) and they're always worse afterward. Does anyone have any related stories for me or any advice? The pain ranges from a dull ache to a wretched feeling like someone is grabbing and squeezing them.

Have you noticed your pain gets worse certain times or after doing certain activities? I will certainly ask for an x-ray but until then I want to try and avoid making this pain worse. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to help me... I appreciate it.