Hi Dr-
I am 27 y.o. M with no significant PMH.
I have been experiencing some mild pain in my L 5th DIP joint. It has been going on since last night. There is no pain in any other joint and I don't have any morning stiffness or history of prior joint pain. In addition, there is no swelling of my joint (e.g. no synovitis or tenosynovitis). It doesn't feel warm, and it looks completely normal. I even measured it and compared it to my R handed joint and they were approx the same size. There was no trauma that I remember. I have been taking naprosyn with minimal relief. Pain is about 2/10 and goes to about a 3/10 when I move it. Honestly, it is totally tolerable, but I am more worried if this is the start of something bigger to come, especially since I didn't injure the joint in any way (that I can remember).
I've recently had a physical with completely normal CBC, Chem panels, and LFTs.
I'm supposed to be leaving on a trip today to Europe, but don't know if I should go. If this is the start of RA, I don't want to be overseas when things flare up as I know it can be very debilitating.
How long should I wait for this pain to go away before I go see my PMD? Should I get tested for the RF and anti-CCP in the meantime?