Mystery lump, minor freakout
December 21, 2012 1:36 PM   Subscribe

Between now and my doctor's appointment, could you offer up an opinion on what this lump in my abdomen might be?

It's on my left side, under my ribcage, well above my navel. It doesn't hurt unless I press hard, seems small but firm, and seems well below my skin. I have to press in to feel it. I found it completely by accident. Beyond all reason, I am freaked out and need a healthy does of group logic to make me realize I am being a big baby.
posted by Foam Pants to Health & Fitness (15 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
hernia?
posted by fivesavagepalms at 1:42 PM on December 21, 2012


It might be a lipoma - fat that has hardened into a lump.
posted by KokuRyu at 1:43 PM on December 21, 2012 [3 favorites]


It could be some sort of tumor.
posted by Tanizaki at 1:47 PM on December 21, 2012


Much more likely to be a cyst or a lipoma than a tumor. It's good that you're getting it checked out, though. Don't try to research it yourself before you see the doctor, because there's no point anticipating trouble that might never come!
posted by Sidhedevil at 1:50 PM on December 21, 2012 [7 favorites]


Does it correspond to the location of any of the abdominal lymph nodes?
posted by fancyoats at 1:54 PM on December 21, 2012


I have something like this. Had a bunch of tests done. No one could figure it out. I stopped worrying about it because it's probably been there for years, and I have back issues on that side, so I am imagining its just a messed up muscle.
posted by Vaike at 1:57 PM on December 21, 2012


If you're 6 or 7 months pregnant could it be a foot or something?
posted by rabbitrabbit at 2:14 PM on December 21, 2012


Response by poster: No, not a foot. I had a miscarriage in my 4th month. Thanks for asking.
posted by Foam Pants at 2:19 PM on December 21, 2012


I have about half a dozen cysts or lipomas like that. They never get any bigger or more numerous, so the doctor told me not to worry. But one was in a painful spot on my elbow, where I would like to rest my arm on a desk sometimes, so I had that one lanced. I hope yours is something benign as well.
posted by Phssthpok at 2:22 PM on December 21, 2012


If it was really scary, they'd have gotten you in before the weekend. If you get a 5 p.m. appt. at a doctor's office that closes at 5, then you might want to worry a little, even though it's still likely to be something manageable.
posted by theora55 at 2:25 PM on December 21, 2012 [1 favorite]


I'm really sorry. And I hope the lump is something benign.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 2:26 PM on December 21, 2012 [1 favorite]


Oh, Foam Pants, so very sorry for your loss.

Lipomas can be triggered by the hormonal changes of pregnancy, so that's another point toward its being a lipoma.
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:27 PM on December 21, 2012 [3 favorites]


Foam Pants, I'm sorry for your loss. I had a miscarriage earlier this year.

I also have a lump on my left side, though mine feels relatively big (about the size of an orange), and I can move it around quite a bit. If I lay on my right side, I can feel it fall over that way.

I saw a doctor, had a CAT scan, etc, and it is a tumor. I'm having it removed in late January. They tell me the location/size is very rare. All signs point to it being benign (my organs are fine, I'm not losing weight), but my doctor is glad I came in to get it checked.

I don't mean to be adding fuel to your worry-fire; I'm sharing to let you know that it's a good idea to get it checked out. It's probably nothing, but you'll be glad you went.
posted by inging at 2:35 PM on December 21, 2012


Sounds like a hernia to me. I am not a doctor, but a family member just had a very similar symptoms and had a general surgeon do the hernia repair. It sounds a little higher up than typical but abdominal hernias near the belly button are common.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:29 PM on December 21, 2012


Best answer: Note: you can generally tell the difference between a hernia in this location and something else (like a lipoma, let's say, since they are common) because when you lie down, the hernia should disappear, and it will pop back out when you stand up.

Also, hernias are usually soft lumps rather than firm, unless they are strangulated or incarcerated (in which case they are painful). They usually poke through at a point of weakness in the muscle wall, so for example at the belly button (not just "around" the belly button), any place where you have had a surgical incision on the abdomen, or in the groin area are the most common places to get a hernia.

I don't really want to comment on this question per se since I don't think I can answer a question like this over the internet, but I thought the above information might be helpful to parse the answers you received.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 10:46 PM on December 23, 2012


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