Hypochondria?

August 4, 2008 11:39 PM

Okay. So I have a large almond-shaped hard thingy on the left side of my left breast/nipple. (I'm a guy, so it's not breast-cancer). It's about 3 cm long and 1 cm thick. It's not painful, but it's growing. I've had it for about six months. I'm guessing it's a lymph node, but I'm not a doctor, so I might be wrong. Lately, two similar things have occured under my left armpit. Again, hard, not painful, but slowly growing. Should I be worried? Am I just being silly? (I smoke about 20 a day, drink moderately, I'm 35.) (And to people from MetaTalk: Yeah, I'm slightly embarrassad about this post. But posting anonomously would be silly now.)
posted by Dumsnill to health (41 comments total)

Men get breast cancer too. I don't know what it is you have, but don't discount cancer, be it skin cancer, breast cancer, a cancerous node that happens to be there or whatever.
posted by Rendus at 11:42 PM on August 4

Men can get breast cancer.
posted by jamaro at 11:42 PM on August 4 [4 favorites]

Hey, you know who's good at this kind of thing? Doctors!

Go see one.

Male breast cancer does exist (link). I'm not a doctor and I have no idea if that's what you've got, or you've got some lymph nodes or cysts or who knows (armpits sound like lymph nodes, but breast cancer often spreads to lymph nodes, so don't blow it off just because your lymph nodes are involved).
posted by aubilenon at 11:44 PM on August 4

Could be a tumor, could be a cyst, could be a skin lesion, could be your lymph nodes, could be benign, could be serious; it's impossible for anyone on the green to say.

Am I just being silly?

Only if you don't call your doctor tomorrow to make an appointment to get it checked out.
posted by scody at 11:51 PM on August 4

Take a look at a lymph node map and see if you have any lymph nodes in that location. If it is growing, then it is quite serious. A lymph node should stabilize after a short while, and then should shrink as the infection gets killed off.
posted by ChabonJabon at 11:53 PM on August 4

You have a growth on your breast and your lifestyle increases your likelihood of breast cancer, which men do get. And under your armpit? Could be lymphoma. See a doctor tomorrow.
posted by ten pounds of inedita at 11:54 PM on August 4

Only if you don't call your doctor tomorrow to make an appointment to get it checked out.


Yeah, haven't seen a doctor for oh... fifteen years. Even though it's free. The mere thought of going to a doctor makes me feel like the worst hypochondriac in the history of the universe.
posted by Dumsnill at 12:00 AM on August 5

It is appropriate for every one to go to a doctor more than once every fifteen years, even if they feel perfectly healthy. I think your fears of hypochondria are all in your head! Hah!
posted by aubilenon at 12:06 AM on August 5

The mere thought of going to a doctor makes me feel like the worst hypochondriac in the history of the universe.

So... you thought strangers on the internet would suggest... what? Putting a band-aid on it?

You have unexplained growths that have been bothering you for at least half a year. They very well may be something benign. But they may very well be something serious. And, if they are serious now, they will only get far more serious through neglect.

Taking care of yourself doesn't make you a hypochondriac. It makes you an adult. So pick up the phone in the morning and do the adult thing.
posted by scody at 12:28 AM on August 5

So... you thought strangers on the internet would suggest... what? Putting a band-aid on it?

Yes?

No, you're right, of course.
posted by Dumsnill at 12:34 AM on August 5

In all fairness though... the last time I did go to a doctor... I was officially diagnosed as a hypochondriac. I was suffering from intense throat pains, and the doctor basically laughed at me. After that I've been slightly skeptical about my own ability to evaluate my own condtition.
posted by Dumsnill at 12:39 AM on August 5

just because one doctor says you're not sick one time, that's not an official diagnosis of hypochondria. heck, it doesn't even mean you weren't sick that one time—doctors are humans too, they make mistakes, and sometimes they misdiagnose or fail to diagnose actual serious ailments. duh. that's why some people get second or third opinions.

stop feeling sorry for yourself, stop being afraid you'll get laughed at, be an adult and JUST GO.
posted by lia at 12:45 AM on August 5

I have a male coworker who is a breast cancer survivor. This is definitely something you want checked out now if not sooner.
posted by azpenguin at 12:51 AM on August 5

1) You'll go to a different doctor this time.

2) You don't have mysterious throat pain this time; you have multiple unexplained growths on your breast and in your armpit that have been getting larger over the course of six months.

3) If this new doctor you're going to see laughs at you, you will: A) have proof that he or she is a total quack, and B) you will walk out the door and find another doctor who will take your symptoms seriously.

4) If you get a clean bill of health, you will go celebrate.

5) If you are diagnosed with an illness, you will get treatment, after which you will go celebrate.

That's it -- that's the process. It's morning already where you are. Call the doctor now.
posted by scody at 12:51 AM on August 5 [9 favorites]

Yeah... you should be concerned about breast cancer.
posted by Nattie at 12:56 AM on August 5

Get it checked out, naturally.

But I had exactly the same thing and it turned out to be harmless: so harmless that I can't actually remember what it was. So don't hit the panic button just yet.
posted by TheOtherGuy at 1:01 AM on August 5

No, it's not breast cancer, it's a number of lymph nodes grown big. They might indeed be symptoms of cancer (perhaps even breast cancer), but they are not cancerous growths themselves.

That said, thanks for all the good input. A doctor will be seen intrafrastically.
posted by Dumsnill at 1:02 AM on August 5

they are not cancerous growths themselves

How do you know?
posted by amro at 4:29 AM on August 5

OK, seriously. Let's think about what's at stake. In one hand, I have my LIFE. In the other, I have this unknown thing growing inside me.

See the doctor - and demand a SPECIALIST if you can afford it (or have the right insurance) and make sure it's something that won't kill you any sooner than the Grim Reaper will call on you.

Get a referral - male breast cancer is rare, but as you've already read, it happens to us guys as well. Take care of yourself :)
posted by chrisinseoul at 4:47 AM on August 5

Get to a doctor as soon as possible. Tell the receptionist what your symptom is, and you are likely to be expedited. If they delay, call another or get to an ambulatory care center. This strongly fits the pattern of male breast cancer, and if that is what it is, further delay could be deadly.

The spread of breast cancer is often marked by the enlargement of lymph nodes in the armpit area.
posted by yclipse at 5:04 AM on August 5

and don't ever go back to see any doctor who laughs at you... ugh! Good luck.
posted by mistsandrain at 6:02 AM on August 5

nthing going to see a doctor. I hope you let us know how it went.
posted by gwenlister at 6:40 AM on August 5

When I was younger, I had a swollen lymph node for about six months. My girlfriend finally made me to go the doctor. He looks at it, palpates it, and within literally thirty seconds of seeing me was on the phone to a surgeon. Drove down the street, the surgeon literally takes one look at it and, within seconds of my walking into his office, schedules a biopsy and sends me further down the street to the hospital. The next morning, I'm under the knife. They thought it was Hodgkin's; turned out to be a swollen lymph node, nothing more.

The moral of the story is they will not laugh at you this time. Doctors take this kind of thing seriously.
posted by pasici at 7:14 AM on August 5

Hypochondriacs get sick too.

Just sayin'
posted by grateful at 7:24 AM on August 5

For the record - don't EVER let a doctor "diagnose" you as a hypochondriac. If anyone does this, go get another doctor. If you have a *good* doctor, who really does think that you suffer from real hypochondria, s/he won't actually use the word, but s/he will refer you for a psych consult. Only a trained psychologist can diagnose a mental disorder.

In the mean time, hypochondria is all about "imaginary" illnesses. If other people can see the symptoms, then it's real. So, use that as your barometer. If you have physical evidence of a malady, get it checked out. If you feel pain, you should still get it checked out, but phrase it to the doctor by saying, "I'm concerned, and I have a question". That way, they won't accuse you of insanity, if they're worth their salt.

I'm really livid on your behalf that a doctor copped out of the hard work of diagnosing your problem by calling you a nut. I'd have given him what for. He felt like being a lazy bastard, and you suffered because of it. Don't take that lying down.
posted by Citrus at 7:29 AM on August 5

I understand where you're coming from, Dumsnill, because I'm a hypochondriac too. I overcorrect for it now by telling myself it's all in my head every time anything vaguely medical happens. The trick is to be able to judge when something is actually happening that needs to be addressed.
If this is bothering you enough to post an askme about it, it's obviously on your mind. Go to the doctor for peace of mind if nothing else. Best case scenario, it's nothing and you will feel slightly foolish and relieved, and if it's a worse case, you should be at the doctor anyway, so you have absolutely nothing and everything to gain by going.
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 8:19 AM on August 5

Nothing to lose, that was. Not sure what happened there.
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 8:20 AM on August 5

they are not cancerous growths themselves

Well, on the bright side, you just proved that you're not a hypochondriac! :)

Good luck when you see the doctor...with whom I assume you've now made an appointment.
posted by scody at 9:42 AM on August 5

Thanks for all the feedback. I did go and see a GP, informally (friend of the family). He agreed with me that the bumps were not cancer, they were enlarged lymph nodes . He was, however, slightly concerned about their durability. So he signed me up for a number of tests that I will be undergoing in the next couple of weeks.

(Just wanna point out that I'm not an American. Money is not a concern, thankfully. You pay a symbolic sum (about 20$) for your first consultation, anything after that is free.)
posted by Dumsnill at 10:31 AM on August 5

You've got to be kidding with the "I'm a man so it's not breast cancer".

A breast is a breast and cancer doesn't know age, gender, or body part. Things happen. Anything that is growing--breast tumor or lymph node possible tumor--isn't something to ignore.

Put pride and embarassment aside and go asap to a specialist. My mom ignored her breast cancer for 2 years. Now she says hello to metastatic breast cancer with spinal tumors, bone cancer, spleen and liver tumors. She might be looking at lymphoma and/or a mysterious spot on her lung. We've been quite lucky with her symptoms and treatment (IV of Zometa and pills of Arimidex. Chemo is useless in our eyes).

But I will say it's not fun. Go now and get taken care of.
posted by dasheekeejones at 10:50 AM on August 5

I wouldn't be embarrassed about having breast cancer. (In fact, if it turned out to be cancer and I was told it was breast cancer, I would relieved, since that's a highly treatable form of cancer. The reason I'm saying it's almost certainly not breast cancer is because... it's almost certainly not breast cancer. Not because I'm trying to be macho. Would I post a question like this if I thought of myself as macho? I think you're misreading me now.)
posted by Dumsnill at 11:04 AM on August 5

Dash, I only read the first two paragraphs of your post, and they sort of seemed like an attack.

I'm very sorry to hear about your mother. And I am trying to get it taken care of.
posted by Dumsnill at 11:18 AM on August 5

How can anyone tell that it's not cancer by just touching it?
posted by Hildegarde at 1:46 PM on August 5

In fact, if it turned out to be cancer and I was told it was breast cancer, I would relieved, since that's a highly treatable form of cancer.

Seriously, where are you getting your information from? Estrogen-dependant breast cancer is sometimes highly treatable. Estrogen-independent breast cancer is very aggressive, invasive and horrible, certainly not something to be brushed off. You're a man, naturally low levels of estrogen, which one do you think is more likely?

For the record any cell in your body can become cancerous, any single one of them. And any cancer that arises could be a rare or odd mutation that makes it either very aggressive or very benign, the only way to know is to biopsy and check. Also cancer can moves and the new sites may not even be the same kind of cancer any more. You can't take anything for granted and certainly can't just assume you know what's going on from the outside.

OK so you went to a doctor. He poked the lymph nodes and made a guess. Did you show him the original lump? How is that one just a swollen lymph node, being in a different place? And these tests, do they involve some kind of biopsy or imaging to look at what is going on within the cells? Is the original lump going to be included? Because both of those things is what I'd expect, biopsying a lymph node isn't that difficult.

I'd suggest that in future when talking to the doctor you tell them all your symptoms and don't assume you already know the answer. Your understanding of the medical issues possibly involved here seems sketchy to me (I'm a biologist with a background in cancer research and immunology) and that can easily skew the information you give a doctor, reducing their ability to correctly diagnose you. Physical changes such as you're seeing do have a physical cause, this is real, so you're not being a hypochondriac or silly by investigating. Hopefully the answer will be something totally harmless or easy to fix but you won't know that until you get there.
posted by shelleycat at 3:34 PM on August 5 [1 favorite]

How can anyone tell that it's not cancer by just touching it?

No, he couldn't say for sure. As far as I understand, tumors tend to be more... amorphous. Enlarged lymph nodes are hard and very regular, predictable in shape (round/elliptical, no fuzzy outgrowths.)

Could he be wrong? Sure.

Do I know what I'm talking about? No.
posted by Dumsnill at 3:40 PM on August 5

I'm gonna have to say yes to all of your questions, Shelley.

(Even you have to agree that breast cancer is - on average - a lot more treatable than lung or liver cancer?)
posted by Dumsnill at 3:49 PM on August 5

Even you have to agree that breast cancer is - on average - a lot more treatable than lung or liver cancer?

It depends on the subtype and stage of cancer, but it's true that the prognosis is quite good if it's caught early. The 5-year survival rate for male breast cancer is 96% for Stage I, 84% for Stage II, 52% for Stage III, and 24% for Stage IV, all of which is indeed much better than survival rates for lung or liver cancer -- and which should help you keep your chin up as you go though the process of finding out what, indeed, is going on. (I've had cancer myself -- and had subsequent cancer scares that turned out fine -- so I know this can be plenty nerve-wracking.) Hopefully it's not cancer; if it is cancer, hopefully you're in Stage I or, at worst, Stage II.
posted by scody at 5:15 PM on August 5

'Breast cancer' isn't a thing. It's a big bunch of different things. Some of those things are very treatable, some of them are very horrible and the most common types kill many people each year (metastatic breast cancer is often one of the most aggressive and invasive kind because of the characteristics of the cells in which it originates). Same goes for lung cancer and same goes for liver cancer. I know more about breast and lung cancer than liver cancer and for those you're not even giving some of the more major tissue subtypes (e.g. small cell vs non small cell lung cancer), so your sweeping statements are pretty meaningless.

I'm glad your doctor is doing appropriate tests, and definitely I'm not trying to imply that they are wrong and that you must have cancer or whatever. I'm also very glad you decided to go see them. I hate seeing a doctor and actually get anxiety-based hypertension when I do so I know how hard it can be. Just don't go too far the other way after your 'hypochondriac' diagnosis (which I agree with other posters was crap) and brush off what are real and potentially troubling symptoms based on a flawed understanding of what may be involved.
posted by shelleycat at 5:25 PM on August 5

Turned out to be pretty trivial. Sorry to have bothered with this.
posted by Dumsnill at 1:42 PM on August 15

Should be a "you" between the bothering and the preposition.
posted by Dumsnill at 1:44 PM on August 15

Speaking as someone who lost a parent to breast cancer: Never apologize for taking your health seriously.

I'm glad you got yourself checked out.
posted by jamaro at 10:11 AM on August 16