Hi all

I'm a 27 year old male and am concerned about sarcoma. 

For about 3 weeks I've had some pain in my elbow, which is quite mild and I only notice if I lean on it wrong or have been using it too much/doing e.g. CPR training (recently started working at a hospital). About the same time as the pain started, I noticed a small, firm lump just above the tip of my elbow about the size of a pea. When this didn't go away I booked a call with the nurse practitioner. She was very kind and said she thought it may be olecranon bursitis, which is a kind of inflammation of the bursa (like a fluid sack) on the elbow. Since there was a lump however, she thought the GP should have a look.

So 2 days ago I went in to see the GP. She had a feel of my elbow but kept feeling in the wrong place and saying "I can't feel anything". I tried to show her the exact spot 2 or 3 times but with no luck; she kept feeling in the wrong place even when I pointed to the exact spot. At one point she even felt my funny bone and said "that just feels like a bone"; no disrespect but that doesn't exactly fill you with confidence! She then just sat down and said "I can't feel anything abnormal" and gave me the 'this conversation is over' look. Basically I felt like she was just telling me to go away. She didn't have any suggestion about what to do, what it might be, how long to wait etc. It was a complete waste of time and she clearly couldn't care less which is very disappointing. It's a shame that she made me feel like I was wasting her time, as surely the role of a GP is to look after patients and to investigate problems properly? To me there's a huge difference between 1) "oh yeah I feel that, that feels like a lipoma/ganglion cyst/bursitis, I can't feel anything TO WORRY ABOUT" and 2) "I can't feel anything at AT ALL".

I'm quite concerned about this. I definitely have a lump there which shouldn't be there, but now the GP has said this I feel stuck. My concern is that now she has said there is nothing there, even though this is false, I'm worried about now having an uphill battle to get anyone to take this seriously. Understandably it might come off that I'm just being difficult, especially when I'm contradicting a doctor. My family have checked it out and all agree they can feel something there, so it is extremely annoying that the doctor can't even when you show them exactly where it is.

I know rationally that the lump is likely nothing; it's quite small and only mildly painful, but it isn't very reassuring when the doctor wrongly contradicts you and basically tells you that there's nothing there when there is. If she can't find the problem, then she can't diagnose it. As I say, my worry is that it might be something malignant that needs to be checked out, but the GP isn't really bothered or taking it seriously.

Has this happened to anyone else before? Does anyone have any suggestions about what to do? All I can think to do is wait for another week or so and hope it goes away, and to see another doctor if not. Have also wondered whether it is worth calling 111 and asking them what to do? I don't want to waste the NHS' resources but at the same time I have to be able to get some reassurance.

Thanks for your advice.