Lump Upper Left Quadrant Abdomen Under Rib cage

Last week I discovered a lump under my left rib cage, very near or right on top of the area of the tranverse colon (upper left quadrant of abdomen). It's a weird shape, kinda hard and feels deep. I visited the doctor on Friday and after an examination she had no idea what it was. She said it didnt feel like a tumor but it also didnt feel like a lipoma. I had a complete blood work done and test results came back today and were all normal (not just normal but "all very good" - docs words). I'm waiting to be scheduled for an Ultrasound. I'm 47, male, in great health (normal weight) with no other symptoms I am aware of. Stool, urine all perfect. A bit of gas but I eat a high fiber diet. 

From peoples experiences here, is it possible to have a malignant tumor if you're blood work is all very good and you're in otherwise great health with no other issues? The doc says its VERY highly unlikely its cancerous but ofc I am worried out of my mind, even with the good tests. Even after examination the doc has no idea what it is so that concerns me. 

  • Hi Bogdan, 

    Sorry to hear that you are worried. Can I ask how you are able to feel this lump if it's under your left rib cage? I'm also having problems with what I think is a mass under my left rib cage but I can only feel movement internally. 

    I hope someone else can come along who will be able to answer more specifically about your bowel however I would take that you haven't had any change to your stool as a very good sign and you also haven't said you're in pain with it. Hopefully you'll get your ultrasound soon.

    Helen

  • Hi, I hope this was sorted for you and you have more clarity. I have the exact same issue and am waiting for the ultrasound scan. Could you let me know what the lump was in the end please. Take care.

  • Hi there. 

    Sorry you are having this issue. I remember how worried sick I was. It turned out to be a floating rib. Id recenrly lost a lot of weight (on purpose) and doing so revealed the issue. I had apparently had it a long time but never knew because my weight hid it. 

    Good luck with the scan. Sending positive vibes. Let us know how it goes ️

  • Hi, 

    Thank you so much for your message. I'm glad you got this all sorted. 

    I had the scan yesterday but they couldn't see anything. I am speaking to my doctor once he gets the results back but they did advise me they couldn't see anything. They could feel the lump and it is getting bigger and is causing me discomfort and bad nausea. My bowel movements are very varied, I won't go for a few days and then I will, sometimes I have diarrhea aswell. I have suffered with tummy pains and cramping for years so am on a lacto free diet. I had surgery for endometriosis about 6 weeks ago. I'm just hoping to get some advice about what to do next as the pain is only getting worse...

  • Th waiting and not knowing is agonizing. It's easy for people to say to try and not think about it but for me it was impossibe. It was all I could think about. However, It's also been my experience with many things that they rarely turn out to be as bad as you think. Your mind will always go to the worst place. Just keep that in mind (pun intended - LOL).

    Just curious if the symptoms you're having are related to the surgery for endometriosis? Perhaps a complication or maybe the condition has spread. I am not a medical professional at all, so I'm literally talking out of my a%@ but just thinking of other things it could be, that actually aren't life threatening. Like this. www.webmd.com/.../bowel-endometriosis

    Ultrasound techs are very skilled and experienced at finding lumps, cancer etc. So the fact they didn't seem anything that concerned them could be good. My tech instantly knew it was a floating rib just by feeling it.

    Where exactly is your lump? Mine was right under the rib cage, and apparently not near any vital organs.

  • Hi Helen, 

    Sorry but I just saw this. I hope your issue has turned out okay. How are you?