Scared out of my mind, mass under ribs

Hello everyone, I will try to make this as brief as possible. I am 35 year old female looking for someone/someone's who are or have been where I am now.

A few weeks before Easter while in the shower I felt a lump under my ribs on the left side. I called my primary for an appt and found out my insurance assigned me to a new primary Dr. I called my new primary and was given an appt for May 1st (over a month and a half away) because I was a new patient they had nothing sooner. I called ever morning trying to get in sooner but had no luck. May 1st comes, I go to my appt, Dr says he feels something there and orders chest x ray, x ray of ribs, basic blood work and a cat scan of my abdomen without contrast. On May 9th I go for my follow up appt and am told x rays were normal, blood work was normal except high triglycerides and low good cholesterol and cat scan is normal other then a kidney stone and a small umbilical hernia. I am very confused by this because the lump can be felt when felt for and I can also feel it inside my body when it's touched. My Dr tells me he will refer me to a general surgeon and I get an appt for May 22nd.

Since I first found this thing, it has gotten bigger and for weeks now I can feel it without having to touch it. It feels very uncomfortable and awkward. I am guessing because of it's location. The lump/mass itself does not hurt when touched but for the last week and a half the area it's in is becoming somewhat painful, also on my back level with where this thing can be felt from the front has been numb going on 2 weeks and it feels like something is putting pressure on my ribs back there from the inside and the numbness is also somewhat present on my side at the same level. The numbness started off and on a little over 2 weeks ago but has been constant for the most part for almost 2 weeks now. 

When the numbness first started I went to the emergency room cause it was a weekend. I explained everything that had been going on. They did a cat scan of my chest without contrast which came back normal.

I am very afraid and this is starting to cause me great anxiety. I think its absurd the amount of time I had to wait to see a Dr and it worries me that if it's something bad it would have been better off figuring it out sooner and I don't understand why these scans are not showing anything. Perhaps it's because they were done without the use of contrast but surely the DR must have known this would be the case.. Please has anyone been through similar? I have 3 kids that need me to be well and the worry is starting to cause me depression.

Parents
  • I had exactly the same thing, tuend out to be a lipoma which was simpy removed in a little operation

  • And did yours get big fast? There was nothing there a little over 2 months ago and now it's pretty big. It also did not hurt when I first found it but now the area does hurt... I had x rays and cat scans but it showed nothing.

  • yes exactly the same place and it seemed to appear overnight, one day whilst changing my top my wife noticed it!
  • Oh, mine can't be seen :( it's not like a raised lump above the skin or anything.

  • Hi Careful,

    I'm so sorry that this is happening to you, it must be terrible. I think it's important to note that nobody on here can diagnose what you have got merley give suggestions as to what it might be. It's very important that you push your Dr to be seen as urgently as possible if you feel like something more sinister is going on, you know your own body. It sounds like a lot has changed/happened since you last saw him so you must keep them informed. 

    You will be in my thoughts and I hope for a good outcome.

    Antoni x

  • Thank you so much for your reply. 

    I know no one other then a doctor can tell me what I have going on, I just jumped on here hoping to connect with someone/someone's who are or have been in a similar situation or if May be they found a lump/mass and had ct scans without contrast and or x rays and it didn't show up. It's very frustrating to know it's there because it can be felt but not show up on scans very scary to say the very least.

    I do have an appointment with a general surgeon tomorrow,  my primary care Dr refered so the Surgeon could figure out what it is and treat it. I kinda feel the Dr should have done more to figure it out himself, maybe am ultrasound at the very least because I'm going to the Surgeon tomorrow and he has nothing to go on, I am sure he won't know what it is just by touching it. Still I am praying it's nothing serious, it's hard to calm my nerves.

     

  • Mine was not above the skin it was a lump under the skin

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