Hundreds of lumps

Dear Dr.,

Please help me. I have hundreds of lumps under my skin. I have them under my arm pits, around my waist, in my chest, and down the outside of my legs. Some of them hurt. I also have one larger one just above my belly button. It is about eight inches long. I know people have talked about having one or two, even up to 15. Is it possible to have almost a hundred of more?

Is it posible that I may hame

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Three possibilities are there for your symptoms. Firstly, it can be Lipomatosis, a hereditary condition where multiple lipomas present on the body. Second possibility is of Adiposis dolorosa (Dercum disease), a rare condition involving multiple painful lipomas, swelling, and fatigue. It is generally seen in obese, postmenopausal women. Third possibility is of Benign symmetric lipomatosis (Madelung disease), another condition involving lipomatosis. It nearly always appears in middle-aged males after many years of alcoholism.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.