a haunting halloween question!

[Sean__0]

  hello, first thank you for a valuable web site!  i am a 26 year old male.  i have always been a health nut, into body building, wrestling, eat veges, fruit, lean fish and chicken.  very little alcohol, no smoking etc.  recently i got a big promotion, and my wife gave birth to our first baby boy!  just when i think everything going great, NOT!  my haunting story begins!
  my problem(s). i woke up one morning with mild-moderate lower left quadrant abdominal pain.  since i have always had small amounts of blood after b.m., i went to see doctor.  he did blood work, urine, and sigscope, found hemmerhoids and nothing else.  he did not prescribe anything for pain.  pain kept up for few weeks, and then late one night  for some reason i awoke with a very eary feeling of cancer.  cancer is not in my family to my knowledge, so this was an extremely odd and haunting experience.  needless to say i was spooked and went back to my doctor.  he ran blood (sed rate), and ordered a C..T. Scan as he said "to squash this scary feeling of mine" (he is a good friend).  well C.T. revealed a small (3X3 cm) lesion near the appendix, impression: mesenteric cyst.  when i heard this i knew my fear of cancer had been real!!  I basically went crazy!  doctor brought me in and assured me that a cyst is not a cancer, and that this find was "incidental" not related to my original pain.  he also said everything else was perfect (blood work, urine, stomach, liver, pancreas, intestines, lymph system) therefore my premenision should be dismissed once and for all.  he went on to say that cancer of the belly was unheard of in otherwise healthy men my age (26).  
  my doctor does not want to remove the cyst, nor did a surgeon i saw for a second opinion.  well now 3 months since the original scare, i've gained 10 lbs.,  i have nearly lost my promotion, my wife and my new baby.  i need help!  i have never been a hypochondriac or had such an eary type of premenision before!
  also my abdominal pain continues, and now has moved to my upper abdomen, through my back, continuing in my lower abdomen.  doctor refuses to see me saying that i am making myself sick with IBS and need a shrink!
  my questions are: can a C.T. distinguish cysts from cancerous tumors?  did my doc leave out any tests that should be done to exclude my fears?
  thank you so much for helping with the scariest halloween of my life!
Dear Sean,
There are features on a CT scan that can distinguish solid masses from cystic masses. An ultrasound of the area may help confirm the cystic nature of this lesion. Cysts are benign and unless they are enlarging or very large to begin with they do not cause symptoms. It may also be helpful to repeat imaging after a defined period of time to see if the cystic lesion remains unchanged. I hope you find this information helpful.
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.
If you would like to be seen at our institution please call 1-800-653-6568, our Referring Physicians’ Office and make an appointment to see Dr. Muszkat, one of our experts in Gastroenterology.
HFHSM.D.-ym
*Keywords: cyst, CT scan