Found a lump under my left breast, worried sick

[Careful35]

Forgive me for the length of this post, I am worried sick. First I want to start by saying I have had health anxiety since my early 20s. I started having problems with my heart and it took me forever to get a diagnoses because no one would listen to me. In the end it turned out I had 3 different heart arrhythmias and because I was brushed off by the many drs I saw I developed bad health anxiety. It has been a struggle but for the past several years I have been dealing with it shockingly well. One of the worries that I can't seem to be rid of no matter how hard I try is Cancer. It makes it way into my mind here and there. I know the reason I have the fear is because aI have had so many x rays and ct scans, so many that I can't even count the amount of them. When I think about the amount it makes me sick in my stomach. I would push and push because I didn't believe the drs when they told me I was okay. I think about how I could possibly have ruined my body when I didnt need the scans. There have been a few needed ones but for the most part they were pointless. For the most part I don't even go to the drs unless I have no other choice.

Okay, I am a female and I just turned 35 a few months ago. About a little over 2 months ago I noticed I was getting really short of breath doing normal things. After 2 weeks went by and it was still happening, I decided to call my dr to get checked on. I was told the office couldn't see me because my insurance assigned me to a different primary care dr. I called the insurance, got the info for the new dr and called them for an appt. Unfortunately because I am a new patient they had no openings and I was given an appt for May 1st, which at the time was over a month and a half away but nothing I could do but wait. About 3 weeks ago I was washing in the shower and I noticed something wasn't feeling right under my left breast in the rib area, I noticed a lump there. I called the dr again to see if I could be sooner but there still were no open spots. A few days ago after getting out of the shower and drying off I felt the lump was moving, I got freaked out and went to the ER. I literally cried the whole way because I'm afraid. I get there and was out in less then 20 minutes. The ER dr told me she felt what I was talking about and that it was a lipoma and to follow up with my DR. When the ER nurse came to bring me paper work, I thanked her and told her I was relieved that the DR said I was okay. I told her the lump came from no where because I had never noticed it before. She responded by telling me lipomas grow slow... I am confused by this. Wouldn't I have felt it before now? If that was the case? I ready my discharge papers which said the same thing, also that they are a benign tumor of the skin. This lump I have is not on my skin, its inside my body. The papers also say they are found on the trunk, nape and forearms and mine is under my breast in the rib area. I am really scared. I do not know how this dr knew what this thing is just by touching it. I hate that I have to wait all the way till May 1st to talk to a dr about it.

It didn't hurt when she pushed all around the aream I do not think the lump itself hurts. I do feel pain here and there in the area that its in, so I think maybe its touching other things ans thats why it hurts sometimes? I also notice it without touching it. Like I can feel its there without touching it, if that makes sense. You know your body and you are use to everything about it. When something appears that isn't supposed to be there it feels different, like its invading space and making the surrounding area feel different. I dont know how to explain what I mean to say exactly but I hope you understand what it is I mean to say.

All I am postive of is that I am afraid. I am worried this lump is a bad thing. I'm trying my best to believe what the dr told me but I am having a hard time with that because all she did was feel it. How could she possibly know and of course because I have health anxiety I see cancer everywhere I look jow. Like its a sign that the universe is trying to tell me something. Everytime I turn the TV on there is a commercial on about. 3 of my friends on FB have been diagnosed with it in the past 2 weeks so everytime I log on there and see their post my brain thinks again that its a sign. I spoke to my sister 2 days ago and she was telling me she has to get radation treatment because her espougaus is pre cancerous. She is only 44 and she has had a hysterectomy about 6 years ago for cervical cancer. My moms sister had ovarian cancer when she was in her 20s. My mothers mother died when my mom was 8 years old of cancer so I have a lot of history of it on my mothers side. I am not sure about my fathers side though because I never met him. I only know he had the same kind of arrhythmias like me and he had heart disease, he died suddenly at age 51 and his father also suddenly at age 50.

I know no one here can tell me what my lump is but maybe someone has been through something similar? Or knows about these things? I have 3 beautiful kids, the youngest being 3 and all I can think is im gonna die and leave them motherless.

Thank you for listening and any advice you can lend would be appreciated and again im really sorry for the long post.

[zouzi]

Hi,
It's hard to say for sure what this lump could be . Many women have these kinds of lumps under the breast, almost on the rib cage. Some have been diagnosed with a benign lump called a lipoma, which is a form of soft fatty tissue or a muscle inflammation or a cyst etc.
I am not saying that the lump you have is for sure one of them, but it's very possible. The only thing I can tell you is that if the lump is soft and movable it’s a good sign, since a cancerous mass tends to be irregular in shape, feels firm or solid, and is fixed to the tissue in the breast.  
I am sure when you’ll see your doctor; he/she will examine you and perhaps order some type of test ( if  needed) to know exactly what this lump represents. Also you could discuss with your physician your health anxiety problem which is something you should consider treating as soon as possible. Being worried too much about your health is not a good thing. In many instances anxiety leads to too many negative thoughts such as you have experienced and most probably NOT related at all to your particular situation.
Best wishes…

[Careful35]

Thank you for your reply. I went to see my primary yesterday. He said he didn't feel a lipoma in the area the er dr said she felt one but that he did feel a mass in the same area I feel it which is to the far left right under my ribs. When I push it I can feel it move but it feels big to me. I dont have to push on it to feel it either. I can feel it if im just sitting down or certain ways I move. It does not hurt but its becoming more and more of an uncomfortable feeling with each passing day. I also notice on my back at the bottom of my ribs at times there is a numb feeling. Its at the same level of the mass but in my back area. I have had that numb feeling before on the right side though and the chriopractor said it was one of my ribs flipped so hopefully thats the case for this side and not related to that mass but I also get the feeling on my side where my ribs are and thats where I can feel most of the mass. I try not to touch it because I am scared. I dont know if ita soft or hard or irregular or not. I know its big and I do feel like it moves when I push on it. I had am x ray of my chest yesterday ans bilateral ribs. I think she took more of my left side but she claims it was the same amount. She freaked me out a little by the things she said but I haven't heard from the dr yet about the results. He ordered a ct scan as well and it was set for tomorrow morning at 6am but they just called and cancelled because they didn't get authorization from my insurance. They tell me it could be 3 to 7 days before they do. I really hate waiting this long because im so worried it makes me sick. It took me months to get in with primary and I feel er should have checked me over a little more before telling me not to worry. I worry what if it is something bad and I have had to wait all this time to get it checked out. I do think whatever it is, is getting bigger by the day because I couldn't notice it before without touching it weeks ago but for about 2 weeks now I have been able too.

[Careful35]

I just got off the phone with the drs office trying to get the authorization done for my ct scan. I asked the nurse if results were in from my x rays of my chest and ribs. She said they were both pretty much normal which I guess is good news. I didnt think an x ray would show it anyways, perhaps it didnt cover enough viewing area. This thing is at the very bottom of my ribs to the far left. I am praying

[pleasedtomeetya]

Hi. I don't have an answer, but I will pray it's only fibrocystic breast changes. You're not much older than my girls and I know they'd be worried, too.

[Careful35]

Thank you :)