Large hard lump in abdomen.

[LW11]

I have had a very hard lump on the right side of my abdomen that I have noticed twice now. The first time was about a month ago, and I am not sure if it has been there this whole time, because I didn't think much about it at that time, and I can only feel it when I am laying down on my left side. The second time I noticed it was on the night of the 21st, and the lump has not moved or changed in size since that night. It starts right at the bottom edge of my rib cage, and about 1 inch in from my side, then it stops right when it gets to my belly button. It moves around easily, and it feels smooth not bumpy, but it is very hard, and is just smaller than the size of both of my fists put together side to side. I have had no pain, tenderness, or any kind of stomach upset or indigestion at all. I am female, only 23, and am 5'9" 120 pounds. I know there is only a very small chance of it actually being any kind of cancer, but I wasn't sure what other forum to post this in. I am on several medications, and I am wondering if one of those could be causing a problem. I take 300 MG of Wellbutrin XL, Loestrin 1.5/30 and 150 MG of Topamax. I started the Topamax last, about a year ago so I am wondering if it could have anything to do with that. I did lose 30 pounds when I started taking Wellbutrin in 2005, and then another 15 pounds when I started Topamax last year without trying. I have made a doctor's appointment for Friday the 29th, but I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas about what this might be so I could do a little more research before I go to the doctor.
Thank you very much for your time, and any information you can give me.

[CDewey]

All of you should look into the MRT.. find a good dietitian who can order this test.. it may change your life. Your immune system may be sensitive to certain food antigens which in turn causes it to send out inflammation throughout your body. This is different than a food allergy, and the consequences can be severe and manifest in many different ways. Consider how people can be sensitive to wheat or gluten, dairy or lactose, etc. Why not other foods, additives or ingredients in OTC meds? MEDIATOR RELEASE TEST will test your blood against a list of these and tell you exactly what foods to avoid. Mind were Garlic, Broccoli, Vanilla, Orange , Cherry, Corn and White Potato. I removed these from my diet and all my problems disappeared after 6-7 days... (pain in joints, awful digestion, trouble breathing seeing hearing and thinking, thick blood, I could go on-basically  Felt like I was dying and not one doctor could figure out why ). I also get the hard lump, I find it is gas settling there because of the way the stomach and intestines are shaped/located. If you lay flat and gently massage it around you can hear and feel gas/liquid moving.. then alternately lay on left/right side and eventually you may "toot" a few times and feel relief -releasing trapped gas.

[mermaidCA]

Experienced same things going to specialists and doctors in LA - trying to find out about 2-3 things. Inlife - found only 2-3 Dr.s  with concern, knowledge, & want to help.  Some basically blame the patient.  Why my legs went out, prickly inside that spread down my legs/arms, couldn't walk (bursitis? nerve damage? cartilage damage?..) Got all kinds of opinions or told they didn't know.  I know there could be manner factors. SO frustrating. They are over-booked or just don't know!  2011-my ear canal was sort/swollen - went to a specialist who never looked at that ear but laughed, saying he sees nothing. (what?!)  After seriously questioning him..he said he doesn't know.
Waste of money. 2015-that ear + the other still something I cant get rid ot. Went to a $95 quick clinic - he also did not know-just looked-RX'd
a fungal/steroid cream. Sort of helped. Now - I read/search more on what could be.  I dread the dr or dentist, now.

[Anoneymouse]

I've felt a lump there too. It's been growing, so it seems, over the past 2 or 3 months. It doesn't hurt unless I push on it. I've been losing weight because of a diabetic diet, and some fat might have obscured it. I've been wondering what it could be, but when I see the doc for my diabetes, she doesn't want to see it then - I'd need another appointment, since that is a "different problem", the NP says she doesn't know. They seem to only be able to handle seeing someone for one problem at a time.

[igrith]

my father was rushed into hospital when he was young. his kidney had some king of kink in a vien or artery causing it to swell up. not sure if this is apt?

[igrith]

exactly the same!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i have also taken lists of meds. i am starting to wonder weather the doctors have made a ++++ up, and are keeping there mouths shut. as, if they are that clueless, they should retire!!!!!!!!!!!! useless! my doctors look at my notes, and see i have complained of depression, then says " have you been taking your meds?" its hopeless. i have an ''a level'' i biology. im no retard! ive had a camera up my backside this year. they found nothing, they where looking for chrones desease or alike. after they found nothing, they desided i was a mad hypocondriac, obviously. whey i complian of abdominal discomfort, they jabber on about how i am feeling in my head. cant believe it. i get the feeling that the doc's know exactly what this is. an all above accounts. but say nothing. why? i dont say this usually, but im convinced its probably bad news. i fear that they will say in a year or so, oooooo! we found a tumour, tooo late! good bye. followed by a load of ''cover their arse'' excuses as to why they didnt bother to do anything about it!!! a doctor has told me, that there should not be anything that hard down there naturallly. so, something is wrong!!! do something about it doctor!!! ????? i guess on a posative note, i feel relief to hear that you are all going through the same. that its not just me being turned away to a blind eye. its anyone having trouble with pooing? mucus, sloppy, abnormal foul smell? (though, this could be something else.)  

[Americano73]

I have the same thing that all of you described. I also went to several doctors and ALL gave different answers.... the 'ball' is hard and whenever I touch it hurts underneath...One doctor told me it was actually the Abdominal Muscles (that was hard) and the fact that it hurts is an irritation of the Colon or the stomach...??!!!!?  
Another doctor said: "It's definitively the stomach....I don't believe ANY of them....So I ran into this forum and I sounds a kidney. Just one thing: I cannot feel it on the right side.....any suggestion?

[doesntmatter]

I was googling for home remedies for stomach flu when I found this. I have had a lot of respiratory problems over the years and got a kick out of these posts. I'll bet if I sifted through this kinda stuff all day I would find countless stories along the lines of "so and so was sick, went to doc. doc scheduled such and such, referred to so and so." The entire time I was reading all I could think was, how much did all that ******* around cost you? Dont get me wrong, I understand why you made the appointments, but did any of you ever just stop and consider how utterly ridiculous it is that it took half a dozen doctors to tell this woman the hard spot was her kidney? Back when I was sick I saw 9 doctors, specialists and otherwise, and not one of them could give me a straight answer, and almost all of them did no tests or examinations but merely reviewed the previous doctors findings, assertions, etc and then produced a contrary opinion. One day I would find myself talking to someone who believed without any real testing that I had a serious condition that would shorten my life, the next I would be accused of being hyper sensitive. I understand its scary to not understand why your experiencing whatever your experiencing. At the time I was sick I felt like I was drowning in mud everyday and barely had the lung power to walk up short flights of stairs. And so fear compelled me to throw 1000s at one fool after another. Everything from specialists to alternative medicine. Anyway I guess this has kinda turned into a rant. All I am getting at is maybe our willingness to throw money at anyone ******* in a labcoat with a degree is what got us into a situation where its ok for someone to take so much of your money without producing any real results. My advice? Next time some smiling face hands you a slip of paper with a prescription for a drug you have the seen a commercial for without any real testing, tell him to shove it directly up his well paid ***. Save some money and buy a book and research it before trusting some stranger.

[LW11]

Well, as you have read the "lump" is my kidney. I went in for my last tests over a year ago, and was told that I don't have Lupus, or any other diseases that he could find. The only way that I could know more is if I went in for a biopsy of my kidney, although he said there could be complications from the biopsy it's self. He said that he was pretty confidant that the biopsy would tell me that I either had nothing, or something benign. So I choose not to risk **** it. They have thought that maybe the kidney infection was caused because of the low positioning of my kidney, and because it is turned slightly.  

I hope you are able to find out what you have!

[LuciLou70]

I googled 'hard lump in abdomen' and this popped up. It was weird reading your post because you described EXACTLY what I have, though whatever I have is tender and about an inch to the right of my belly button. But I, also, take Wellbutrin XL. Was at 300mg from '06- '09, then went to 450mg. Thoughts?

[LW11]

I hope everything goes well for you Puba! As you can see it has been more than a year since my first post about this problem! Basically the lump turned out to be my kidney. In Feb 08' my family doctor kind of brushed it off as being no problem, and didn't have me go to see a specialist or anything. Then in September of 08 I ended up having a kidney infection and I had large amounts of blood in my urine. I've had problems with blood in my urine off and on over the years, but I had never actually been able to see it, the blood would just show up in the test results. So after the infection I was sent to see two different Urologist specialist surgeons. One told me that my right kidney is too low and tilted to the side, and my left kidney has a "nut cracker syndrome", where the vein is compressed by 70% blocking some of the blood flow, although they believe it is a "fake" nut cracker syndrome because it didn't involve the surrounding veins and arteries. (I'm trying to remember things I was told back in September so I am a little foggy). The second Urologist didn't examine me, he didn't feel the lump in my abdomen, although he told me that it was impossible that the lump was my kidney, saying that there was no way my kidney could be that low. I think about 4 other doctors have actually felt the lump and told me it was my kidney after looking at the scans, he didn't do either of those things. He didn't look at any of my CT scans, the only thing he did was to read the results the other Urologist wrote, and disagree with everything he said, and seemed very angry the whole time, and was out the door within 5 minutes. I didn't even get to ask him any questions... So I didn't bother going back to him, it was a waste of my time. Anyway, not a whole lot got done by going to either of them, basically I was told I didn't need surgery, and to come back in a year for a follow up to see if anything had changed. My right kidney continued hurting for months after the infection, and was extremely bothersome. Since I have only found one doctor that I like, I waited till February 09 when I had my yearly appointment with her, and then asked her to run some blood tests for me. Basically all of my hair and eye lashes had started breaking off, but when I talked to my family doctor about it in October of 08, (when it was much less noticeable) she told me I was getting old (24!) and she thought I was imagining things. When I saw my other doctor in Feb, she was mad at the Dr. who said that, and told me that my blood tests had said my Ferritin levels were so low that they could cause hair loss and breakage... I was extremely mad because I have lost so much more hair now, than if my first doctor would have just listened to me. Then she also told me that I had a lot of things wrong with my urinalysis test, a lot of blood and protein, and other things off. This time she sent me back to the same nephrologist I saw when I was 14. I just saw him today, and he was great, he listed me to, he spent time explaining things, he even had my old files from when I last saw him, so he was able to read about what problems I had back then. I was so much happier with him than the Urologist surgeons. He told me it could possibly be Lupus. He did test me for that when I was 14, but he is going to do another test again. He is doing a couple other tests also. He named a couple other things it could possibly be besides Lupus, which I can't remember what they were called now. If he can't figure it out again, (like when I was 14) than the only way to know for sure would be to do a biopsy.
Well I really hope that your problem will be resolved in less than ten years! LOL. Hopefully mine won't take another ten!

[justgotpaid]

hernia

[puba]

I just found a lump like you are discribing.I went to a sergeon as i thought it was a hernia as i have had in the past .He doesnt think it is so now i am worried.I also have a cat scan set up for mon 3/30 good luck with your scan, worried in pa

[LW11]

My doctor's nurse just called today with the results of my ultrasound... They were still unsure about exactly what it is, but she believes it may be my kidney.
When I was 15 I did have some trouble with my kidneys bleeding, and I was told that I had thin kidney walls and the blood was seeping through them. The doctor told me that in ten years I would have a 10% chance of needing to have a kidney transplant, and in 20 years a 20% chance and so on. Then about 6 months later the bleeding stopped and they told me I was fine.
I'm not sure what would be happening this time, and if a normal kidney is supposed to be rock hard. They did tell me that the kidney was very low. So I have a CT scan set up for next Wednesday.
Do you know if there is another forum that I should post in for help about kidneys?
Thank you!

[Pum]

I guess that is better than bad news right? Good luck with the CT scan.

[LW11]

Well, the woman that did the ultrasound could not find anything that she thought looked abnormal, so she said that the lump could be hiding behind my bowels or inside them, so she suggested I get a CT scan. My doctor is supposed to call me back with what she thinks I should do, so I haven't made any appointments yet.

[Pum]

Hummm, I hope your ultrasound clears things up.

[LW11]

I went in to see my doctor but she had no idea what the lump could be, so she has set up an ultrasound for this Tuesday. She didn't have any thoughts on what it was, but she didn't think it was supposed to be there. The only things she told me were what I already knew, that the lump was too high for my ovaries, and that it was a good sign that it moves around easily. So maybe I'll know more after the results come back from the ultrasound.

[Pum]

Good to get it checked out then. Let us know how you get on. It sounds high up for an ovarian cyst.

Good luck.

[LW11]

No, that is actually why I didn't go to the doctor the first time I found it over a month ago, because my mom thought it was just part of my intestines. So I started taking fiber supplements, but after I noticed it on the 21st. I have been checking several times a day to see if it ever changes, and it never does. Even my mom agrees that she doesn't think that's what it is anymore. The first time we felt it a month ago I wasn't laying in just the right position on my side to feel it best, so I could only feel a hard thing, but not really how big or the shape of it. This time I've found what position I can feel it best in, and when I feel it, it has never changed in size shape or position (the position can change if I move it but it goes right back).

[Pum]

Are you sure it doesn't go away after you do a poo? I have a similar sounding "lump" in the morning before going to the toilet but it is much less or gone afterwards.
Just a thought. Of course it's good you are going to the doctor.

Good luck.