Aa
Many symptoms and need answers
I know no one but a Dr can give me a diagnosis but I'm looking for someone/someone's who have or may be currently going through something similar.
I am a 35 year old female and a couple weeks before Easter I discovered a lump/mass under my left rib area. I scheduled an appointment with my primary Dr but because my insurance assigned me to a different PVP I had to be seen as a new patient and they didn't have anything available until May 1st (over a month and a half away). When I finally did get to see him he said he felt something in my upper left quadrant which is basically where I feel it and said he was sending me for basic labs, x ray of chest, x ray of ribs and a cat scan of my abdomen. I had the blood work and x rays done May 2nd and was given an appointment for the cat scan for May 3rd. Late afternoon on May 2nd the hospital phoned me to let me know they had to cancel my appointment because my insurance had not approved the cat scan yet. After a few days passed and I heard nothing else I went to the ER, explained my situation and the ER Dr there offered to do the scan without contrast and put it on a disc so I could take it to my Dr. He came back in the room shortly after the scan was done and told me the scan was normal. I was really confused by this because the lump can be felt. When I got home and read the report I noticed they did a cat scan of my chest not my abdomen like my Dr ordered so the very next day I went as a walk in to the imaging place and paid for the cat scan of my abdomen done, this was on May 5th.
On May 9th I went in for my follow up appointment. My Dr told me my basic labs were good other then having high triglycerides and low good cholesterol. My x rays were normal and the cat scan of my abdomen was also normal except for a kidney stone and a small umbilical hernia. This has me beyond confused and I don't understand it. I let him know that from the time I found this lump and now, it's gotten bigger so he said he was going to have me see a general surgeon. I got that appointment coming on May 22nd. In the mean time I am extremely worried about this and it's causing me much anxiety. I don't like how long the wait was and is to see these Drs.
It does not cause me pain when I touch it, the lump itself does not hurt but these last 2 weeks or so I am getting pain in the area that it's in. Also for the same amount of time I have been getting numbness on my back in my bottom rib area that's level with where I feel the lump in the front, it also feels like something is putting pressure on my ribs from the inside back there. The numbness came and went when it started but now it hardly ever goes away and has been constant for well over a week now. Another thing is I really have no appetite, I am pretty much never hungry. I have to force myself to eat and after I take 2 or 3 bites of food, I am full. If I try to eat more it makes me feel sick. This has been going on for about 3 months, probably a month or a little over a month before I found the lump.
Both of the cat scans I had were done without contrast except the one of my abdomen they had me drink a barium but no IV contrast was used. I worry that maybe they couldn't see it because contrast wasn't used? I just can't wrap my head around the fact that I can feel it when I touch it with my hand and I can also feel it inside my body when I touch it, yet it didn't show on any of the x rays or cat scans. I worry also about the amount of time that has passed since I found it. What if it is bad and they had me in limbo all this time?
Anyone ever go through something similar? I am lost.
I am a 35 year old female and a couple weeks before Easter I discovered a lump/mass under my left rib area. I scheduled an appointment with my primary Dr but because my insurance assigned me to a different PVP I had to be seen as a new patient and they didn't have anything available until May 1st (over a month and a half away). When I finally did get to see him he said he felt something in my upper left quadrant which is basically where I feel it and said he was sending me for basic labs, x ray of chest, x ray of ribs and a cat scan of my abdomen. I had the blood work and x rays done May 2nd and was given an appointment for the cat scan for May 3rd. Late afternoon on May 2nd the hospital phoned me to let me know they had to cancel my appointment because my insurance had not approved the cat scan yet. After a few days passed and I heard nothing else I went to the ER, explained my situation and the ER Dr there offered to do the scan without contrast and put it on a disc so I could take it to my Dr. He came back in the room shortly after the scan was done and told me the scan was normal. I was really confused by this because the lump can be felt. When I got home and read the report I noticed they did a cat scan of my chest not my abdomen like my Dr ordered so the very next day I went as a walk in to the imaging place and paid for the cat scan of my abdomen done, this was on May 5th.
On May 9th I went in for my follow up appointment. My Dr told me my basic labs were good other then having high triglycerides and low good cholesterol. My x rays were normal and the cat scan of my abdomen was also normal except for a kidney stone and a small umbilical hernia. This has me beyond confused and I don't understand it. I let him know that from the time I found this lump and now, it's gotten bigger so he said he was going to have me see a general surgeon. I got that appointment coming on May 22nd. In the mean time I am extremely worried about this and it's causing me much anxiety. I don't like how long the wait was and is to see these Drs.
It does not cause me pain when I touch it, the lump itself does not hurt but these last 2 weeks or so I am getting pain in the area that it's in. Also for the same amount of time I have been getting numbness on my back in my bottom rib area that's level with where I feel the lump in the front, it also feels like something is putting pressure on my ribs from the inside back there. The numbness came and went when it started but now it hardly ever goes away and has been constant for well over a week now. Another thing is I really have no appetite, I am pretty much never hungry. I have to force myself to eat and after I take 2 or 3 bites of food, I am full. If I try to eat more it makes me feel sick. This has been going on for about 3 months, probably a month or a little over a month before I found the lump.
Both of the cat scans I had were done without contrast except the one of my abdomen they had me drink a barium but no IV contrast was used. I worry that maybe they couldn't see it because contrast wasn't used? I just can't wrap my head around the fact that I can feel it when I touch it with my hand and I can also feel it inside my body when I touch it, yet it didn't show on any of the x rays or cat scans. I worry also about the amount of time that has passed since I found it. What if it is bad and they had me in limbo all this time?
Anyone ever go through something similar? I am lost.
Well I just found out I have heptocullar disease likely caused by fatty liver. I have no idea what it is and my Dr wasn't very helpful.
It's a good thing I finally went and saw my dermatologist about some skin issues that have been popping up the last 2 months. I was putting it off because I had so much other stuff going on but when my palms turned red (Palmer erythema) I knew I should probably go.
Now I'm worried there is more to it. I don't see specialist till August 16th.
It's a good thing I finally went and saw my dermatologist about some skin issues that have been popping up the last 2 months. I was putting it off because I had so much other stuff going on but when my palms turned red (Palmer erythema) I knew I should probably go.
Now I'm worried there is more to it. I don't see specialist till August 16th.
Are you able to get a second opinion from another doctor? I'd keep that appointment with the general surgeon, but it doesn't hurt to get another doctor to take a look at the scans and information!
Good luck, and let us know how you are doing!
Good luck, and let us know how you are doing!
2 Comments
Because of my insurance, I can only go to the Dr they assigned me to. I am thinking of paying for an office visit else where. I found this lump a couple weeks before Easter. The numbness has gotten much much worse. It's in the rib area in my back and extends into my side rib area. It's in the same side (left) that the lump is in, at the same level and showed up a couple weeks after finding the lump. It has to be related cause it's to much of a coincidence. It's like they don't care because they saw nothing on the cat scan but it's there and it has me scared out of my mind not to mention the numbness is driving me crazy.
I think paying for a visit elsewhere is a good idea, especially if things are getting worse- how did the appointment with the general surgeon go?
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