Red raised bump on back of right calf

[dianajune]

I' first noticed this raised red bump on the back of my right calf last week (Monday evening).  It was not sore when I first found it - unless I pressed on it - and it still isn't.  I'm not sure how it got there.  I don't remember bumping into anything, but I did notice that when my leg is against my bed, the lump lines right up with the hard edge of the box springs.

I let this thing go for a few days, thinking that if it were a bruise, it would gradually fade but it has not.  So I went to my doctor and she took a look at it.  I was told she believes it's "erythema nodosum," which she said basically means a raised red bump.  She said it was nothing to worry about, but if it gets worse or doesn't go away in 4-6 weeks, to let her know and she would do a punch biopsy.

The word "biopsy" scared me as I am a cancer survivor.  I had a borderline ovarian cancer in 2004, for which my now former gyn-oncologist did a total abdominal hysterectomy.  The prognosis for that is excellent and I didn't need chemo or radiation.  Surgery was required because of the size of the mass.  Because it's been nearly 8 years since that diagnosis, my primary care doctor and I had a talk.  I asked if I could stop seeing him as it's been so long, and she said if the bloodwork she was going to do turned out ok, then I could stop seeing him.  The tests she ran were a ca-125 and a ca-19 (or ca-19-9?  not sure about that one).  Both blood tests came back normal.

I had two emergency surgeries in the past three years, both for hernias, the most recent of which was this past October.  So I've had lots of blood work, ct scans, etc.  One would think that if I had any form of cancer, it would have been picked up.  Those blood tests my doctor did were a few months ago.

I'm scared.  My first thought when I found this was phlebitis as my mother had it many years ago.  My doctor ruled this out.  I went online to research this and found that "erythema nodocum" can happen for no reason whatsoever, or a number of underlying causes can be responsible, such as leukemia, lymphoma, sarcoidosis, etc.  I also found a reference to "hashimoto's disease" which I do have.  I've had an underactive thyroid for years and my doctor just upped my levothyroxin.  I'm now taking 200 mcg a day.  

My doctor's nurse suggested I draw an ink line around this thing with a pen so I would know if it's growing or not, and to call her back on Monday (tomorrow).  I have to keep drawing this line as whenever I take a bath it starts to fade.  I kept as close as possible to the original line, and so far it's about the same size.  It's hard to tell.  The red area is about the size of a quarter and the bump underneath it is about the size of a pea.

Thoughts, anyone?  I am so scared I can't function.  I've been in bed all weekend.  My fear has literally overtaken my life and I just can't do anything but sleep and eat.  I had to pay bills on Friday and I had to force myself out of bed.  I just can't go through another medical crisis as I've had so many, most of which had nothing to do with cancer.

Help!

[dianajune]

I've had so many tests one would think cancer of any form would have been found by now, but you never know.  The ct scan and blood tests I mentioned were done a few months ago.

I uploaded a picture to my profile.  I'm sorry the quality isn't good but my camera wouldn't cooperate.  The flash wouldn't work and I had to twist my leg into an akward position in order to take the picture.  That's why the top of my calf looks so big.  Check it out and let me know what you think if you have a chance.  Thanks for writing!

Diana

[tschock]

I'm so sorry for what you've been through.

Is it possible to upload a picture? It's sort of hard to figure it out without seeing it. If not, that's okay.

Is it possible that it's some sort of bug bite? Spider bite?
My fiance had something like what you are describing...after awhile the redness went away and he's now left with a purple colored " mole" looking thing on his leg. The doctor didn't seem too concerned about it...so he isn't either.
I'm sure it's not cancer. I think you probably got bit by something.
It could also be an ingrown hair that you didn't notice for awhile.
Sorry...just blowing into the wind as I can't see what it looks like.

Chin up, and quit thinking the worst. Like you said...they would have picked it up by now if it was cancer.