Weird lump/ridge running down DH's body - anyone know?

[cosydressinggown]

My DH went to the doctor with a lump in his chest a few weeks ago. We were both worried about the obvious. She couldn't even feel it (which annoys me, actually, as I could feel it) but felt it wasn't likely to be anything serious and sent him away with antibiotics. He took about two but hasn't continued them as he wasn't even sure what they were for. He has no pain or fever.

The lump has now spread into a long hard ridge that runs from the top of his chest right down to basically his belly button. He is quite uncomfortable, although describes it as 'stiffness' rather than pain, and said he feels like 'something is coming loose'. I can feel the ridge quite prominently.

I'm packing him back to the GP tomorrow and hoping to God he sees somebody useful, but does anyone have any knowledge or experience? I'm really worried.

[JoyMachine]

Do you think it's in the skin, or under the skin (inside chest cavity)?
Is it possibly a callous building up, or more bony/harder than that?
Is it possibly a line of insect bites? (Is the skin discoloured at all?)

[cosydressinggown]

It's definitely something inside him, not on/in the skin. It fees like a really thick muscle, running down from his right pectoral muscle to the right side of his belly button, but it's definitely a solid line of something. I'd say maybe hernia but I don't know what kind of hernia could be there, as I've had a tummy muscle hernia myself and that was right down the middle, whereas this is far to one side - on the other side of his nipple iykwim.

It's deep inside the skin - my husband is VERY overweight, and you have to dig in to feel it, but it's definitely there and growing/spreading (but weirdly not painful, so doesn't seem like swelling).

:(

[Elibean]

I would definitely try for a different GP

It does sound like a muscle, tbh. Could be a muscle that has tightened up, sort of 'locked' into a ridge. If his posture isn't the best, and his body has got into the habit of compensating for it, that is a possibility.

Good luck tomorrow - is there any way you could go with him? More to make sure the GP is making sense and feeling in the right place than anything else!

[Sh1ney]

How overweight would you say he was?

Hmm, I am thinking that you could actually be feeling muscle to me

[mymatemax]

Sounds like it could be a Hernia, if he lays flat & then lifts his head does it become more obvious

[cosydressinggown]

Hello,

Just to update, my hubby went to the doc today - I booked him in with a specific one, much to the distaste of the sniffy receptionist(!) and he's got a diagnosis.

It's called a minor thrombosis - sounds scary but is not the deep vein worrying kind. Basically some kind of trauma to the chest (my money is on him letting our kids physically jump on his chest - no kidding) has damaged a vein and kinked it, like a hosepipe. The pressure has then caused the vein to swell, running down the side of his body. Doc said it will either right itself, or, more likely, the vein will become non functional and the blood will re route. He may have the ridge forever, though it's not currently visible through skin (we're talking about 8 stone overweight peeps) but might be if he lost weight.

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated. Glad it's nothing serious. xx

[JoyMachine]

Glad they know what it is!

My DH had a cracked rib from letting the children jump on him...

[OrangeLily]

I was going to say it sounds like a varicose vain but I've only seen them in someone's leg and then I get to the end of the thread and it is a blocked vain of sorts! Excellent doctoring by moi.