DS has a lump in his tummy.

[HavingABigPanic]

Firstly have namechanged as I don't want to sound like a loon.

We took DS to the GPs over a lump in his tummy, above his belly button.

GP said hernia, we suspected hernia....

we go to consultant, he sayd not a 'true' hernia as its not bowel poking through but just the underlayers of fat, it doesn't need treating ect ...

But I've just read a thread that was highlighting the symptoms of childhood cancer and it said 'lump in abdomen'

PLEASE understand I have suffered for about 4 years from anxiety regarding illness and lately its got to the point I am having palpitations and panic attacks...

I was quite happy with the diagnosis until I read that and now I'm freaking wondering if they misdiagnosed him and something awful is going to happen :( :( :(

I very much doubt the consultant would have misdiagnosed to be honest. He would have other symptoms if it was cancer. The consultant would be able to spot childhood cancer.

I've been in a similar position with a lump in my ds's neck the size of a kidney bean. It's been there two years now but consultant says it's nothing to worry about.

Yes, the rational part of me knows that, there just this nagging doubt I always, always have. Thanks for replying.

Listen to me I'm not having this!!! (this is what i say to myself when i find myself panicing just like you - i have anxiety too, its shit isnt it).

Your GP has said "hernia" the consultant has said "just fat poking through" so not even as "serious" as a hernia. Thats two people with loads of experience, years of medical between them who have looked at your son and are satisfied that this is what it is.

"lump in abdomen" is referring to a a lump, inside the abdomen and you are describing a "lump" ON the abdomen, im assuming its visable and easy to feel from the outside?

I do understand i really do, i was hysterical once, at the doctors, insisting that i was seen there and then, that i had throat cancer - err, no, the lumps in my throat were my tonsils Im a biochemist, i shoud know better!

Please STOP worrying now, this is not something complicated that could be one thing or another, a hernia is a hernia is a hernia - yes your sons isn't a "full" hernia but fatty lumps such as what your son will have have a very distinctive "feel" to them. If your doctors had even the slightest misgiving they would have sent him for further tests, but they haven't because they see this all the time, they know what they are doing and are satisfied that he doens't need any treatment.

Are you getting any treatment for your anxiety OP?

Thank you 2 girls

you did make me laugh with your tonsils though,

its very shit, i feel like theres an elephant constantly sat on my chest :(

Dr Google will see you now : His diagnosis....always cancer.

Its always cancer even if its fungal toe infection.

Grab a glass of the good stuff, and stop worrying.

I take sertraline, recently doubled the dose,

they said they could refer me to 'self help' CBT (on a PC) but ive done it before and the stuff they go on about is totally irrelevent to my daft fears and i felt totally disconnected from it.

Waiting list for one-on-one CBT is years long :(

Dd has the same thing in exactly the same place. I was told it was a hernia and it may get bigger and need treating or it may stay the same or it may disappear. 3 years later it's exactly the same as it was. Just a broad bean sized lump that does nothing.

Ds has the same kind of lump in his neck as tanfastic's ds. I phoned my mum at 5am crying and panicking but the doctor assured me it was nothing, and 5 years later it's still there doing nothing.

I understand the stress, I really do. A lump on your child automatically equals cancer in your head. But please listen to the doctor. He will be fine.

Yes Run, Dr said if it stays the same no treatment needed, glad to hear your Dds has stayed the same and caused no problems to her. Thats reassuring, thankyou :)

Technically a herniation is anything pushing through into somewhere it does not truly belong, but this is not commonly thought of as a hernia in everyday language, so they are both correct but simply talking about differences in the way to best define it. Yes lumps in the abdomen can indicate cancer, but much, much more often it is something perfectly innocent and they are used to checking for these things. To an experienced consultant a little fat pushing up will feel a whole world different to a solid tumour attached to something it shouldn't. Please don't worry. I am sorry the thread has caused you concern.

oh, ive done the online CBT too - i couldn't connect with it either. I am just starting a course of CBT just now and have had my first session, i dont know if i will respond well to it or not. Strangely enough i seem to have put the health anxiety to bed now and i deal wiht it relatively well, i still have those horrible face tingling moments when i "realise" that i have yet another terminal illness!

I have to be very strict with myself, i am not allowed to look on health threads (yeah i know, im looking at yours but i had a sense it would be what it was, someone, understandably, worrying over something they don't need to worry about) I am not allowed to Google ANY symptom. Everything has a whole list of things it "could be" A cold could be the first sign of AIDS (in fact i had pretty much convinced myself that i had HIV and that my DD1 was developing it every time she got sick :() I just do not google EVER!!! My dad used to say to me a very sensible thing "a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing" and he was so so right.

The problem with anxiety is that it is physical, and it almost has to find a way out, i look for things to worry about. I am hoping the CBT works, i was on medication for two years and now trying to avoid going back.

What dose of sertaraline are you on? I think that is quite a good one for anxiety - i was on citalopram 60mg at one point, i was like a zombie, i don't want to be like that again.

Have you looked at the mental health section on here, there are often fellow worriers on there, who will recognise that of course, you are being ridiculous, your DS is FINE and will continue to be so, you know this. But they will also understand how these fears can just hit you like a train and then linger around.

I literally say "Im not having this" OUT LOUD when i start to worry about health things and it helps. It can be a bit mad becaue i can be walking down the high street or in a shop but i don't care. I cannot allow myelf to fret over illness because i know that way madness lies.

Op I can sympathise as I suffer from
Anxiety and googled and got myself in a right state about ds's lump. I nearly threw up with relief when they gave him the all clear.

Anxiety can take over your life it really can. I'm not sure that a bunch of mumsnetters will be able to put your mind at rest though.

Maybe you could have another word with the gp and ask him to explain properly what it is?