What is this swelling above my collar bone.

[MegGriffin]

I have had it over 3 months and have booked doctors for next Friday. It is above my right collarbone, the swelling is soft and inside it is a movable long thin lump. It does not hurt at all and I haven't had any infections or bites etc. It does not bother me except it hasn't always been there so o worry about things like lymphoma. I know that apparently cancer lumps are usually hard and immobile so it's probably a lymph node....Has anyone had anything like this at all or any doctors with ideas please? I keep swinging between thinking I'm over reacting and then thinking I should rush to the doctors. In case you can't notice it, it's on the left in the picture but actually on my right. The redness is my terrible British tan

Hi

Would you be able to add an update on the swellings? Did you have any pain or discomfort in you neck, arm or hand?

Thanks

@JustLaura hi, mine are still there but I’m fit and healthy. No changes. I am on a diet so it will be interesting ti see if they reduce, if not I will be seeing the doctors as I really dislike how they look, but that’s my own vanity.

im all good though, try not to worry - easier said then done I know and stay of google. It’s a horrible place to send anxiety sky high.

@JustLaura I know where you are in your head right now. I was there a year ago. Mine are still there but all 3 Drs have assured me it is nothing because they cannot find anything wrong with it other than the masses existing. They believe it is just fat. I have had CT scans and biopsies for lymph nodes and numerous blood pulls... all have come back clear. chances are, if yours fits the description of most of the people on this board, you are part of the "it is just fat and you are okay" club! definitely have a Doc look at it and they will most likely run the same tests. Some people I have met with it have lost weight and they went away, others still have it even after losing weight, but its just fat. hope this helps! you will get through this even though it is scary now. You will be okay.

Thanks @DonnaBab for your reply. I am overweight and also trying to diet/make healthy choices but my anxiety of "what if's" is increasing every time I get to the next stage of tests. My 'swelling' is on one side and my GP said that was his concern. Thank you again for taking the time to respond.

@TomRusty I really appreciate your reply.

I have had 3 lots of blood work (all showing high C-Reactive Protein (CRP) over 3 months, then an ultrasound within 2 days of seeing the GP (I believe this was to look for blood clots?) The end conclusion was that the ultrasound didn't pick anything up.

I have an MRI scheduled soon.

My main concern is that my swelling is on 1 side only. It seems to get puffier if I'm anxious/tired and then I'm getting some intermittent neck, shoulder, underarm and arm pain on the same side too. I can be pain free for 4 days then it's back for 3 days. The swelling largely remains the same size and is always there.

Did you get any of pain/discomfort from it?

I'm trying to stay away from googling symptoms now as it's sending me off into a spin over medical conditions.

Thank you again for your reply as it's given me some hope.

I still have mine too. I have had them checked out and they say it's fat deposits. I actually lost weight over 20 pounds and they didn't go away. Sometimes I notice if the inside of my ears feel wet they will be bigger. I know years ago they swelled so bad I couldn't move my head and I was put on decongestant with an antihistamine and an antibiotic. That doctor felt I had drainage from my ears and glands. I am a transplant patient so I know for sure it's not cancer and no masses. I do agree with @JustLaura about disliking them if they are more noticeable I tend to wear certain shirts that have a higher neckline just so no one notices and asks about them. I don't want to say just fat deposits just like butt! LoL

Fat pads over collarbones are a symptom of Cushing Syndrome, Cyclic Cushing or Pseudo Cushing. But doctors ignore this when adrenal blood tests come within normal range 😫I had a stress collapse in 2016 when these pads showed up and have never gone away even when losing weight. In my case I am almost certain it’s related to stress hormones. 😏

Thank you @MariaMagdalene I have the majority of those symptoms! (I limited myself to looking it up on the NHS and Mayo Clinic sites). My GP hasn't mentioned this at all, though my swelling is one side only? but I will be asking my GP. I suppose it won't just go away of it's own accord now. I do get stressed and anxious a lot but then I keep coming back to it's one sided?

I had 2 bad viruses recently. The '100 day cough' virus November 2023 to the end of January 2024, followed by a 4 week bad cold in February 2024. I've also had an emotional few years so this could all be linked. I initially thought it was a swollen lymph node but my GP says not.

Which adrenal blood tests did you have?

Thank you.

The initial tests are the urine test or the saliva one. I don’t know about one side only 🤷🏻‍♀️ I also had the Epstein Barr virus reactivated when I had the collapse which had me bedridden with severe fatigue for weeks. I still suffer fatigue constantly 😞 and I am very sensitive to stress. Look for a Facebook group about Cushings. 🌼

@MariaMagdalene I have Addison Disease but not diagnosed with Cushings. I get tested regularly for Epsten Bar (EBV), CMV, and BK virus I am clear of all of them. Today mine lumps are noticeable but I also work up congested and my ears felt wet. I feel mine have something to do with my sinuses and ears. Maybe fluid is running from my eustachian tubes?

@JustLaura to test if your Adrenal glands are not working right you need to have a blood test to check your cortisol level. This test takes like an hour they do 2 or 3 blood draws it's been awhile since I had this done and they give you medication after the first drawl and then they draw your blood to see how your body reacted to the medication. This is how they found out I had Addison disease. Unfortunately, I had to suffer for a month an a half before someone decided to do this simple test.

I have the same unencapsulated fat above the collarbone for a year. I have a gland with a fatty hilum in the neck. I discovered it after an ultrasound scan for the fat. The surgeon or endocrinologist did not find a solution for it. I suffer from scoliosis, with a deviation to the right side, and more fat on the left side. Do any of you have scoliosis?

Thanks for your reply @Dndn. I've not been diagnosed with scoliosis but I definitely feel as though my posture is poor. I try to stand/sit better but ultimately I go back to what is comfortable. I seem to have a forward head/neck tilt which only came to my attention when I noticed it on group photographs in comparison to others.

Does your neck cause you any discomfort or pain? My neck has changed so much over 5 years.

Do you have any symptoms?

My ultrasound didn't show anything so I thought all was ok, then I found out this meant I needed an MRI which I'm absolutely breaking my heart about.

Hi @MegGriffin

I realise your original post is from years ago and you may not even read this but if you are, is possible for you to give an update?

Thanks

Hi @Doglover4

On the off chance you still read this, can you give an update?

Thanks

Hi @Sweetcheeks832

I realise this is an old post but if you read this please can you post an update?

Thanks

Hi @Mari92

Is it possible for you to give an update?

Thanks

@JustLaura
I would like to apologize if i made
a mistake in my expression, as I am using the translator and my mother tongue is not English
I have constant pain in my neck, right shoulder, and lower back for years, and it gets worse as the days go by
Now I cannot walk straight, always leaning forward, even when sitting. I am hunchbacked. I did not notice until I saw myself in the mall in front of the mirror.
I haven't reached forty yet 👵
The doctor diagnosed me with depression more than a year ago, and I have not undergone treatment yet. I do not know why, but I discovered fat above my collarbone after psychological fatigue.
It's worrying that no one has found a reason for it yet
I ask God for safety for all of us

Hi all

Thank you again to everyone who has replied.

Has anyone with a swelling of this type had an MRI?

If so, what were your results? End outcome?

I believe the area of the swelling is the supraclavicular fossa and the MRI scans the brachial plexus.

Good health to us all.

I have had a head and chest MRI but nothing showed about the swelling. I will go back and reread the report just to make sure nothing was seen. I do enjoy reading a MRI report!

I still have them and no doctor has ever told me what they are. They are clueless. I suffer fatigue from any sort of stress and they get bigger when fatigued. My muscles in my shoulders are very weak and sore when doing my exercises. No pain in arms only on elbows sometimes but due to fibromyalgia 🤷🏻‍♀️

I read the report and they didn't see anything and all my lymph nodes were fine. Most days I have some swelling but some days it is noticeable not just to me but others too. Which is nice because that means I am not the only one who sees the swelling.

Thanks @littlelinda52 I appreciate your comments.

I'm at a loss of what it could be. As it's one-sided for me, is puzzling. Mine too increases and decreases.

I have had to stop googling as I've convinced myself I have at least 3 things!

It's odd that so many of us have this and have no answer. I wonder if it is linked to perimenopause/menopause related or simply weight.

@JustLaura well unfortunately for me at 53 (I just turned 53 today) I am not premenopause or in full blow menopause. Ugh It is so weird that so many of us have this issue with no reason. Well I have a medical background and Google which is so bad! I can go down a long rabbit hole amd when I come out I have so many conditions that I have to stop!

Aah ... Happy Birthday @littlelinda52 🎂!

I am not far behind you in age so I do think there must be a hormonal link. There are so many symptoms to the run up to menopause it can basically cover everything! I've heard endless people say about 'frozen shoulder' in the last 6 months.