Shoulder lump anxiety !

[Bug84]

Hi! Need to start this by saying I have diagnosed health anxiety and very aware I struggle to keep things in perspective.

i found a lump on my left shoulder two days ago. It’s the front of my left shoulder - below collar bone, and further to the left. It’s squishy and moveable I can kind of push it around, but it is attached iyswim. As I also had sinusitis, I went to the gp thinking it could be a lymph node type thing reacting to the illness.

the appointment I could get was with an ANP, not a doctor. She said it’s not a typical lymph node area, and said to keep an eye on it - if it’s still there in 4 weeks, make another appt and they’ll refer for a scan.

In the notes she wrote -

Approx 1" circ, soft swelling , non tender, no erythema
no cystic features
no fluctuance
no palp cx lns
cheest clear
throat nad
? bursitis

it doesn’t hurt at all, I can move it around, it’s quite squishy. It’s big! She said maybe bursitis (although it doesn’t hurt, in general my neck and back are stiff at the moment- ongoing since ages and I’ve just started working on a computer again).

i had blood tests last week for another issue (to check iron) and my FBC was fine, so not really anxious about lymphoma…. But I’ve been down a rabbit hole and self diagnosed with sarcoma.

I find this stuff so hard to just ‘watch and wait’ and tend to massively obsess about stuff.

i Know that this kind of reassurance seeking makes my anxiety worse. And what I should do it listen to what the health professional said and wait a few weeks to see what happens.

but! Does anyone have any positive anecdotal stories to put my mind at ease.

I had something very similar to this but below my knee. It was 4cmish diameter, raised but quite flat, circular, soft and moveable but attached. I self diagnosed myself with a sarcoma. Even told my boss to expect me to be taking some time off. Went for a scan and they told me in was a random lump of fatty tissue (on my upper shin!)- which certainly did not come up as a likely option during my hours of googling yet the sonographer said it was quite common. It's still there now. See if you can get an earlier scan or you'll waste too long with probably unnecessary worrying.

Sounds like a lipoma to me.

Thanks. Hope it is a lipoma 🤞 seems to fit the bill from what I read. @Spinnergoudid yours seem to pop up out of nowhere? That’s what’s freaking me out I think.

I’ve got a gp appointment but it’s not until 6 Jan 😭
can’t stop feeling it and googling!

Op, I know it will be very very difficult, but don't keep checking and googling. You are feeding the cycle of HA.

I have a lipoma in exactly the same place and sounds clinically identical. I’ve had it for years with no issue.

thank you both 🙏

I have one of these in the same place. I had an ultra sound and it was diagnosed as a lipoma.

My DH currently has 2 of these on his back. They don’t hurt and he barely notices them at all. He had one removed about 10 years ago

I also have a lipoma in almost exactly the same place. It's been there for years, can't really remember when I first noticed it but it hasn't grown or changed in any way since I found it. I have a couple of others too. The GP said they're totally harmless. Hope you can stop worrying - I know how hard it is

I’d take comfort in the fact that they’ve dealt with it so “slowly” - if there’s any suspicion of cancer you’re on the USC pathway, no matter the time of year.

Thanks everyone 🙏