There's A Lump...

[blas]

In my upper arm.

Approximately halfway between my elbow and my shoulder.

I didn't know I had it. My boyfriend found it while he was rubbing my neck and shoulders. His hands must have went a little lower than my shoulder and he felt it so he pressed into it. When he pressed, it hurt.

It's hard to find. I can't always remember right where it is. Once I do find it, it hurts. Putting any pressure on it is painful. It's like a small little ball, except it doesn't stick out of my skin. I've stood in front of the mirror, felt for it, found the spot, and looked in the mirror. It doesn't protrude. But it's a small, round growth and it's painful when pressed on.

[Rapscallion]

Doctor. Now.

Likely a cyst, but don't wait on this.

Rapscallion

[Kogarashi]

Doctor. Now.

Likely a cyst, but don't wait on this.

Rapscallion

Indeed. Better to go to the doctor and find out it's benign than to not go and end up with something malignant.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

Yeah, sounds like a cyst (I've had some of various types)-- but could also be something way more serious. I hope it's just one of those stupid gunky cysts that just have to be 'emptied' and cut out.

[Sapphire Silk]

Could also be an enlarged lymph node. Some people's are enlarged for no particular reason, and are not pathological.

Cyst, fatty tumor, lymph node or whatever, that it is painful is a reason to see the doctor.

[blas]

Isn't that in your neck?

There's a free doctor at work, I will see him as soon as possible, so I don't have to pay a copay. And if he seems worried, he can write me a referral, so that way, he already has a list of in-network doctors he can write referrals for, so I don't end up with any SNAFUS. My regular GP tends to not even care who she refers people to. And also, if it happens to be something extremely silly and goes under dermatology (which my insurance does NOT cover without referrals and other shit), that way I don't have to worry.

[Seshat]

There are lymph nodes in many parts of the body.

The key ones are in your neck (the 'glands' that get tender when you have a cold or flu), the tonsils, under your arms, on the inside of your thighs, and .. um, a few other places that Panacea probably knows but I've forgotten.

But you also have lesser lymph nodes in various spots.


Regardless, this could be anything from a 'knot' in your muscle, to (worst case) some sort of cancer.
Most likely it's a 'benign cyst': basically, think of an oyster making a pearl. Something funky got caught up in your arm, and your body protected yourself by surrounding it with something akin to blister-fluid and blister-skin. If it's that, the doctor will drain it or cut it out, and send the drainage (or the whole cyst) for a path lab to check just to be absolutely sure it's benign.

Panacea's 'tone' there was unruffled and unworried. I tend to agree with her - it's most likely nothing serious. Get it checked, though, because a 1% or 0.5% (or even 0.01%) chance that it's malignant is nothing to ignore.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

Lymph nodes mimic the blood circulatory system.
Observe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymph_node#Distribution

[blas]

I really don't mean to brag (oh wait, yes I do teehee), but part of the ignorance of how long it's been there is because my arms have gotten so darn hard and ripped lately that I even have a really hard time finding the damn thing.

My parens seem to think I may have overdone it working out or it may have been muscularly related.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

Good luck, Blas. Most likely it is something benign and rather easily taken care of, like the lump I had on my back several years ago that ended up being a fatty cyst. This is definitely the time to make sure there's nothing more serious about it, though...as I also know of someone who let a lump grow to at least the size of a golf ball (maybe bigger) before he had it checked, and his situation did not turn out well at all. Fortunately his was a very rare case.

[Greenday]

Approximately halfway between my elbow and my shoulder.

Bicep?
Tricep?

On a more serious note, could just be a knot in your muscles. They can be very painful, but not that serious. They won't show in the mirror or really visible. But they'll hurt like hell.

After that I'd move onto the other things.

[blas]

Bicep, I would guess? The front part of my upper arm.

[Greenday]

Bicep, I would guess? The front part of my upper arm.

Sigh, I was trying to make a joke, saying the lump IS your bicep or tricep. I fail.

[blas]

Oh, I sorry. Sometimes, ya know......the lightbulb doesn't work in my head.