referred to see if lump can be removed

[emmalj0]

Iv been drs so many times about a lump on my rib which drs are sure is benign. Iv begged to b referred again to see if can be removed although been previously and didnt think it needed to. Part of me is scared for it to be removed incase its cancerous im scared its spread as had for over two years. Another part just wants it gone so i canforget about it. I dont know what to do for the best

[Gary A]

You're not for believing it's benign so I think you're better to have it removed to put this to bed. No amount of reassurance is working, so I'd say that's your last resort.

[MyNameIsTerry]

But will they even do it?

The problem is, it won't do anything but reinforce the anxiety disorder. Any relief is going to be temporary as your anxiety will target something else.

So, the solution has to be working with your thoughts but its always going to be hard. Has your GP referred you for therapy? (sorry, I know you've been posting for a while but I can't remember whether you said you've had CBT yet)

[emmalj0]

I dont think they will remove. I went for cbt apt last week just to be referred been told could be waiting 12-18 months. My apt with dermatologist not till 1st sept. I want to believe its benign but how can they b so sure. Iv read sarcomas can grow for years and years slowly this is what scares me

[Gary A]

I've tried to point out this flawed logic to you before. What you're saying is that this lump grew to its current size in a short period of time, but since you've discovered it it's now slowed down to a virtual halt? I will tell you once again that your thinking there goes against everything medical science knows about malignant tumours. They only change pace to grow and evolve more quickly, they don't decide to slow to a crawl all on their own.

I'm honestly struggling to find any other way to convince you that this lump is harmless. I can tell from your description that it's harmless. The way it moves, the softness, the apparent two year hiatus it's had from doing what all malignant tumours do.

I can't say any more and I don't think anyone can. You have convinced yourself so dramatically that you're now point blank refusing to listen to any type of reason and logic.

If they won't remove it then you will simply have to find a way to accept that it's harmless. So let me ask, what, aside from removal, will convince you that this lump is a mundane clump of nothingness?

[emmalj0]

I really dont know iv had other lumps that i still have now that i have managed to forget about i thought after two years of having this i would aswell but im just convinced because of its location its bad

[Fishmanpa]

As Gary said, you're convinced. No amount of reassurance from medical professionals and based on the number of posts about it, anyone here, will change that.

Good luck and positive thoughts

[Gary A]

I know I've repeated this to you ad nuseam but a cancerous tumour would have knocked you sideways after having it for over two years. Also, you say you're worried it's spread, do you have any idea what that would entail? You'd be losing weight by the bucketload, you'd be feverish and violently ill most of the time, you'd most likely be in agony also. Not to mention the fact that metastasis would play havoc with your bloodwork, and I'm sure you've mentioned having a number of normal blood tests.

If you think they won't remove this lump then I'm sorry, but you really are going to have to find a way to accept that it is harmless. Try not to rubbish logic. These are stone cold undeniable facts I'm giving you here, there's no magic involved. If you had a metastasising tumour for over two years you'd either be practically an invalid or actually dead. As it is, you're a healthy person who happens to have a harmless lump that a whole host of medical professionals and diagnostic testing have shown to be exactly that, harmless.

No doctor on earth would go as far as refusing removal of there were even a 1% chance of this being a cancerous tumour, not after so many repeated visits and evaluations. Please, try with all of your might to knock down that mental block and allow reason to seep in.