View Full Version : Bony lump on the sternum end of the clavicle.
So for few years now, at least one year, I've had this weird protuberance of sorts on my clavicle. It's right on the end of the sternum side of the left clavicle. I have wondered about it before but last night I started to get anxious about it for some reason. Does anyone else have this or something similar? I can kinda feel something on the other clavicle on the same spot but much smoother and not as pointy.
Anyone had this before or know what I'm talking about?
NotDeadYet
29-12-20, 02:56
Scared88
Sounds like perfectly normal anatomy to me as I'm quite similar.
Best Wishes
NotDeadYet
29-12-20, 05:15
Scared88
Now you're reassurance seeking. 😉
What will be better in the long run is to trace back where this new anxiety came from. You said you began thinking about this normal sounding part of your body and then began to get anxious "for some reason." What's the reason? I'm happy to help you work through that and provide some tips to challenge whatever root cause thought pattern began this worry.
Best Wishes
Scared88
Now you're reassurance seeking.
What will be better in the long run is to trace back where this new anxiety came from. You said you began thinking about this normal sounding part of your body and then began to get anxious "for some reason." What's the reason? I'm happy to help you work through that and provide some tips to challenge whatever root cause thought pattern began this worry.
Best Wishes
Not really reassurance seeking other than wanting to know if anyone else has this and how it affects them.
I'm not sure what the reason is other than I'm afraid of getting ill and therefor lumps are scary and of course with my lymph node worries any lump near the neck is extra scary.
I have felt this before and not thought much about it until now, it might be a bit bigger but I can't really tell. Maybe it's the holidays heigtening my anxiety?
S88... This is truly a non-issue. We're asymmetrical by nature and we're not made of porcelain. Its a bone and bones can be and are lumpy. You admit your anxiety is ramped up and your HA is causing you to hyper-focus on your normal bodily anomalies. That's really the end of the story :shrug:
I agree in addressing what the catalyst is in this latest spiral.
Positive thoughts
NotDeadYet
29-12-20, 19:25
S88... This is truly a non-issue. We're asymmetrical by nature and we're not made of porcelain. Its a bone and bones can be and are lumpy. You admit your anxiety is ramped up and your HA is causing you to hyper-focus on your normal bodily anomalies. That's really the end of the story :shrug:
I agree in addressing what the catalyst is in this latest spiral.
Positive thoughts
Perfectly said as always!
Hi scared88. For much of my adult life (I'm 55 now) I've been overweight and up until this year, obese. I've slimmed right down now which means I can feel my bones for the first time in many years. I was rather concerned about the lower portion of my sternum though, that appeared to end with thicker bone. I mentioned this to my Dad, who said he'd had a similar obsession with one of his ribs at one time. He is long past caring and is now 91.
So I thought to myself, if my Dad can have a rib that didn't 'feel right' and yet live to be 91 (and still largely independent), I'm sure I can accept my body as not perfectly symmetrical. As Fishmanpa said above, that's how our bones are. There's nothing wrong with your bones, they're quite normal.
I spoke with a doctor cause I wanted to have my BP measured, it was a bit high, but she said that the bone felt a bit weird compared to the other but no need to x ray. Just keep an eye on it if things get bigger or not.
I spoke with a doctor cause I wanted to have my BP measured, it was a bit high, but she said that the bone felt a bit weird compared to the other but no need to x ray. Just keep an eye on it if things get bigger or not.
Well... we know what you'll be doing obsessively moving forward :whistles:
FMP
Well... we know what you'll be doing obsessively moving forward :whistles:
FMP
Which is? Seeing doctors? Well she said that I should try and have my BP read a few times cause I was 140something over 93 during the first measurement and then lower during the second. She thought it was probably due to me being anxious lately and that my heartbeat was strong and in a good rythm but still wants me to keep an eye on it.
Regarding the bone she said it's probably just the bone and I have felt this before, but it might be a bit bigger now, I'm not sure. It's certainly tender, but that is probably from all the poking.
Which is?
Respectfully S88, more of the same pattern of HA behavior and posts since you've joined the forum. Who, under normal circumstances self-examines their sternum? :shrug: Just two weeks ago it was your heart and before that lupus and a plethora of other unfounded fears before that. Been here long enough to recognize the HA pattern you exhibit it and it's clear as day :whistles:
FMP
Well, I do have some higher than normal BP measurements from today so there is that in relation to my heart fear the other day. As to the bone, obviously I'm not in the habit of self checking my sternum or other bones, but this is a very superficial bump on a superficial bone so it's easy to just feel by accident when washing for instance. Finding a bump anywhere is troubling for someone who has had lymph node concerns for years, not so much now, but you can understand why a bump would trigger something in me and why I can jump to catastrophic thoughts such as bone cancer.
I have sought therapy and I am on medication that help but I still get episode and sometimes come here looking for support and see if maybe somebody else has had the same things.
Your BP is up a bit due to your anxiety and you know that, and as far as reassurance?... A medical professional isn't concerned and being told your fear is unfounded several times should be all the reassurance you require but I guess it's up to you to accept.
Hope you feel better soon.
FMP
Your BP is up a bit due to your anxiety and you know that, and as far as reassurance?... A medical professional isn't concerned and being told your fear is unfounded several times should be all the reassurance you require but I guess it's up to you to accept.
Hope you feel better soon.
FMP
I had another measurement as per the doctors wishes yesterday. I was on edge and kinda anxious and the first reading was 154/84 but then after few minutes of breathing it was 141/79. I am focused on making some lifestyle changes regarding exercise and diet, my diet has been shocking since my dad passed away.
I legit have this and it freaked me out too. I think I posted about it here as well and got the same answers. Its normal anatomy and we aren’t symmetrical.
I legit have this and it freaked me out too. I think I posted about it here as well and got the same answers. Its normal anatomy and we aren’t symmetrical.
What did your doctors say?
Im still a bit concerned about this lump on the clavicle. Its like the end of the left clavicle has maybe 2-3 mm spur or something like that right on the edge of the top side of the bone.
NotDeadYet
11-01-21, 15:29
Scared88,
How can we help you? You've received some great advice so far. You know we aren't doctors and can't tell you what it is or isn't. We can absolutely tell you to challenge your thoughts, practice meditation, get some professional help and a litany of other tools to help with HA. If you're looking for a diagnosis or reassurance of what this could be, then I'm afraid we aren't much help.
Best Wishes
Scared88,
How can we help you? You've received some great advice so far. You know we aren't doctors and can't tell you what it is or isn't. We can absolutely tell you to challenge your thoughts, practice meditation, get some professional help and a litany of other tools to help with HA. If you're looking for a diagnosis or reassurance of what this could be, then I'm afraid we aren't much help.
Best Wishes
I'm looking if someone else has had this or similar. Figured that there would be a fairly decent chance here since everyone here is very aware of their bodies.
NotDeadYet
11-01-21, 17:13
Scared88
Please see below for the answers you are seeking and have already received. At this point, my advice to you would be to tackle what's really happening. Your obsessing over something that, as FMP said, is a non-issue. You've even had a doctor tell you that. It's time to take a few deep breaths and challenge these thoughts when they come.
Sounds like perfectly normal anatomy to me as I'm quite similar.
This is truly a non-issue. We're asymmetrical by nature and we're not made of porcelain. Its a bone and bones can be and are lumpy. You admit your anxiety is ramped up and your HA is causing you to hyper-focus on your normal bodily anomalies. That's really the end of the story.
For much of my adult life (I'm 55 now) I've been overweight and up until this year, obese. I've slimmed right down now which means I can feel my bones for the first time in many years. I was rather concerned about the lower portion of my sternum though, that appeared to end with thicker bone. I mentioned this to my Dad, who said he'd had a similar obsession with one of his ribs at one time. He is long past caring and is now 91.
So I thought to myself, if my Dad can have a rib that didn't 'feel right' and yet live to be 91 (and still largely independent), I'm sure I can accept my body as not perfectly symmetrical. As Fishmanpa said above, that's how our bones are. There's nothing wrong with your bones, they're quite normal.
I spoke with a doctor cause I wanted to have my BP measured, it was a bit high, but she said that the bone felt a bit weird compared to the other but no need to x ray. Just keep an eye on it if things get bigger or not.
I legit have this and it freaked me out too. I think I posted about it here as well and got the same answers. Its normal anatomy and we aren’t symmetrical.
Best Wishes
Not quite sure what made him think it's a non-issue. The doctor told me not to worry but didn't say why, just felt it and said one side is indeed bigger but she didn't recommend any course of action. Maybe its just me being weird and having catastrophic thoughts.
What are you doing to treat your real illness?
FMP
Well, I am on medication which do work but sometimes I get these episodes. I try to say to myself, like for this case, that it is very unilikey that it's a bone tumour, it's a rare site for it to happen and there is no family history of any cancer, especially at a young age. But it's hard to when you get an episode and look for information and realise that there is still a chance that it could be something bad.
For years I had it bad with my lymph nodes, but that got better fairly quickly after I found more people, on here and elsewhere, that had similar or even the same symptoms I was having. I'm hoping that someone here is maybe familiar with this aswell. The spot on the affected bone sticks out maybe around 2-3 mm further than the same spot on the right bone. This wouldn't be concern to you or anyone else here?
The spot on the affected bone sticks out maybe around 2-3 mm further than the same spot on the right bone. This wouldn't be concern to you or anyone else here?
Not even in the least! :lac: But I know that won't help you :lac:
FMP
Can I ask why you wouldn't be concerned about it? Information like this can indeed help.
Can I ask why you wouldn't be concerned about it?
Nope :lac: Already told you why.
FMP
Worrywart84
12-01-21, 01:09
If it helps make you feel better, I’m pretty sure my bones are asymmetrical and one sticks out or is a little more pointy than the other. As much as my lymph nodes scare the crap out of me, this actually doesn’t because I can tell it’s just a bone.
If it helps make you feel better, I’m pretty sure my bones are asymmetrical and one sticks out or is a little more pointy than the other. As much as my lymph nodes scare the crap out of me, this actually doesn’t because I can tell it’s just a bone.
You're talking about your collarbones too?
I know this is my bone or on my bone so it's not a lymph node and as such I'm not worrying about them but more about it being a bone tumour or some sorts.
Worrywart84
12-01-21, 16:30
Yes. Collarbones. Asymmetrical and full of pointy bone bumps. Always has been.
Yes. Collarbones. Asymmetrical and full of pointy bone bumps. Always has been.
Do you have one by the sternal end of the bone? Or have you mentioned any of those bumps to a doctor? This is probably a 2mm bump or there abouts
I do notice that you have lymph node worries as well. If I can be of any assurance back then I have had swollen nodes now for nearly 14 years! Pretty sizeable ones too and no doctor has ever worried.
Worrywart84
13-01-21, 19:26
Yes toward the end, and never pointed it out to a doc because it’s just been there forever :). Thanks for letting me know about your lymph nodes! That does make me feel better too. Sounds like our brains should teach each other to not be afraid of these things :)
Yes toward the end, and never pointed it out to a doc because itÂ’s just been there forever :). Thanks for letting me know about your lymph nodes! That does make me feel better too. Sounds like our brains should teach each other to not be afraid of these things :)
Mine is right on the edge of the top part of the sternal end of my bone. Noticed it a while ago but didn't think about until recently when I thought it was growing or something.
C'mon S88... You've been here long enough to know the responses you'll get :shades: If you're that concerned, see a specialist and let us know what they say. "Told Ya So Gang" on standby ;)
FMP
C'mon S88... You've been here long enough to know the responses you'll get :shades: If you're that concerned, see a specialist and let us know what they say. "Told Ya So Gang" on standby ;)
FMP
I was replying to Worrywart and her comment from few days ago. I know that things like bone cancer is rare in the biggest bones of the body and even rare in small bones like the clavicle and that benign tumours are vastly more common. But finding people with the same thing and talking to them does help to keep things calm
finding people with the same thing and talking to them does help to keep things calm
It's still reassurance seeking and does nothing to help you get on the path to recovery.
FMP
I've been touching it a lot and I fear it's growing bigger. I was doing OK yesterday in not touching but today I had a blip.
NotDeadYet
20-01-21, 21:57
You really need to go several days to a week without touching it. If it is slowly growing (highly highly unlikely), how are you ever going to know if you touch it every day? Once you've gone a week and realize it isn't growing then you can move on with your life.
You really need to go several days to a week without touching it. If it is slowly growing (highly highly unlikely), how are you ever going to know if you touch it every day? Once you've gone a week and realize it isn't growing then you can move on with your life.
I try. You'd be surprised though at just how many times over the day you actually touch yourself around that area without really thinking about it. Like today I felt it for the first time this morning when I was adjusting my shirt. In a certain light too I can see a lump through my skin.
I have for years had terrible posture and I'm hoping this is down to that, sometimes in bed I'm often on my left side, kinda arched, while playing on the laptop which is on a little bedside desk next to my bed.
Worrywart84
20-01-21, 22:50
I am trying this too and it honestly helps to not allow yourself to look or touch as much as you can. I have had MANY urges to inspect everywhere I think I see or feel a lump but I tell myself only once a day in the morning is allowed. I have been able to break the obsession with my neck a bit to the point where I’m okay not inspecting it for several days until I get the urge (trying to make it a week). Still daily with my recently “discovered” abdomen lump but it’s better than constant checking and panicking. It literally can’t grow in a matter of hours or even days so don’t waste your time. And if your brain just keeps bothering you, close your eyes and visualize in your mind the way it looks and feels and tell yourself you KNOW how it looks and feels so no need to reconfirm.
NotDeadYet
20-01-21, 23:30
And if your brain just keeps bothering you, close your eyes and visualize in your mind the way it looks and feels and tell yourself you KNOW how it looks and feels so no need to reconfirm.
THIS!!!! This makes me so incredibly happy!! This is the ABSOLUTE PERFECT way to cope with these urges!! Every lymph node checker should tattoo Worrywart84's quote to their hand and look at it anytime they want to self-check! Gosh dang this is so great!
Bone cancer in the clavicle can't be common right? :unsure:
S88... This is truly a non-issue. We're asymmetrical by nature and we're not made of porcelain. Its a bone and bones can be and are lumpy. You admit your anxiety is ramped up and your HA is causing you to hyper-focus on your normal bodily anomalies. That's really the end of the story :shrug:
Time to treat the real problem :whistles:
Positive thoughts
Started to get very anxious all of a sudden about this being a sarcoma of the bone. Tumours on the clavicle are very very rare and I know that but not impossible. The lump very smooth and not at all jagged and the borders seem defined.
Started to get very anxious all of a sudden about this being a sarcoma of the bone. Tumours on the clavicle are very very rare and I know that but not impossible. The lump very smooth and not at all jagged and the borders seem defined.
This thread is a month old. Time to seek professional help. Go to a medical professional for a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th opinion or seek out real life professional help for your anxiety. Your choice :shrug:
FMP
Having a thing. I dont think it has grown over the last month, if it has then its very small.
I also don't have any bone cancer symptoms other than that little lump.
I just want to ask the people here that seem to don't have any anxiety. For real, no one here would freak out finding a bump like that? And when would you freak out?
I found this last summer and didn't think any of it but I don't remember being able to see it through the skin when I turn my head all the way and the skin stretches. I can see the bump move when I move the shoulder and arm.
What could be causing this other than cancer?
NotDeadYet
27-01-21, 17:41
For real, no one here would freak out finding a bump like that? And when would you freak out?
They would have gotten it checked out by a doctor if it was concerning. Then, when given the all clear like you've had, they would move on.
What could be causing this other than cancer?
A normal bone in your body. You've had a doctor look at it already and tell you its not concerning. Your reassurance seeking is not helping you. You really need to work on your HA. Are you able to get a CBT referral?
They would have gotten it checked out by a doctor if it was concerning. Then, when given the all clear like you've had, they would move on.
A normal bone in your body. You've had a doctor look at it already and tell you its not concerning. Your reassurance seeking is not helping you. You really need to work on your HA. Are you able to get a CBT referral?
I had a doctor say "Oh yeah it's bigger" and said "No" when I asked her if I should worry. Isn't odd for one normal bone to be so different from another one? Seems weird for one to be lumpier or more visible through the skin than the other
Also, what's with this constant CBT peddling? What's the purpose of this forum if every single answer is "Seek therapy" or "CBT" ?
I had a doctor say "Oh yeah it's bigger" and said "No" when I asked her if I should worry. Isn't odd for one normal bone to be so different from another one? Seems weird for one to be lumpier or more visible through the skin than the other
Also, what's with this constant CBT peddling? What's the purpose of this forum if every single answer is "Seek therapy" or "CBT" ?
Perhaps you should go back and read some of my replies concerning being asymmetrical. As far as CBT and therapy? The site is called "No More Panic", not "Please Keep Reassuring Me While I Do Nothing To Help Myself". We're 5 pages and a month into this thread. How's it been working out for you? :whistles:
FMP
NotDeadYet
27-01-21, 19:37
Also, what's with this constant CBT peddling? What's the purpose of this forum if every single answer is "Seek therapy" or "CBT" ?
Because we aren't therapists and cannot help you the way you need help. Clearly, as FMP just stated, you aren't being helped by any of us and your reassurance seeking behavior is unhelpful and unhealthy. A therapist can actually give you the help you need. This forum is to get support for health anxiety. You are seeking help for a non-existent medical condition. If you'd like help with your health anxiety, then we are more than willing to provide you with helpful techniques and solutions that have worked for us.
Best Wishes
I was here a couple of months ago with worries about my clavicle. There is a lump right on the end of the left clavicle, right about where the clavicle and sternum meet (or the manubrium). It's noticeable in the mirror and very palpable with fingers, can see it bulge out a bit when I turn my head and it moves up and down when I flap my arm. I think it could be a bit bigger than last time but I'm not sure. The lump feels bony and feels like part of the bone, but I feel like I can also feel a softer "extension" of the lump moving down between my sternum and ribs. Anyone know what I'm getting at? I am of course worrying that it's soft tissue or bone sarcoma in a very rare place.
I saw a doctor a month or so ago for an unrelated issue and I brought this up, he felt it and suggested it was just a bony outgrowth and nothing to worry about. Following that I started looking into techniques to better manage my HA, my doctor does not want me to increase my fluoxetine dosage. But now I'm having a blip and some scary thoughts. Also my left clavicle feels and looks larger than my right one.
Could this be arthritis or related to that? Anyone have any experiences with that on here? My posture isn't the best, sometimes in bed I lay on left side and play on the laptop with my head raised at an angle putting a lot of pressure and tension on the left side of the neck and shoulder. I'm hoping this is cause of that.
Hoping for some helpful responses!
nomorepanic
27-03-21, 17:25
Hi
This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your thread was merged with another of your threads.
Please when posting on similar topics add it onto your previous post rather than starting a new one.
It is nothing personal it is just to make it easier for people to follow your story and to give you advice as a whole.
There is also a tiny tiny little lump on the right clavicle too but that is not noticable through the skin. I ask you other anxiety people when do you guys get a second opinion about a lump?
There is also a tiny tiny little lump on the right clavicle too but that is not noticable through the skin. I ask you other anxiety people when do you guys get a second opinion about a lump?
If the previous 6 pages cannot reassure you, I don't know what else can be said. If you're really that concerned and can't let this go, it's your money and mental health :shrug:
Added: Just an observation and suggestion. Your signature is an affirmation of what many here see as the real issue and just backs up and feeds your dragon. Something more positive might be better for you from a mental standpoint.
FMP
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