Feeling in abdomen

[lyndau63]

Hello, I haven't posted for ages, firstly because my health anxiety was so bad that I couldn't really do anything much. Recently things have been much better but I am having a bad day. I have several exciting things coming up which always tends to set me off but I would still like some help.
I had been having pains in my tummy on the left side starting with a severe pain which stopped me from bending down. I couldn't even take my socks off to go to bed. It came on very suddenly. After a couple of days it was a lot better but I mentioned it to my GP. She sent me for an ultrasound as she thought I might have a hernia. The ultrasound confirmed that I have an inguinal hernia but when I later saw a consultant he didn't think it was big enough to cause pain so he ordered a CT scan. This had to be done without contrast because my kidney function was poor. I was concerned too because I had to lie on my tummy and have always lain on my back for an abdomen CT. The scan came back clear too and at first I was happy. However, when I turn a certain way, I feel as though there is a lump in my tummy. foolishly googled ovarian cancer, as I have done before, and it said that small tumours don't show up on a CT scan. Looking at it logically I know that if it was so big that I can feel it then it would have shown up on the scan. The consultant said it the discomfort is due to my diverticular disease but I don't think I told him that it feels like a lump in there. I can't feel anything when I press but there is rather a lot of fat to feel through!
Everyone tells me there cannot possibly be anything there or it would have shown on the scan. The ultrasound also showed no fluid around the ovaries which was a good sign. I am wondering whether anyone else has had a similar feeling.

[pav1984]

I'm not a doctor, however your logic seems sound to me. If you can feel a lump, surely a CT scan would pick it up?

Like I say, I'm not a doctor and I think if you feel a lump you should mention it to your doctor.

Do you have to go back to your doctor to discuss it? If so you could mention the lump. If not, you could book an appointment with your doctor and discuss it with them. Health anxiety isn't very nice however once your doctors have said you are ok, you should relax.

[ErinKC]

The ultrasound confirmed that I have an inguinal hernia but when I later saw a consultant he didn't think it was big enough to cause pain so he ordered a CT scan.

It drives me crazy when doctors say things like this. I would guess that the pain was certainly from your hernia. I have a very small umbilical hernia and if it gets irritated it can cause horrendous pain. I also spent years having doctors tell me that the excruciating pain I experienced could not possibly be from the giant fibroid tumors I had on my uterus (my gynecologist told me to take a gas pill) - except, guess what, as soon as I got rid of them I had no more pain. Everybody's body reacts differently to different things. My entirely non-expert opinion is that if you had pain near where you have a hernia the most logical explanation is that it's the hernia causing the pain. You're the only person inside your body so don't let someone say - oh, no, you couldn't have pain from this.

That plus diverticular disease seems a clear explanation - I wouldn't worry about ovarian cancer. As you said, if you had a tumor so big you could feel it - and also if you were having painful symptoms - this would show up on a CT. You'd also likely have other symptoms by this point.

[lyndau63]

Thank you for the replies. I feel better after reading your reply Erin.