Mass in daughter's leg

Discussion in 'Biology & Genetics' started by Orleander, Jan 27, 2009.

  1. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    Well, my daughter took a header down the school bus steps on Friday. (LOL, par for the course with her) While being stitched up and treated for a minor concussion, the doctor gave her the once over to see if there were any fractures, bruises, etc.
    He noted a hard bump on her leg. She said it has been growing since summer. I figured they would just numb it and cut it out. He sent her to a specialist and now she is scheduled for surgery next week. Not out-patient surgery, but in the hospital, knocked out, OR surgery.
    WTHell!? Is cancer hard? Is a tumour hard? What could it be? All they say is "We'll know after the biopsy"
     
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  3. John Connellan Valued Senior Member

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    Will she really need to be knocked out for surgery on her leg? Is it a deep lump? Tumours can be hard but I wouldn't be overly concerned. Some doctors always play the odds and never tell you anything definite until tests have been done. What some doctors dont tell you is that the odds of it not being cancer are actually 95% (for example).

    Hopefully the biopsy comes out negative
     
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  5. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    I had a lump on my knee for several years, but one day I popped it and all this dried pus came out. Now I have a hole there. It was an infected hair follicle.
     
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  7. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

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    Could be anything, from a benign lipoma or keratoma to a carcinoma. Or even a sebaceous cyst or calcified bone bump

    Like the good doctor said, wait for the biopsy
     
  8. Hercules Rockefeller Beatings will continue until morale improves. Moderator

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    They certainly can be.


    I know it’s unsettling to be told to wait for biopsy results, but more often than not that’s what needs to be done in order to answer your questions.
     
  9. Crunchy Cat F-in' *meow* baby!!! Valued Senior Member

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    If it's right under the skin, it's probably a lipoma (one of Sam's options).
     
  10. draqon Banned Banned

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    Its most likely an infection. The faster you treat, the more good you will do to your daughter.
     
  11. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    My hopes are with you and your daughter! I do know she is in good hands with the doctor, but ask them to mark which leg the growth is on to ne certain they do the correct leg!

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    Last edited: Jan 27, 2009
  12. PsychoticEpisode It is very dry in here today Valued Senior Member

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    My thoughts are with you and your daughter. Hope everything turns out for the best. A few years ago I was struggling just to walk, a lot of pain in my leg. I felt a large bump behind my knee, scared me so much I drove straight to a walk-in clinic. Turned out to be a torn meniscus which I recovered from without going under the knife.
     
  13. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    It's most likely a cyst or an abscess.
     
  14. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    I'm not too terribly worried. My husband is the worrier in the family.
    The doctor said it was hard as a rock. Could be it be a rock? My daughter wipes out on her bike frequently. Could a rock have gotten into her skin? Does fat/skin/muscle grow around a foreign object like that instead of getting infected?
     
  15. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    She might have had something puncture her skin, such as a wood splinter. If it infects the bodily will encapsulate it.
     
  16. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    Encapsulate it? With what?
     
  17. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    "An abscess (Latin: abscessus) is a collection of pus (dead neutrophils) that has accumulated in a cavity formed by the tissue on the basis of an infectious process (usually caused by bacteria or parasites) or other foreign materials (e.g. splinters, bullet wounds, or injecting needles). It is a defensive reaction of the tissue to prevent the spread of infectious materials to other parts of the body.

    The organisms or foreign materials kill the local cells, resulting in the release of cytokines. The cytokines trigger an inflammatory response, which draws large numbers of white blood cells to the area and increases the regional blood flow.

    The final structure of the abscess is an abscess wall, or capsule, that is formed by the adjacent healthy cells in an attempt to keep the pus from infecting neighboring structures. However, such encapsulation tends to prevent immune cells from attacking bacteria in the pus, or from reaching the causative organism or foreign object."
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abscess
     
  18. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    She's had this for close to 9 months. Isn't pus squishy?
     
  19. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    It can be, but abscesses can also be hard.
    It can also be a cyst, they are essentially the same as far as I know with the exception that they don't contain puss. I imagine that they form from similar causes.
     
  20. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    Wouldn't an object be seen with the X-Rays they took of the leg?
     
  21. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    They didn't do an x-ray. :shrug:
     
  22. Crunchy Cat F-in' *meow* baby!!! Valued Senior Member

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    Not to scare you, but the "hard stuff" never turns out to be something good. Good thing you're catching it now.
     
  23. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    Well, considering all teh bike wrecks she has had, I'm going with rock. My husband is sure its cancer and they are gonna have to amputate.

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    My Mom alway said 'Worrying is like paying interest on something you haven't even bought yet", so I try not to do it.

    I figure if its hard, it will be easy to remove.
     

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