Lump next to spine at surgical area

[drex]

Hi everyone,

I had an ependymoma removed from C1-C4 in October 2013. In December 2014 I noticed a lump beside my spine at C7 which initially I thought my spine was out of alignment somehow from the surgery.

I saw my doctor right away and was sent to go see the doctor I had when I was in the rehab hospital after my surgery as she has been monitoring my progress. I saw her a couple of weeks ago and it was thought it was a calcified mass in the muscle next to my spine. They looked at my previous MRI from September 2014 and it was in the imaging but not in the MRI report. I had a CT scan last week and today received a call that it is not a calcofied mass as thought, but they don't know what it is. They're sending me for an urgent MRI and possibly a biopsy to figure this out.

This mass is really hard and feels like bone. It grew a little from my September scan to this CT scan I just had but when I touch it, it doesn't feel any bigger than when I discovered it in December. It's not causing me any symptoms at all except maybe a little bit of neck pain, though it doesn't hurt to touch it.

So just wondering if anyone else has had something like this after surgery or have any ideas of what it could be? When I was at the doctor I was told it was unlikely to be another tumor but now I'm kind of freaking out.

[dawn]

Hello Drex,
Please keep us informed of what you find out. I wish you well and hope that it is a benign finding. I sure can understand feeling freaked out and hope that anxiety passes easily and quickly.

Out of curiosity (as I am in watch and wait mode with a C1-C2 intramedullary mass)how did you make the decision to have surgery? What is your post op experience like? What were your symptoms prior to surgery? Post surgery? If you feel comfortable sharing or have posted elsewhere, please let us know. It is extremely helpful to me to hear people's stories and I thank you in advance for any information you share.

[drex]

Hi Dawn,

Here's all the derails of my surgery spinalcordtumor.proboards.com/thread/2114/weeks-post-surgery-c1-ependymoma

Still don't know what my lump is. I went for an MRI last week and will have to go for a biopsy soon. Fingers crossed it's nothing major!

[dmdgood]

Dear drex. Just wondering how you got on with finding out what the lump was. I hope all is well.

[drex]

Hi everyone,

I ended up having the lump removed surgically on April 24 as none of the tests I had could tell conclusively what it was. The surgeon I had is a cancer doctor, and after the surgery he told me he doesn't think it's cancer but fibrous tissue, so I guess scar tissue from my laminectomy. I don't get pathology results for another three weeks or so, but I feel comfortable that he wouldn't tell me he didn't think it's cancer if he really didn't think it was.

Comparing to my laminectomy, it was a very easy surgery and I'll be back to work tomorrow. Hopefully will be done with doctors for awhile, it's been a stressful few months worrying that I might have another tumor.

[dmdgood]

That's really good news Drex. Your story and outcomes have been so inspirational to me. I understand there's the worry of the tumor coming back, but you've had such positive outcomes both from your initial surgery and this latest surgery. I hope you continue to go well.