# What's wrong with my body? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 21, 2000, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921 "2000-04-21T04:24:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jerk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jerk)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/1 "2000-04-21T04:24:00Z")
Ever since i can remember, i’ve had a huge knot of some sort in the middle my solar plexus. when i stick my fingers in there, i feel something like a big rock, about the size of a baseball. i dont know if it’s a scar or what. you cant see it from the outside, but there’s definately something in there. any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![MagicalSilverKey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@MagicalSilverKey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicalSilverKey)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/2 "2000-04-21T04:35:00Z")
Have you been playing with those face huggers again? Sounds like alien “chest burster” spawn to me. Needless to say, I don’t think you will have many guests at a dinner party. John “Hurt” is an understatement. ---
**Author:** ![Jerk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jerk)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/3 "2000-04-21T04:40:00Z")
Very funny, haha. but seriously… i’m not making this up!! \<=0 i’m just curious about what this thing is inside me. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/4 "2000-04-21T04:47:00Z")
Talk to your doctor. ---
**Author:** ![Jerk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jerk)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/5 "2000-04-21T05:00:00Z")
Yeah right. Like i’m gonna go pay some guy to rub my chest and tell me i’m not gonna die. as long as it doesnt hurt and its not killing me, i really dont care what it is. i’m just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Alphagene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Alphagene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphagene)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/6 "2000-04-21T05:11:00Z")
We’re serious too. See a doctor if you’re really interested. * * * **Gypsy** : Tom, I don’t get you. **Tom Servo** : Nobody does. I’m the wind, baby. ---
**Author:** ![Boogarrheal\_Catastrophe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Boogarrheal\_Catastrophe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boogarrheal_Catastrophe)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/7 "2000-04-21T11:12:00Z")
Chances are that this is a tapeworm. Since you have felt this object as long as you can remember, the tapeworm is probably enormous. Do you ever have a dry throat, or a strange ringing in your ears? These also are symptoms of a giant tapeworm. Sometimes you can lure a tapeworm out with bait. You might try leaving a bar of chocolate in your underpants when you sleep at night. The tapeworm might come out. * * * What game are YOU playing? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/8 "2000-04-21T11:28:00Z")
It could be a benign cyst. It could be a malignant tumor. It could be your twin sister that you absorbed in the womb. It could be something that everybody is supposed to have, but your lack of knowledge of human anatomy is leading you to think it’s abnormal. How the hell are we supposed to know? We can’t see you, we can’t palpate your abdomen, few of us are doctors and those who are wouldn’t be crazed enough to try and diagnose you over the internet. If it concerns you sufficiently, see a doctor. Explain that you’re concerned over what this lump is and have him or her do the appropriate diagnostic procedures. ---
**Author:** ![Jerk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jerk)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/9 "2000-04-21T16:57:00Z")
nah. like i said, its not killing me, and it’s not inside any of my organs- it’s right smack in between my ribs in the middle of my solar plexus (not in my stomach). actually a doctor once told me he didnt know what it was, and that it was probably scar tissue. I like the idea, though, that everyone is supposed to have it and YOU are all the abnormal ones! =p ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/10 "2000-04-21T23:44:00Z")
When I was a teenager, the doc found that the muscles were meeting there [between the ribs down below a little] & it caused a small bump. I was never allowed to be in PE through high school as it would make the bump bigger. Looks like you didn’t catch it in time. Well, as they say, see a doc & in the meantime, stay out of PE. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2000, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/11 "2000-04-22T00:22:00Z")
You idiot! > [@](#): > > Yeah right. Like i’m gonna go pay some guy to rub my chest and tell me i’m not gonna die. But, you’re all about asking a few hundred strangers on the internet who have never seen you, and have heard a 3 line comment about it, diagnose you. Smart, Darwin will be proud. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2000, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/12 "2000-04-22T00:57:00Z")
**Omni** , whilst I agree that the OP is not exercising the best medical judgment by coming to a semi-anonymous forum for advice on something that so clearly needs a direct medical examination, I must state that we do not level personal insults in GQ. Please do not call fellow members “idiot,” even (or perhaps especially) when their judgment is so clearly in error. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2000, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/13 "2000-04-22T01:54:00Z")
Gotcha Cap! I still say it was justified. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2000, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/14 "2000-04-22T02:25:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Jerk: > **Yeah right. Like i’m gonna go pay some guy to rub my chest and tell me i’m not gonna die. as long as it doesnt hurt and its not killing me, i really dont care what it is. i’m just curious.** 1. I’ll rub your chest for free. 😃 (are you cute?) 2)You are going to die, someday. Any doctor who says your NOT going to die didn’t finsh med school. 😉 1. Since you don’t know what it is, you also don’t know that it’s not killing you. If, god forbid, it’s a cancer, early treatment is the best. You need to see a doctor to get a definitive answer to put your mind at rest and to get it taken care of if need be. Ignore it at your own peril. * * * “I know that life is unfair, I just wish it were unfair in my favor” Calvin & Hobbes ---
**Author:** ![Margarita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@Margarita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Margarita)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2000, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/15 "2000-04-22T07:57:00Z")
Trust me, after an emergency appendectomy less than two weeks ago, DON’T TOY WITH YOUR HEALTH OR INTERNAL ORGANS!!! I’m still recovering from 4 incisions in my tummy, and I HURT! Bully a doctor into a diagnosis, if it’s what it takes. It is YOUR BODY! YOU KNOW WHAT DOESN’T FEEL NORMAL! ---
**Author:** ![NiceGuyJack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/niceguyjack/32/3069_2.png) [@NiceGuyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NiceGuyJack)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2000, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/16 "2000-04-22T14:01:00Z")
Not that this has anything to do directly with Jerk’s lump, I thought I’d share a story. About a year ago, I discovered a lump in my testicle sac. Needless to say I got very worried and went to see my Doctor. After waiting half an hour, I was called in to the examining room. I told the Doc about my problem. He asked me to drop my pants and lay down on the examining table, which I did red faced with embarrassment. The Doc laid his hands on me while I had my legs spread wide. We were in this rather intimate position for what seemed like an hour. Finally, he smiled and told me to get dressed which I did gratefully. To my great relief and immense embarrassment the Doctor diagnosed it as an ingrown hair. Basically a big pimple. The point is, okay you may find it embarrassing, but the peace of mind is definitely better. As an extra, I did find out that I am definitely not gay. Not that I have anything against homosexuals. Oh yeah, one final thing, I couldn’t face my Doctor again after that experience, so I moved. Just thought I’d share. ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2000, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/17 "2000-04-22T14:36:00Z")
First of all, I agree: see a doctor about it. It might be any variety of thing, most likely benign, but it might be a symptom of something else. Is it hard, like bone? Are you fairly tall, and fairly thin for your height? Or…do you have very poor eyesight? (I swear all of these will relate.) Or, Does this convex chest (known as “pigeon chest”) run in your family–or does its opposite, a concave chest, appear anywhere? Or, Do you have flat feet? Or stretch marks? Or sleep apnea? Or, are your joints overly elastic–can you bend in ways that would cause a contortionist to wince? Why do I ask all of this? These are all physical manifestations of **Marfans Syndrome.** It’s a genetic disorder that has a very wide variety of mutations–it may have all of the above listed symptoms, or some, or none of them. The pigeon chest(“carinatum”), concave chest (“pectus excavatum”) and other skeletal changes are due to the overgrowth of the rib cage during development in the womb. See this link: [http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/5674/marfphotos.html](http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/5674/marfphotos.html) to see photos of some of the more common syndrome effects. In case it is Marfans, you _must_ see a doctor right away, and likely a specialist. Marfans is mostly benign, except for what you don’t see: over time, in some patients, the aorta begins to dissect. Flo Hyman, a popular member of the gold-medal winning 1984 womens’ volleyball team, died on court due to a dissecting aneurism of her aorta. Marfans patients typically have an echocardiogram every year to watch the condition of the aorta. If any swelling/dissecting has occurred, the patient is put on medications. In more severe dissections, a mechanical valve will be planted surgically. I know all of this because my fiancé “likely” has Marfans, according to his cardiologist. Likely, because he displays many of the secondary characteristics listed above, but his aorta is normal (thank God!). Marfans is difficult to diagnose; currently, the only way a doctor will know for sure that it’s Marfans is if either the aorta has begun to dissect, or the eye lens has dislocated. As my fiancé does not have either, he is lumped in the “probable” pile. This is fortunate–it appears that his version of the disease (every mutation is different) spared him the more lethal manifestation. It’s most likely not the case for you, but just in case anything lines up, you may want to ask your doc about it. * * * Teaching: The ultimate birth control method. [Laura’s Stuff and Things](http://members.aol.com/lrconaway) ---
**Author:** ![Jerk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jerk)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2000, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/18 "2000-04-23T05:07:00Z")
Bah! I dont even wanna think about this anymore. i’ve had this pretty much all my life, it hasnt grown, moved, or changed in any way. It doesnt hurt or have any kind of feeling to it.I never even remember it’s there unless i happen to press my fingers into my solar plexus. you dont see a bump on my skin when you look at me. The only way I can think of that it effects my life is that it protects me from blows to the solar plexus during kickboxing. I’m just gonna go with my doctor’s guess from 4 years ago and say it’s scar tissue. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2000, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/19 "2000-04-23T12:56:00Z")
Jerk, look, bump or no bump, you should have a physical exam every two years (I’d suggest annual after age 40.) A routine physical can catch stuff BEFORE it’s started to hurt or kill you. My cousin just died of a prostate cancer that would’ve been easily cured if he’d gone for an annual checkup. He hated doctors, and the last year of his life was suffering and pain and immobility and horrible cost and trauma to his family, and eventually two weeks of morphine-induced stupor to ease the pain. Needless. He din’t die from the cancer, he died from his unwillingness to have an annual check-up. SO, if you won’t go to a doctor for this lump, at least go to a doctor for a routine check up AND MENTION THE LUMP when you go. If it’s nothing, fine. But if it’s a slow-growing something that will eventually cause pain or difficulty, why not find out? And, manhatt, please note that the guy’s SCREEN NAME is “Jerk”. So anyone who wants to refer to him as “Jerk” isn’t doing any name-calling are they? Heh. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2000, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-body/10921/20 "2000-04-23T18:34:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by CKDextHavn: > \*\* > And, manhatt, please note that the guy’s SCREEN NAME is “Jerk”. So anyone who wants to refer to him as “Jerk” isn’t doing any name-calling are they? Heh. \*\* Heh indeed. Everytime I read through this thread I wonder “Why did the TM choose this guy to be the jerk of the week? I’m gonna send this to the Pit.” Then I remember the screen name. And seriously, **jerk** , **Dex** is right. See a doc every couple of years.