With the recent global cancer burden, you have every reason to freak out anytime you realize you have a painful lump in your body. However, you must beware that not all lumps are cancerous. Not all lumps are a cause for alarm too although they can be cancerous in rare cases. This is what to do when you feel a painful lump inside your body:

Seek Medical Advice

It cannot be ruled out that lumps can be an indication of some serious conditions and worse signs of cancer. While it is rare that an unexplained lump, bump, or swelling can be a sign of a more serious issue if it is beneath the skin, you must watch out for abnormal lumps. When you have lumps that are large, hard, and painless and appear spontaneously, then you should go for a checkup. Breast Cancer Experts at Bedford Breast Cancer Center advise that you seek breast cancer treatment as soon as you realize such a lump in your breast to make it possible for the medics to detect your cancer early and cure it.  Remember that breast cancer is curable if it’s detected early.  

Also, go for screening anytime you have weird lumps as it can facilitate the early detection of cancerous cells. Likewise, if you have a family history of breast cancer and you develop painful lumps, you must see a physician so that they can affirm whether you have cancer or not. Cancerous lumps can often grow in size as time goes by. They can appear in your breast, neck, arms, legs, and testicles. You can easily feel these lumps. Should you develop a soft tissue sarcoma you should seek immediate medical attention.

Take It Easy

There are different types of lumps and most of these lumps are not a cause for concern. For instance,  there are lump appearances you can connect to certain activities and traumas. If you are an athlete or a fitness enthusiast you have high chances of developing lumps based on the characteristics of the physical activities you engage in. However, learn to tell whether the lump is serious or not. Note that lumps that disappear by themselves and those whose swellings improve on their own are often harmless and should not worry you.  

A normal lump can be soft, mobile, and can change in form and location. These lumps are often located on the fatty layers of your skin and can grow large and more painful with activity and resolve when you stop the associated activity. Cysts, tendonitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and enlarged lymph nodes can also cause lumps so check yourself for either of these.

Check whether it’s a lymph node. If the lump is pea-size and is found throughout the body and appears behind your collarbone, the groin, armpits, or neck it could be a lymph node. These nodes appear in these spots to help your body eliminate toxins and dead blood cells to enhance cell regeneration which you need for maintaining good health. Note that you can have swollen lymph nodes in the form of lumps anytime you have a cold or infection. The accumulation of these dead cells in your lymph nodes can also make you develop lumps.  However, if your swollen lumps take more than fourteen days without shrinking and instead grow larger than a pea or if they cause your glands to swell, then seek the necessary medical attention.

Cysts

Check whether your lumps are skin cysts. You can tell this if your lumps have pus or other fluids. Like lymph nodes, they can appear anywhere beneath your skin. They can feel like peas and often result from an infection or when your pores are clogged. Foreign bodies like earrings and necklaces can also cause skin cysts so if you suspect that’s the cause of your lump then some antibiotics can help you or you can let the cysts disappear on their own. Skin cysts can also grow over time although they can be painless and smooth when you touch.

If it’s a lump in your breast and you feel pain when doing a self-examination, it’s common and in some cases, it could also be a cyst. You can also tell if your lump is different from the normal lumps in the breast which can also be painful when pressed and in case the lump is any different contact your doctor.

Not all lumps are cancerous as many people think. If any, most lumps are non-cancerous and are not a thing you should worry about. Beware that there are different causes of lumps in your body. Accumulated dead blood cells can make your lymph nodes swell and these swelling too can be lumps. Skin cysts can also cause lumps and often they are a result of an infection. These lumps often disappear on their own after some time although you can also seek some medical advice if you feel so uncomfortable with them. 

You must understand your body and know what lumps are normal and which ones are abnormal. As soon as you notice an abnormal lump in your body that keeps growing in size, one that is painless and appears spontaneously, contact your doctor so that you can be screened for cancer. Remember cancer is easily treated when detected early.