Should I Get a Second Opinion?

Question

I went to the dr with a lump on my back near my shoulder blade. Can't be felt unless I lean forward and flex the back muscle. My shoulder also feels pinched and it pops and snaps when I rotate it. He said the lump is a lipoma, without doing any tests. He had lipomas too he said. To me the lump feels hard but he said it is soft. I can't feel it move but he said it does. How soft is "soft" and how hard is "hard"? I sometimes have light pain when I breathe deep in the area surrounding as well.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Lipomas are common but an examination only reveals a presumptive diagnosis.  Once removed, I send my specimens to a pathologist to provide the final diagnosis. Raffy Karamanoukian, Los Angeles

Stephen Salerno, MBBS, FRACS · Answer

Hello

	The diagnosis of lipoma is usually a clinical one and can is usally easy to amke after taking a history and examining the suspect area.  They are not always the same consistency and can be soft or hard.  They can be confirmed prior to any surgery by eitther having  and ultrasound scan or a cat scan of the area.  This is usually reserved for lipomas that may be a little suspect of something else or when they are quite large or in a difficult area to ressect, like in the neck.

	Regards

	Stephen Salerno

Jeffrey C. Poole, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Lipomas are quite common, and are generally easily diagnosed on exam alone by an experienced dermatologist.  With that said, you should always get a 2nd opinion if you are uncomfortable with the answer or evaluation you have been given.  In unusual circumstances an ultrasound, CT or MRI may be obtained if a diagnosis of lipoma is not certain.

	The symptoms you are describing-- popping, snapping, pain with deep breathing-- are not seen with lipomas, and suggest a separate or associated musculo-skeletal issue.  Those concerns would be best evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon.

F. Victor Rueckl, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

You are always entitled to get a second, third, etc. opinion and if that will help you, by all means, do it. There's not going to be a consistency that's constant with lipomas, even on the same person. I've seen some be very fluid-like, others more fatty and dense, and others still that are harder. And all three of these were on the same person's back. So, while lipomas are "fatty" cysts, there are differences. Removing them is the same, and we really don't do any kind of "test" to confirm what it is beforehand because there's not a good way to do that. We go to school to learn what a lipoma is and spend years doing the procedures. That's how we know. But you should absolutely get as many opinions on it before you proceed with any kind of appointment or care. This is your body and you need to feel good about what you are being told.

Should I Get a Second Opinion?

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Answer: Is this a lipoma

Answer: Is this a lipoma

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Should I Get a Second Opinion?

Answers (4)

Answer: Is this a lipoma

Answer: Is this a lipoma

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Everything you need to know about Lipoma Removal

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