Hello and thank you for reading. I appreciate it. I’m a 26 y/o female. I’ve had a hard immovable lump in my left groin area for slightly over two months. It is only under the skin; there are no lesions on the surface of the skin. The lump borders the crease of my thigh and extends onto the labia; if I reach under the labia I can feel the lump from both sides. It is 0.5’’ wide (extending from the crease onto the labia) and 2’’ long (approximately the length from the clitoris to the vaginal opening, but just about an inch away to the side towards my left thigh).

When I first got it, it came on very suddenly – it did not start out small and then grow in size. It was sore, tender and inflamed, and once I started my period a few days later the inflammation on the labia decreased and the pain dissipated. The size of the lump remained, but it did not hurt even though I was poking and prodding at it all the time wondering what it could be. The next month, the lump and labia again became inflamed and tender only one day before my period. My period began and the inflammation and pain stopped again, but the lump remained. Now I am going on a third month and the pain and inflammation these past few days is much worse than the months before, so much so that I can’t even walk normally. However, I am not due to start my period for another week and a half. I’ve also been feeling abnormally tired the past few days. Also, the past month or two I have been feeling more ‘hormonal’ than usual, and I’ve been crying for no apparent reason a few days out of the month.

I’ve had no abnormal discharge, no lifestyle changes, and no changes in the clothes I’m wearing (I wear scrubs, so tight fitting pants is not an issue). The only thing that has been abnormal is that back in January 2013 (when this started), my period was 4 days late. I’m usually 28 days on the dot; perhaps it’s changing because I go to school 30 hours a week with about 100 other women, but I’ve been in school with them since June 2012 and have never had any problems. My periods have also been extremely light (I could use one tampon all day if I wanted to), and extremely long (8-10 days compared to the normal 4-5 days).

Other medical history that may or may not be relevant: (please excuse my spelling) A) I’ve had a hard lump on the left back side of my neck. I’ve had it for at least 8 years, so I don’t think it’s an issue. It’s about the size of my fingertip most of the time. Maybe once or twice a year it increases in size 3 or 4 fold, but I’m never sick at that time. (I very rarely get sick. I don’t get the flu shot and I make it through the winter without a cold, even though my job requires me to come into contact with numerous people every day, and I’ve spent about 6 months of my life in Africa without getting sick [not even diarrhea, I should be a super hero!]). B) bicuspid aortic stenosis with minor regurgitation and thickened chordea tendinae of the mitral valve (I was told it was mild, no meds, no restrictions, and to see a cardiologist every 2-3 years) C) raynaud’s syndrome D) pituitary adenoma E) migraines F) orthostatic hypotension

I am not prescribed nor do I take any Rx medications. I take Advil 2-3 times a month for migraines, headaches and muscle pain. I take Midol or Pamprin 3-6 times a month for menstrual symptoms (I get awful pain when I menstruate – it feels like someone put on a steel tipped boot and kicked me in the crotch). I take a daily vitamin (either ‘one a day for women’ or ‘one a day for active metabolism’). I drink herbal teas: rooibos, green tea, kombucha, lemon detox, kava.

I know I need to see my doctor about this, but I haven’t because my student health insurance expired. I applied for Mass Health a few months ago but it is still not finalized. So, I’ve basically been doing a lot of googling and worrying and have no answers.