What causes persistent swelling in the left supraclavicular?

Welcome to Connect @tully. Oh goodness, we call that Scanxiety…that dreadful time between scans or medical tests and the results. It’s awful and compounds daily the longer we wait. I know it’s our first instinct to look online to ‘see what this could be’ but honestly, until you get the actual results, all of that searching only serves to increase that anxiety level even more.

I am sorry for the loss of your siblings to cancer. I had a similar experience with my older brother and it does weigh heavily on our minds. It’s only natural to start thinking ‘what if’ this is happening to me. But speculating doesn’t serve a purpose other than to add more to that anxiety.

So my words of wisdom as one who has done her share of waiting for results; Find positive activities to keep your mind deflected. “What if” robs us of our time and sanity. Try changing the perspective to, What if everything turns just fine! ☺️

You have just acquired a new family here on Connect so if your tests do reflect something of concern we have your back. So many of us have had or are going through medical conditions and want to help encourage and support each other. So please let me know what you find out, ok?

Thank you so much Lori for your kind words and good advice. I absolutely will let you know the results when I receive them. Thanks again!

Hi @tully,
I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your siblings. I have also had it off and on for a year myself. Late last summer it was very pronounced, but I wasn't able to get into see my doctor until it improved significantly. Both an ultrasound and CT scan of the area were normal, and the doctor couldn't feel swollen lymph nodes I did read recently that there can be benign reasons for the swelling such as excessive salt, prolonged standing, inflammation, or a reaction to a vaccine. I'm a terrible salt addict, but it does seem like if it were caused by excessive salt, it would affect both sides. I'm scheduled for a routine endoscopy and colonoscopy this next week, which I hope will eliminate any type of gastrointestinal cancer. I hope you find out the reason for your swelling soon, and it's nothing serious.
Best wishes,
Deborah

Good morning Deborah!
I apologize for my delayed response. I am at my cottage where internet connection is very poor…hit and miss kind of thing.
Thanks for sharing your experience so far. I see my GP again at the end of this month and will ask about the tests you mentioned. I so appreciate your response to me and will let you know if we discover what’s causing the swelling. Take care!
Tully

Hi Tully,

I hope you are doing well. I wanted to let you know that I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy last week. All the biopsies were benign. I do have a hiatal hernia, esophagitis, and gastritis. I mentioned the swelling above my clavicle to the gastroenterologist before my procedure, and she said sometimes gastric reflux causes supraclavicular swelling. I mentioned that I'd read that swelling in that area can be caused by cancer in the abdomen or lungs. She said she had never heard of that and "don't listen to Dr. Google. He's a pessimist."

Do you have gastric reflux. Mine is usually the silent type. The only indication is post nasal drip. She recommended taking OTC Prilosec to see if it abates. I'll let you know if it makes a difference in the swelling.

Oddly enough, but my sister has just developed the exact same condition. She is going down the same diagnosis path as me by getting an ultrasound of the area first. I'm guessing like mine, it will show nothing. Her PCP also upped her Omeprazole dosage because her reflux isn't well controlled.

I hope we can all figure out this problem soon. I miss my clavicles!

Best wishes,
Deborah

Hi Deborah!
Thank you for your update, it really helps me feel like I’m not alone dealing with this. I love the Dr. Google observation and yes I hope all three of us get healthy clavicles again soon. I got the results of my ultrasound. It noted there was no cervical lymphadenopathy, fluid collection, mass lesion or calcific deposit so I’m happy about that. I will be seeing my GP on July 28th to determine next steps and I will keep you in the loop. Oh yeah, forgot to mention that I don’t have gastric reflux. Okay take care & chat soon.

What did you learn at your appointment, @tully?

Happy Friday!
My GP was pleased with results of the ultrasound on left supraclavicular. In the absence of any diagnosis she has requested a chest x-ray and a vascular ultrasound of my left arm/neck/aorta region to make sure the swelling is not related to blood vessels/artery dilation. If this comes back negative then the plan will be a referral to internal medicine clinic. I’ll let you know when I receive results. Have a great weekend!

Hello. I realize your discussion here was over a year ago. I'm in the same situation. Left swelling in clavicle area - can you or any other tell me is ultrasound the first step which is recommended? If so, how is it done, how can a lot of pressure be put atop the clavicle area - was it easy to have done? Again, is that the first way to start to understand why it is swollen there? Thank you.

@sunshinebluebird
Greetings and welcome to Mayo Clinic’s Connect. Can you share a bit more about what your diagnostic process has been like so far? What medical attention have you received so far? Specialists?