What causes persistent swelling in the left supraclavicular?
I have had off and on swelling of my left supraclavicular for years. In the past few months it is swollen pretty much all the time. I am awaiting results for an ultrasound but I’m very scared because everything I read about this is bad news and I have already lost a 38-year old sister to breast cancer and a 52-year old brother to colon cancer. Any words of wisdom?
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Hello!
Yes, it has been a long time since I wrote about my concern about the persistent swelling of my left supraclavicular. Mostly because I am still without a diagnosis. At this point, I have been referred to Internal Medicine and awaiting appointment.
It is nice to hear from someone who is experiencing the same and I wish you luck on your search for help.
Below is a list of tests that I have undergone in the past year and the results, starting with the most recent.
CT neck (supraclavicular) scan, which was considered an unremarkable examination. In particular, there was no lesion, no neck mass or lymphadenopathy and no abnormal or prominent vessels to explain the swelling.
Chest X-Ray which also was unremarkable.
Vascular ultrasound of the Left arm/neck/aorta region, which indicated there was no blood vessels/artery dilation causing the swelling.
Soft Tissue(supraclavicular) Ultrasound, unremarkable.
Take care,
Tully
Thank you for sharing all of this with me!
I've been swollen above my clavicle especially on the left side for over three years. One day I just woke up like that. It waxes and it wanes but it never completely goes away especially on the left. I've had CT scans ultrasound. I've been to every type of doctor including cancer, thyroid, immunologist, allergist. No pain. Some swollen lymph nodes. Small 5mm node on thyroid doc is not concerned about. Lots of labs. No answers.
I just came upon this site last night after researching this same swelling under "supraclavicular fossa swelling" which seemed to describe my situation but I found it bilateral. Saw my primary yesterday and he sent me for a Chest X-ray and ultrasound of my neck and numerous labs. Still waiting on the Ultrasound. My doctor felt the majority of swelling was on the left side . Mine started 4 days ago. I was reading studies by Oxford and a few other sites that popped up and it seemed they were finding this in women 55 ish and older on average. Some had gastritis before, heartburn, or had been gardening and some shoulder pain. There were several recurring scenarios. Now I see that some of you have this recurring. I am waiting to see what my doctor finds as so far all is negative . I am thinking my US results might show something. I have also felt what I describe as pressure when I lie down around my neck and sometimes some crackling high up when I breathe when sleeping. I do have seasonal allergies with congestion. I also wonder if this was tied to a virus. I had influenza B in January and it hit me hard and it took over a month to start feeling better and had to be on inhalers. I never get sick to this degree. I saved the articles to share with my primary. One site suggested paroxysmal thoracic duct occlusion syndrome once other conditions were ruled out. It's all a puzzle. I am thankful people are willing to share their experiences and hope nothing serious comes from this swelling. I am thinking I might be on the same path as you, more testing.