‘I would have done surgery on myself to get it out’: Woman notices a bump on her arm. Then she pinches it
A mystery bump inside a woman’s arm sparks concern, leading her on a journey to have the object removed. Turning to TikTok, she posted a video on Dec. 16 under the account StepUpStudios (@stepupstudios).
The video, which has amassed over 641,000 views, asks the internet to share suggestions and opinions to help unravel the mystery of what might be inside her arm.
She started her video with a story time. “So, probably over a year ago, I was like doing this to my arm, and I noticed like a hard spot right here,” she said, as she rubbed the spot on her arm.
“Is it a cyst? Is it just a bump? Like, that’s really weird, you know? And like every once in a while, I just feel like it because I just think like ‘What is that?’” she wondered aloud.
At first, she dismissed the mysterious bump as a harmless cyst or ordinary lump and didn’t give it too much thought. However, one day, curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to take a closer look and what she discovered gave her some pause.
The mystery takes a sharp twist
This time, she decided to pinch the area where the mystery object inside of her arm was located. That’s when she noticed two sharp ends of the object protruding from either side.
“It’s like a bar,” she said. “I haven’t tried to squeeze it to see if it’s bendy. I can—you can’t tell in the camera, but I can see it through my skin a little now, and it seems like blue or something.”
At a point where she can no longer ignore it, she turns to the internet for help in identifying the mystery object in her arm—though this isn’t the only avenue she’s exploring.
Now at the point where she can’t not know any longer, she asks the internet for help to figure out what the mystery object in her arm could be. However, this isn’t the only route she’s taking.
“So I’m hoping to get [to] the [doctor] in the next couple of weeks. I have no idea what this could be, but we will see,” she said. “If anybody has any ideas, or has experienced something like this, or anything, please drop a comment. Stitch this video, whatever, because what the hell is in my arm?”
Commenters guess the mystery object inside her arm
People eagerly jumped in with guesses and suggestions about what she should do with the mysterious foreign object in her arm.
“I’d be at the [doctor's office] yesterday [face with tears of joy emoji],” one person joked.
“RFID chip lol,” another guessed.
One commenter confessed, “I fear I would have done surgery on myself to get it out.”
“[So] when is [your doctor’s appointment]?” someone asked. “I'm anxious to find out what is in [your] arm.”
Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long—among the commenters was Jerry Chidester, a plastic surgeon popular on TikTok known as Dr. Chiddy, who offered to help by performing a free ultrasound.
"Come see me[—]I can do an ultrasound, no charge! DM me!" he offered.
The doctor removes the mystery object from inside her arm
In a series of update videos, she documents the two days leading up to the removal of the mystery object from inside of her arm. In the next video, she addresses a frequently asked question: Why did she wait a year before trying to get it removed? The answer? Health insurance.
“As of right now, I’m waiting on some health insurance to kick in,” she explained. “That’s why it’s been in my arm for so long because I haven’t had the health insurance to go get it checked out nor do I have the money to just pull out of my pocket to go to the doctor.”
But, as TikTok often does, it came through. It wasn’t long before she uploaded another update: Chiddy had offered to perform a free ultrasound on her arm to get a closer look at the object inside.
Marked as sensitive content by TikTok, the next video shows Chiddy donning surgical gloves and a mask, holding a scalpel as he performs the procedure on her forearm.
The mystery remains unresolved
In the finale, she confirms that the surgery was a success. She also expresses gratitude toward Chiddy, who provided both the ultrasound and the surgery at no cost.
Holding the mystery object that was inside of her arm in her hand, she showed it to the camera. “We’re thinking maybe [...] a piece of wood or [...] maybe a calcified vein, but it’s really hard,” she said. “It was pretty tight in there, the scar tissue. It’s very hard. It’s kind of red and it has some like white on it.”
“There it is, guys. Still not sure what it is,” she added.
While it remains a mystery, she finds some comfort in knowing the object is no longer inside of her arm.
@stepupstudios Help!????????
♬ original sound - stepupstudios
The StepUpStudios account did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok direct message.
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The post ‘I would have done surgery on myself to get it out’: Woman notices a bump on her arm. Then she pinches it appeared first on The Daily Dot.