Do you mean where, next to your posts, under your avatar and Gold Member banner, there's a little speech bubble icon with (currently) a 4 under it? And if you hover over it, it says "Messages"?
If so, that's the number of posts you've made on BF.
View attachment 942931 Trying to upload a screen shot of what I am looking at....so up in the right corner where my blank avatar space is is my screen name and the listing of my messages and likes and posts...it states four messages but I cannot find any messages, and I have tried all the suggestions, thank you guys for weighing in, but I am stumped 8/