Swollen Axillary Lymph Nodes Constant Pain

JustLiving

Good Morning Ladies,

I've been doing so much reading on this site and I feel like everybody here is so supportive so I decided to write what I am going through to see if anybody has had the same experience since I really don't have anybody else to turn to at this point. I am 29 years old, I'll be 30 in a few days. About 5 weeks ago I noticed a sharp pain in my armpit. At first, I thought it was an ingrown hair (no redness, no visible ingrown hairs) so I stopped shaving, stopped wearing deodorant and started to do moist hot compresses a few times a day to see if it would clear up. 2 weeks of doing this and i had no relief, I knew it was not a muscle pain. The pain started getting more and more intense everyday. I went to the ER and insisted on an U/S because I have a history of DVT in my leg (I was 21). I was worried I had developed a blood clot in my armpit as the pain was a deep sharp pain. The Dr. did the ultrasound and said it definitely wasn't a blood clot, there was something there (about 4cm) , he said it did not look like a cyst or abscess as it was not black in the center. He began to ask me if I had a family history of breast cancer. I told him my paternal aunt & grandmother both had breast cancer. I asked if they would do a mammogram or something else. He said in the ER they do not do those. The lymph nodes in my chest (under my collarbone) were swollen and there was an "unknown mass" in the axillary trail. He prescribed me antibiotics and said to follow up with m y PCP. I took the antibiotics for a week and had no releif.

I made an appt with dr ( I do not have a PCP due to no insurance but I went and signed up for insurance through the county hospital). I explained what was going on. She felt around and found the mass in my armpit. She ordered an urgent diagnostic mammogram. I go in the next day for the mammogram, after the mamo they asked if I could stay to do an U/S, they ended up doing 3 ultrasounds. The mass in my armpit was the weirdest looking thing, it was not round, it kind of looked like a penguin. There was also a few other smaller looking masses. A few days after the mammo I got a letter that stated there was an abnormal area on the mammo so they ordered a biopsy. I go in for that June 4, the county hospital is so backed up

I know I've been working myself up but this is so nerve racking. Anyways, I do not have swelling or redness or dimpling. The main symptoms I am having is the pain & lump in the armpit. The pain is no longer localized to just the armpit, this past week the outer and upper portion of my breast has been pretty painful. My boob is super itchy, I have this weird sensation in my nipple (like pressure or something, I can't describe it), my nipples are pieced so IDK if that would prevent a nipple from becoming inverted?? 3 days ago, this bright pink/red spot appeared on the top of my areola and I also noticed a slight indent on the right breast (not exactly by my armpit but somewhat close). I also had 2- 3 spots show up on the right breast that slightly resemble a bug bite but they went away after a few days. I am so anxious for this biospy. Any insight or your stories would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Shellsatthebeach

Hi Justliving,

My doctor felt my underarm and sent me for an ultrasound because he said he didn't like the stiffness he felt. I had no pain under my arm but did have pain when I would lay on my left side below my breast area. The not knowing is tough. If you have any other questions, Don't hesitate to ask. Hope all goes well with your biopsy and it's B9.

Hopeful82014

You could try calling the scheduling office every day to see if there has been a cancellation. Sometimes something does open up. Good luck.

kmartin3243

JustLiving,

I am so sorry that you're going through this. Do you have anymore details from your mammogram report? As Hopeful 82014 said, try to call everyday to get a cancellation. They probably will be able to squeeze you in somewhere. Please let us know how it goes.

JustLiving

shellsatthebeach, the pain does seem to be more intense when I’m laying down, especially on my right side. The mass in my armpit is on the harder side , it doesn’t feel squishy like I thought it would.

kmartin: I went to pick up the mammogram report today because I’ve been reading about the BIRAD ratings and at the time of the mammogram & U/S I had no idea what to ask for. My right breast is a BIRAD 4. And the size was 26x18x26 mm.

Hopeful; that’s an excellent idea!

I seriously appreciate you ladies taking the time to answer me!!!!!!

Shellsatthebeach

I couldn't feel a difference between my right vs left arm, but my doctor did. When they did the ultrasound there were three nodes that were far larger than they should have been. They did say nodes can be swollen due to present or a recent healed infection, so the good news is that it doesn't always mean cancer. I had multi focal tumors. At the time it was believed to be three which they picked up on the ultrasound but I had one extra hiding which was found during surgery. I had one very close to my heart. I believe the pain may have been due to the tumor hitting on the heart when I would lie on my left side. They did expedite my biopsy ( to that very day). My guess is they knew it was malignant. To ease your mind, I would try to see if they could give you an earlier appt. It is cruel to leave people waiting for so long.

JustLiving

Hi Shellsatthebeach! Thank you for sharing your story with me I really appreciate it! I called the Dr today to see if they could put me on a cancellation list, they said yes but the list does seem to have a lot of people on it due to being the county hospital I'm just thankful to being able to move forward with this process to get some answers. I keep telling myself June 4th is right around the corner! Trying to stay positive!!

JustLiving

Finally had my biopsy, now it's just a awaiting game! Hoping for the best!!

kmartin3243

So happy that you finally had your biopsy! Thinking about you and hoping for benign results! Hang in there! Hopefully, you will get your results very quickly.

JustLiving

Last night I started to develop a rash on the upper outer side of my right breast, the biopsy location is in my right armpit. I'm wondering what this could be. The biopsy was Monday, rash began to appear last night (Wednesday), is this normal? I have not changed anything in my daily routine.