painful armpit lump...can hardly put my arm down!

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samikay
samikay Member Posts: 4
edited March 2018 in Not Diagnosed But Worried

i'm 30 years old with no personal cancer history, but it is very prominent in my family.

i've been dealing with my lymph node under my right arm swelling intermittently every once in a while and my doctor told me that it was possible that it was due to the the antiperspirant i have used, so i changed to a "natural" deodorant (this was a few years ago) and when it came back the last time about a year ago, my doctor suggested i may have an infection from shaving and gave me antibiotics and it went away.

recently (a month or so?) the swelling came back and actively hurt. it wasn't red or visible, but it hurt when i would sleep on it and sometimes during the day when i put my arm down. i wasn't even sure WHAT hurt, but my husband felt around and he said that something felt weird compared to my other underarm. so today i went to the doctor and told him it was causing pain and it hasn't gone away.

he had me lie down (because it disappears when i sit up) and poked around and while it didn't feel GREAT (like achy) there was one point when he pressed right in the middle right on the crease of my armpit and it was like "OUCH!!!" he said it didn't feel like the lymph node, but it felt like a cyst. he said it felt "strange" and he recommended i get an MRI of my armpit. the nurse said she would arrange it, but he didn't mention if he thought it was anything else or what he was thinking. now my armpit hurts a whole lot and is sore.

now i'm just worried because i don't know how long i should wait? should i call and ask him more questions? or what i should do until then? i'm having a lot of anxiety (and pain!) so anything helps!

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  • Sara536
    Sara536 Member Posts: 7,032
    edited March 2018

    It sounds like you finally got some action out of your doctor. An MRI is not just another guess.

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  • samikay
    samikay Member Posts: 4
    edited March 2018

    for real! i have always wondered about it but this is the first time it has actively hurt. i'm glad something is getting done.

    do you know of a reason why he would recommend an MRI over an ultrasound? i mean i'm not gonna argue with the doctor, but everything i've read has an ultrasound first? i just am not sure.

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited March 2018

    I was going to say, why not an ultrasound? It really sounds like maybe a sebaceous cyst, which are really common in the axilla & hurt a lot, or maybe some other kind of cys. Ultrasound would check the lymph nodes too.

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  • samikay
    samikay Member Posts: 4
    edited March 2018

    thank you for responding! i will bring that up to my doctor when i talk to him. because i mean, obviously life saving screenings aren't the time you want to be a tight wallet, but an ultrasound sounds a LOT better than an MRI (emotionally AND $$$).

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  • Sara536
    Sara536 Member Posts: 7,032
    edited March 2018

    Your doctor should be willing to explain why he chose the MRI. Asking questions and seeking a bit of education about what is being recommended should not be considered “arguing" as long as you don't make it sound that way. If your doctor acts like you are too stupid to understand or perceives a question as a threat, maybe you should find another doctor. Many are happy to have patients who want to understand what's what.

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited March 2018

    Or at least a cheap ultrasound before an expensive MRI! I agree with Sara

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