Localized breast pain

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Lemonslemons16
Lemonslemons16 Member Posts: 25
edited March 2019 in Not Diagnosed But Worried

I’m obviously here because I’m tremendously worried. Not just because I have breast pain but because I’ve had it for awhile but another recent health scare caused me to follow up on concerns I had been ignoring.

While I was pregnant (3 years ago), I had extremely painful breasts which I know to be typical for some. During pregnancy I experienced a nipple change; the nipple which was always round, devloped a small “projection” which causes it to appear larger. I had such sore nipples during pregnancy and breast feeding, I just chalked it up to pregnancy symptoms. But today, that nipple is still sore. I don’t like it touched and even brushing up against a bra is painful. The skin appears normal to me... no discharge or bleeding or peeling.

My other neglected symptom. Right breast pain. Non-cyclical. I chalked this up to bad posture for a long time... I have uneven shoulders due to scoliosis. And my right breast is slightly bigger. I believe it always has been but my anxiety has me questioning that. I also have a recurrent fungal infection that lives on my skin (I’ve got it all folks!) and that is widespread below my breasts. So yea, I’ve made excuses for the pain.

To describe it: sometimes quick and sharp, stabbing but that’s rare... MAYBE a few memorable times a month. The pain is mostly in the armpit area where my arm meets the breast. Hurts when pushed. I also feel discomfort when one of my children lays on my right breast and that general area (my children are very little so when less than 10 lbs is put on the area.) Hugging is okay but not comfortable. When reaching with that arm, I don’t feel pain but I feel a tightness.

I have had two breast surgeries in the upper left side of my breast to remove sebaceous cysts. This is not the site of the pain though.

I’ve yet to find someone describe pain quite like mine and few to claim pain in this area to be benign. I’m terrified that my excuse making is going to literally be the death of me. Does anyone have experience with breast pain that was not found to have a cause?

My self-exams have not revealed anything but I’m admittedly a bit uncomfortable doing them and I know they don’t find a good bit of what’s hiding under there.

Also, I am going to see the MD today for a breast exam. I’ve had imaging done in the past (I had a lump under the same armpit during pregnancy and had an US. It wasn’t detected by the US so they weren’t concerned and it went away on its own. I had recently had a course of antibiotics but the lump was there for a couple of months after.)


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  • Lemonslemons16
    Lemonslemons16 Member Posts: 25
    edited March 2019

    ok, update, already.


    Obgyn noted “dense tissue” in the area that I’m noticing pain. She ordered a mammogram, ultrasound and consult with someone at the Breast Center (not sure if that will be a BS or not). She said if it’s not something they are worried about, they could perhaps advice me on options for the pain.

    So the only thing I have going for me now is that I’ve scheduled imaging for next week. So now I’ll be anxious for 7 days. Has anyone heard of this? I’m guilty of googling everything but no real results for this other than that breasts can contain dense tissue (should have mentioned I’m 35 and dense tissue is still pretty common right?) But I asked her how it compared to the left side and she said that she noticed dense tissue in my spot of concern. She didn’t seem to want to say much.

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  • cecyc
    cecyc Member Posts: 59
    edited March 2019

    Hello, I have had breast pain for sometime now as well.  for me it is my left breast radiates to my armpit, shoulder and back.  I also have a palpable lump on the 3-4 o clock position.  I had a mammogram and ultrasound and they only thing they see in the are of lump/pain is fibroglandular tissue.  My lump is painful and moveable.  I was not satisfied with the answer so I went to see my obgyn and he felt the lump and said it's nothing to worry about but still sent me to a breast surgeon. saw him last week and he is going to do a lumpectomy soon.  just wanting for insurance to come through. He says I should not worry about it because the lump does not feel suspicious but just for my piece of mind he will remove and send to pathology. 

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  • Lemonslemons16
    Lemonslemons16 Member Posts: 25
    edited March 2019

    Cecyc,

    That sounds like some intense pain, so sorry to hear you are dealing with that. Is it constant or worse when touched or with movement? It’s good that right now there is such optimism... I’m sure you are hopeful this helps with the pain.

    My pain is hard to describe because sometimes it’s not pain at all but more of a tight feeling. At times, I feel nothing. It’s never been so intense I’ve needed to take anything for it but it’s like a constant nagging feeling. Though apparently not nagging enough for me to have had this looked at sooner.


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  • cecyc
    cecyc Member Posts: 59
    edited March 2019

    the pain is intense sometimes but not always.  It is definitely worse when I touch the lump.  which right now it's all the time since I am pretty obsessed with it.  sometimes I have just a burning feeling or a prickly feeling.  I hope the week goes by really fast for you. 

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  • Erinashley19
    Erinashley19 Member Posts: 104
    edited March 2019

    Hopefully the week passes quickly and you can have answers soon. I was diagnosed with a complex cyst last year. My only symptom at first was intense localized pain. Over time the pain has gone down significantly but I still have it from time to time (though much more dull now). I do also experience a tugging sensation. I notice it most in bed if I lean a certain way and stretch out my arm to grab something on my nightstand. It’s as if there’s a tight string inside that breast right where the cyst is that is pulled tighter than the surrounding tissue when I move just right

    Good luck. Update when you can

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  • Lemonslemons16
    Lemonslemons16 Member Posts: 25
    edited March 2019

    thanks for your reply.

    The pain is similar in that it can be intense but it can also be non-existent. Earlier, I felt a stab of pain and then touched a spot and it hurt but now that spot doesn’t hurt. Things are probably overly complicated right now because I’m also expecting my period and even my left breast is tender (if touched with pressure.)

    I’ve ordered new bras wondering if that is an issue as well because I noticed my underwire is not sitting flat under my breast. The odd thing is that my cups are actually big for me due to weight loss. But I feel I’ll be more comfortable without underwire for a bit.

    I’ll definirely update after Thursday

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  • Erinashley19
    Erinashley19 Member Posts: 104
    edited March 2019

    yes! My pain is the same way. It’s worse right before my period but sometimes I feel a random stab then other times it’s painful if I press the area. It can literally change hour to hour some days. I’ll press the area one min and it’s tender. Press it again a while later and nothing. It’s the strangest thing. I think that’s what had me so freaked out early on when I began experiencing this. It didn’t seem to fit in an specific mold of symptoms but I knew it wasn’t normal and that’s what worried me.

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