Arm Pain and lymph node tender

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Jlt814
Jlt814 Member Posts: 23
edited February 2021 in Not Diagnosed But Worried

For the past few months, I've been having on and off-shoulder and arm pain. I thought I injured myself lifting weights,- it feel muscular and not in my bone, so perhaps may have. But last weekend I also found a round, smooth, tender lump in my arm. I went to my gyn and she told me it felt like a lymph node. She did a full exam and didn't notice any other swollen lymph nodes under my arm, no breast lumps she can feel, and my breast density felt normal on both sides. She's referred me for a mammo and ultrasound Monday to be safe. Im 38 and just had my third child in May. My last mammo and ultrasound was at 36, which came back clear.

I realize that my symptoms could be things that are cancerous or are not- but the waiting for the appointment is starting to really weigh on me. Has anyone been in a similar situation and what was the outcome? I'm glad my dr. didn't feel anything concerning herself, but is that really reassuring? What are the odds that something more sinister is going on? :(

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  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited February 2021

    Where in your arm was the lump? Lipomas can grow in the arms and if they abut a nerve, can be uncomfortable. And I thought breast density only showed on imaging and couldn't be determined by feel - I hope Beesie or one of the other knowledgeable members will weigh in on that.

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  • Jlt814
    Jlt814 Member Posts: 23
    edited February 2021

    The lump is in the upper outer quadrant of my right breast, feels like it's almost at the base of my armpit. My husband said it feels like a lima bean- to me, it feels more like a grape or squishy marble. I actually have a lipoma on my chest that I had looked at with an ultrasound, so perhaps am prone to them.

    I have been previously diagnosed with dense breast tissue on a mammogram- I think what she may have been referring to was that my breasts felt the same on both sides in terms of thickness, etc?

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  • LivinLife
    LivinLife Member Posts: 1,332
    edited February 2021

    Welcome though sorry you find yourself here Jlt! I can see why you're thinking this could go either way.... The lump in the breast tissue area makes me wonder more though still could be a cyst or irritated node? Just trying to give you some more hopeful things to think about while you wait to see what it really is... It's ironic you're bringing this up.... I've been dealing with a tennis elbow since last June. P.T. in Oct - Nov. helped tremendously though it still can bother me a lot. It's the side my sentinel node was removed. I've been dealing with swollen nodes in my inner elbow crease area. My lymphedema therapist thought it could be related to the tennis elbow, it could be related to just irritated nodes which I also have in my armpit area, etc..... I have not actually been diagnosed with lymphedema so it's not that. So until Beesie comes along I still want to at least have you realize injury could still be an option. It does bother me for you that you also have that in your outer breast area vs. just something going on in your arm.....

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  • Jlt814
    Jlt814 Member Posts: 23
    edited February 2021

    Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. Can you have a single irritated node for no reason? My gyn said that all my lymph nodes in both arms felt "normal" to her, and didn't even feel this "lump" - I had to point it out to her. When I did, she said, oh that's just a lymph node and didn't seem concerned. But of course we always think the worst.

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited February 2021

    I can't explain as well as Beesie, but it's my understanding that the lymph system helps regulate our immune response & takes care of infection/inflamation. so yes, I believe you could have one irritated node.

    If you don't t feel feel confident about your doctor after the mammo, you can always get a second opinion.

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  • KMom57
    KMom57 Member Posts: 252
    edited February 2021

    JLT, I agree with MinusTwo. I had one single enlarged node in my neck (not palpable). Because of my path and timing since diagnosis, and my concern, they did ultrasound with plan to biopsy if it looked abnormal on US. On US they could not find anything to biopsy. So yes, a single reactive node would seem to be possible. That said, if you are worried and not feeling confident in your doctor, I also would consider another opinion.

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  • Jlt814
    Jlt814 Member Posts: 23
    edited February 2021

    KMom57, thanks for your reply and I hope you're feeling well. The first thing that drew me to notice this lump was that I couldn't find anything similar under my left arm. I did have my period when I found it, which made me think at first it could be a cyst. I also recently had a sebaceous cyst on my right side that became a little infected from my bra strap rubbing on it- if it is in fact a lymph node I'm feeling maybe it was in response to that?

    Regardless of the outcome I'm glad my appointment is first thing Monday morning so I can get some answers.

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  • Jlt814
    Jlt814 Member Posts: 23
    edited February 2021

    I wanted to come back and update in case anyone else finds themselves in a similar situation. I had a mammogram and ultrasound today which both came back clear, however they did see a single reactive lymph node that is larger than normal. They believe it may be a result of an irritated area i had on the same side by my sports bra. I have to go back in 2 months to have it checked just to be safe, but since nothing else abnormal was seen on my tests they believe it should return to normal size. If not, I will most likely have it biopsied to investigate further.

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  • LivinLife
    LivinLife Member Posts: 1,332
    edited February 2021

    That's really good news jlt! Sounds really promising they expect the irritated node to resume normalcy.... I sure hope it goes that way! Please let us know....

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  • Jlt814
    Jlt814 Member Posts: 23
    edited February 2021

    Thank you LivinLife, I hope so too! Although I just received my report and have a couple of questions. The palpable node I felt measures at 1.3 cm. From what I'm reading online, that's in the range for a reactive node. However it also says that they saw "two other borderline thickened right axillary lymph nodes measuring up to 2.1 cm in length". The ultrasound tech didn't even mention she saw additional reactive nodes and these seem so large! From what I'm reading online anything that size is worrisome. I received a Birads 3 as I have to go back for a follow-up, but the overall findings say "probably benign."

    I'm not looking to borrow trouble that I don't have yet, and want to of course trust the drs and radiologist as I know they are the experts- but "probably" is a hard word to accept for the next 2 months wait.

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