Various symptoms, originally bc-fears

[ia_marre]

Hi! Im new to this forum but not to health anxiety unfortunately... I battled with severe breast cancer fears several years ago and here we go again. I had my first baby a year ago and stopped nursing about four months ago and like three months ago I started experiencing strange pains and swollen feeing in one breast. Became very anxious immediately and went to the doctor who examined, felt nothing suspicious but sent me to a mammogram and ultrasound to put my mind at ease. It came back clear, but I still can´t let go of the fear and my symptoms intensifies all the time. The pain feeling has subsided but I now feel like both my breasts are kind of swollen. No one else seem to think so though and I have been to the doctors several time and just last week went to a new doctor that examined my breasts and said it felt just fine, but Im still horrified. Why can't I trust the doctors? Now I have a warm feeling in the right side of my body and the burning, sore skin feeling along with a feeling of the skin being swollen. When I show people however, they say Im fine... Any thoughts to help put my mind at ease would be greatly appreciated as I feel I can't cope with this anymore. How can I break this worry cycle?

[countrygirl]

Hope this helps - ever since I was about 19 yrs old and am now 50 I have experienced what I call my fake shingles skin thingy! I get an area of skin that is incredibly tender to the touch but not if you push hard it feels like a bad burn it also prickles and tingles and itches and I get sharp shooting pains in it. It usually lasts from a day to a couple of weeks and it can be literally anywhere on my body.
I also get intense priclking sharp pains in my left breast only on rare occasions and again last about week or two then goes completely - again I have had this on and off for at least 15 yrs that I can remember.
One Dr said that it is peripheral neuropathy but not from any disease like diabetes but caused by your sympathetic nervous system being on constant alert due to anxiety.
I also have spinal problems and these can cause this type of neuropathy as well due to irritation of the nerves from spine.

If you have had mammo and ultrasound then anything nasty would have been picked up as they what one misses the other sees so yes you have weird symptoms but they are no doubt due to something harmless like anxiety or stressed back from lifting small child.

[ia_marre]

Thank you so much for answering as I am at my wits end with this! It is so bad I keep checking my breasts for any changes in feel appearance or temperature at the same time as I hardly can take showers cause it brings on so much anxiety as I always seem to find something to worry about... The most difficult thing is that I can't trust the mammograms at all since I was so sure something was wrong and still am. Google also keep reminding me that these kinds of examinations aren't always reliable... More thoughts on my issue is greatly appreciated!

[Christers]

Hi there! I've been experiencing the same feelings and obsessions since my first child was around a year old. I, too, have now got to the stage where i find it extremely stressful even having a shower or bath incase i feel/see a lump. I've had two breast exams from two different doctors and neither reported anything that concerned them. I think the more you focus on pains/tingles and poke and prod at your breasts, the more you will seem to experience. Having a baby can change your body in many ways and, especially havin just stopped breast feeding, you are going to experience changes as your hormone levels begin to regulate themselves. You've had a mammogram and ultrasound, you just need to learn to relax now (easier said than done, I know!)