Painful armpit lump. so scared.

[emeraldgirl]

Please, please help me. I have had a painful armpit for a few days and have been trying to distract myself. last night I finally had to poke and have found a bean shaped, hard lump. I am out of my mind with worry thinking it is lymphoma or breast cancer. i have had recent blood tests due to bowel cancer scare - does lymphoma show up in blood tests? I just don't know how to get through the weekend, I feel so scared and feel like giving up - its one thing after another and i have only just settled down after recent bowel cancer scare.
thanks for reading

[AnnOBrien]

Hi there, I understand the worry something like that can cause, and why do these things always happen on a Friday night / Saturday morning! I suppose what you have to remember is that a lump in the armpit can be caused by many things e.g. skin infection due to your deodorant, or a bacterial infection of a lymph node, they don't always mean something scary. When I have a scare I try to think of all the things that the symptom is more likely to be, rather than thinking the worst. It will put your mind at ease to get a doctor appointment on Monday morning and get an opinion on the cause.

Let us know how you are doing and have some virtual *hugs*,
Ann

[emeraldgirl]

Thank you so much for your reply. It really helps to know you are not alone. I had tried to think infection but the lump is under the skin and there is no obvious sore on the skin. I was hoping it would come out as a boil then I would know what it was but it is definitely inside

[AnnOBrien]

Well if there is no sore on the skin perhaps its just a cyst. You said you had recent blood tests, so if there was something serious going on that would have showed up in your bloods, even if that was a few weeks ago, as these things don't happen overnight. So, remember that, repeat it to yourself and try and distract yourself with something today (extremely hard I know, I've been there, but possible!). Give your doc a call Monday morning to get an appointment and find out what it might be and to put your mind at ease :-)

[Mick081081]

Hiya,

Do you shave your armpits? If so it could be an ingrowing hair my wife gets them sometimes. Also like Ann says it might be your deodorant my sweat glands get blocked if I use certain deodorants which makes them swell and be painful so try using a different deodorant. If the lump has just popped up over say a week then don't worry it's definitely not cancer as that grows slowly and wouldn't be painful. Hope this helps and take care.

Mick.

[Anxious_gal]

Lymph nodes do get sore.
Lymphoma I think is rare enough n 40% of cases are in young children .
I would assume you'd have more than one lump or a really big one that doesn't go away .
I guess it'd be good to mention it to your doctor :)
Try not to fear the worst x
I'm sure something would show up in the blood work , like too many white blood cells.
I know my cousins cancer showed up in her blood work x

[swgrl09]

I have this fear, so I always remind myself and others of stats that I read from some medical website that 99% of nodes in people under 40 are benign, and if you are over 40 it is like 95% or something are benign. Pretty good stats I would say.

[Hypo]

And lymphoma cancer and other cancerous lumps aren't usually painful... another good sign that you are just fine :)

[emeraldgirl]

Thank you so much everyone - I feel really supported even though I don't know any of you. I know too, that you have all been in similar situations and that helps too. I am trying to be positive and just hoping you are all right when you say it wouldn't hurt if it was serious. At least I am almost a day nearer being able to see the doctor. i hate wishing my life away like this and what a waste of a weekend.

[Kelseywelseyyy]

I've had this doll and thought the same as you, but went the doctor and they said it was just a cyst and something to do with it being a sweaty area! If you have a lump in your arm pit it can mean that you have one in your breast, so all the doctor will do is check your breast. It will put hour mind at rest x

[Misslouread]

I get lumps under my armpits all the time, they are usually moveable and painful. The doctor says they are cysts and very common in women, it's from bugs that get in from shaving! Also generally a painful lump means it's not sinister. Take care xx

[candy_floss]

It sounds likw a lymph node. And painful lumph nodes are nothing to worry about :). Take it from someone who knows far, far too much about Lymphoma! If it hurts then it's probably swelled due to infection, perhaps irritated by deodorant or shaving?

I have swollen lymph nodes at the minute that terrify me because they are completely painless. I's give anything for mine to hurt like yours do! :roflmao:.

[emeraldgirl]

Sorry you are going through this too Candy. When I woke up today my first thought was the lump and I realised it didn't hurt so much, thinking it might be gone I immediately felt it and it has grown - it is much bigger than yesterday and now doesn't hurt as much either - doesn't make sense. Now I'm thinking because it doesn't hurt it must be something bad. It is round, smooth and now has grown from pea sized to broad bean sized but round. Don't know how to get through today. Thank you everyone for your support x

[Mick081081]

Hiya,

Honestly it's nothing sinister because if it was it wouldn't grow overnight so try to keep calm. We're you poking and prodding it a lot yesterday? If so that's probably why it was hurting more and while you were asleep you weren't poking it so that's why it won't be hurting as much. Try not to poke it as you'll only inflame it more today and make it bigger.

I've had loads of cysts and if I played with them they grew so sounds to me like that's what you've got just imagine its a spot and the more you fiddle with it the worse they get, it'll be a blocked sweat gland or a blocked hair follicle. See the doc Monday they will give you some cream or mild anti biotics to clear it up.

Try not to worry I know you will be but honestly it's absolutely nothing to worry about whatsoever.

Take care,

Mick.

[emeraldgirl]

I am trying to keep calm but failing miserably. I just cannot stop crying and feel totally out of control. I didn't prod too much yesterday as I was making an attempt to distance myself. now though I am obsessed, looking at it, poking, prodding etc. I am in such a state. Really tempted to call out of hours doc but don't want to be a nuisance and also scared because I know they will order a mammogram and that will make me panic more. I am mid fifties so in the right age bracket for all sorts of horrid things. So so scared ;-(

[Mick081081]

Bless you its horrible this damn anxiety. Keep the area clean and don't mess with it at all today and it'll go down, The problem with it being under your arm is it will rub against it when you move and that's the place bacteria love to be as it nice and warm and cosy the terrors. Remember thinking about it feeds the old anxiety fire so try to keep yourself occupied and give it the two finger salute when it try's to make you think about it.

Tell yourself it is nothing sinister over and over again it has just appeared suddenly so it can't be. I've got a throat infection and my neck glands are up but have kept telling myself it's normal as the GP told me so on Friday.

Keep your chin up and keep occupied.

Take care.

Mick.

[emeraldgirl]

Thanks Mick, I know you are talking sense so why can't I just let it go. I hate this anxiety, it has ruined my life

[Mick081081]

I know anxiety sucks, I'm on Citalopram 20mg and it's helped me so much upto now, I'm only on day 42 and my anxiety is near gone but appears occasionally and I can now think straight enough to ignore it my panic is long gone so happy with how this drug is going.

Are you on any meds?

Mick.

[emeraldgirl]

yes, I'm on citalopram too. I've been on it for years and am trying to come off so only taking 10mg a day. Its great but I really want to stop taking it now. I have phoned out of hours doc as could stand it no longer - they are ringing me back.Soooooo scared

---------- Post added at 16:59 ---------- Previous post was at 14:07 ----------

Just an update - what a whirlwind weekend. I have been to the out of hours doc.You were all right - the doctor is pretty sure its an infected hair follicle. He has given me antibiotics. There was a lovely nurse practitioner there who was really understanding about the anxiety and I feel so much better. The only slight niggle I have is that the doctor told me to see my GP if it hadn't gone in a week.Once again thank you all so much - you have really helped me through he last 24 hours

[Mick081081]

So glad you got it sorted and it's put your mind at rest, I've had to have 5 of the damn things removed from my neck, face and arm that's why they said go to see your GP in a week if it hasn't gone as it might need chopping out don't worry though it doesn't hurt and leaves a minimal scar.

Best thing to do is if your using a razor to shave any area make sure it's a good one and throw it away after a few uses. It costs me a small fortune in razor blades but it's better than dealing with lumps and bumps all the time from a razor blade pulling away at the hair and making it go inside your skin.

Take care,

Mick.

[tt2012]

Thank you so much for your reply. It really helps to know you are not alone. I had tried to think infection but the lump is under the skin and there is no obvious sore on the skin. I was hoping it would come out as a boil then I would know what it was but it is definitely inside

Yes, I think it can be boil. As others said, lymphoma would not hurt. My mom had that type of cancer and she had several nodes around her body. She said they were not painful. You probably got it from shaving or plucking if you do that. I get baby bumps underarms usually from hair that gets stuck under skin. Another possibility is a benign cyst.