First post: Found lump in underarm

[ravicious]

Hello everyone, My name is Raven, I am a 29 year old dog groomer in the States. I have severe panic disorder and attacks. I am on citalopram 20mg once a day, lithium, and xanax for really bad days. I have been to the ER multiple times for panic attacks and thinking I was going to have a heart attack. I am also on 50,000 units of Vitamin D once a week and I take depoprovera birth control shot every 3 months which help with stopping ovulation that caused severe heart palpitations, abdominal pain, back pain, etc.

The reason for my post here, even though I am so far away from most of you in the UK is I found a painful lump about the size of a dime in my left underarm two days ago when shaving. It's tender to the touch, firm but movable, and right in the crease of my underarm. When my arm is pressed down to my side it can be really painful. It's also painful with any pressure on it. I am trying really hard not to freak out and start sobbing. I am very afraid right now. I am going to try to get in to see my normal doctor tomorrow and see what he thinks. It would be nice to hear some thoughts about this. I have never had anything like this before.

[ricardo]

I think you are doing the right thing by seeing your doctor who can access the lump in a few seconds and I am sure will put your mind at ease by offering some treatment be it cream or whatever.
From the way you describe it, I doubt it has anything to do with your anxiety or a reaction to the drugs and vitamins you are taking, but I may well be wrong.

[AlexandriaUK]

Hi Raven welcome to the forum, sorry you are struggling with anxiety at the moment but I think once you see for Dr you will be reassured that it's maybe a cyst or something similar, quite easily treated, get DR's as soon as possible as the longer you dwell on it the worse it becomes.
Let us know how you get on.

[pulisa]

The fact that it's movable and painful are "good" signs and it could well be an infected sebaceous cyst. However as everyone has said you need to get it checked out by a doctor as soon as possible. Just make the appointment and please let us know what the doctor says?

[ravicious]

I went to my doctor and he says it's nothing to worry about. A swollen lymph node aggravated by shaving or some such. He says it can take up to a month or two to go down on it's own. In the mean time, my anxiety says everything else. That it's more than what he says, that I'm only 29 and I have cancer, and that it's something terrible, festering in there.

I hate anxiety. It's such a horrible sickening illness.

[pulisa]

It's easy for me to say but you have to trust your doctor on this one. Pain from the lump is a good sign but I imagine all you can think about is what if the doctor has made a mistake?

You're entitled to get a second opinion of course but if you get the same diagnosis would this reassure you? It's so hard for you but basically you may just have to wait for a couple of months to see if the node goes down on its own but this is far from easy.

[ravicious]

It's very hard. I keep touching and checking it every day. Still there, still the same. No pain now. No pain bothers me even more. UGH.

[pulisa]

The monitoring of it must be very anxiety-provoking. The positives are that it's movable and hasn't grown in size. I know that you want more than this so would you consider a second opinion next week or so? If things stay the same that is.