99% sure it's nothing.

[Mav]

The 1% doubt is what brings me here.

I really think this lovely new lump under my armpit is a cystic type lump thing, when I give it a hard squeeze, I can see a pin prick size white head thing.

It's tender from the squeezing I've done.

I don't know why I can't stop myself from worrying over minor things like this. The thought keeps turning too "what if it's a malignant lymph node", but why would that even be? I've had an untrasound on my lymphnodes that were up from past infections in my neck (apparently only 4mm) and I have zero symptoms of anything sinister, and yet I sit here worrying about something that is severly likely to be inflammation caused by hair/sweat rather than a rock hard node caused by the big C.

A part of me thinks my health anxiety is such a habit now that I feel like I can't not worry about it, I've forgotten what normal body sensations are. I don't remember what it was like to get lumps and bumps and not care about them.

I just felt like typing this, I'm sorry. I really just wanted to tell this all to someone but really don't have anyone to tell it to.

[rebeccad]

It's probably an ingrown hair, but a hot compress on it as that will bring it to a head.

[MyNameIsTerry]

"What ifs" are a big part of anxiety but they can be turned into positive "what ifs" too which is a known technique for combatting the negative ones:

https://psychologytools.com/what-if.html

How about trying that?

So...

"What if this lump is cancer?"

Now...

"What if it's not cancer?"
"What if it's just a cyst?"
"What if it's a harmless little lump that will go in it's own time?"
"What if I'm fine, there is nothing wrong with me?"

3-5 is the norm, but you can do more for particularly strong negatives.

Another useful technique is a Thought Record. Here is a specific one for HA;

https://psychologytools.com/health-anxiety-thought-record.html

As far as the 1% goes, this is something known to be in our Cognitive Distortions, it's called All-or-nothing thinking, also known as black & white thinking or dichotomous reasoning. Look them up on Wiki, it's accurate. There are a load of them but this is the one that deals with our need for absolutes, the yes or no's rather than learning to live with the shades of grey that life so often brings.