Swollen lymph node near breast underarm

Hi all,

this is my first time posting here but I have suffered from health anxiety and hypochondria my whole life. I have also been secretly stalking this forum for the past few weeks and it makes me feel so much better to read other people have the same worries as i do. I don't even care if anyone replies to this I just need to tell someone my worries!

a couple of months ago i was lying on my side and my boyfriend felt a lump on my ribcage, like 2 inches from my breast below underarm. when i am lying or standing normally the lump (which according to radiologist is a lymph node) hides in my breast fat. i have no idea how long this has been here as i normally do breast exams lying down on my back and the lymph node is so soft it blends in with my fat.

i went to a breast radiologist a week after finding it and he said it was a 1.8 cm lymph node that looked benign. he said to just check on it once a month to see if it grows, otherwise come back in 6 mos.

I honestly can't take it anymore, as you can understand, so I am going to ask my gynecologist to refer me to a surgeon when I see her on friday. I just want a biopsy as it is hard for me to believe a healthy lymph node can be swollen for this long.

This has caused so much stress in my life, and I have in my mind already decided that this is cancer. I can't even look forward to things that I would normally look forward to because I doubt that I will live long enough to enjoy anything. I brush my hair in the morning and admire it, thinking it will all be gone soon from chemo. I know this is stupid of me and I am jumping to conclusions but my mind can't help it. this is the first time I have had physical proof of a possible disease. I've had many imaginary diseases throughout my life (thought I had stomach cancer age 10, brain tumor age 11, heart disease age 13, list goes on).

I'm 25 and everyone keeps saying I'm too young for anything serious, but that statement means nothing to me. I have read plenty of blogs about women my age who have been diagnosed with all types of cancer.

Anyways this post has gotten too long and I am sorry for that. I am also freaking out about this tendon/muscle lump on top of my C7 vertebrae that disappears when I stretch my chin to my chest, but appears when I tilt my head back. This I believe is metastatic cancer from my breast but chiropractor said it is a tendon. I will be seeking second opinion of course.

thank you to anyone who reads this.

I think its pretty common for women to get random lumps around there. It can be scary but if a dr has seen it and said not to worry then you shouldnt. Any type of cancer in that area usually has other symptoms. Try to relax and forget about it and so what the dr said, worry in 6 months if it's still there. I had a swollen gland in my breast that was there a month or so they take a while to go away.