I’m trying not to be anxious while I sit here and wait for my doctor’s appointment, so I wanted to get some support/opinions from you ladies about my boob.
For the past few weeks I’ve noticed intermittent aches coming from righty, localized near the bottom of the armpit side. It’s usually more prounounced as I’m getting ready for bed, for some reason. I brushed it off as hormonal, but it’s lingering and sometimes the pain tends to radiate out towards the center a bit.
Yesterday I finally did a full self-exam and I’m not sure but there might be some change in texture at that spot. If it is a lump it’s small, maybe pea-sized, but I asked the husband to check it out (he was happy to!) and he said he might feel something too.
I’ve got an appointment later today, and I’m hoping they’ll find nothing at all and maybe tell me to change bras or something. But do you guys have any experience with this kind of possible lumpy boob pain?
BTW I’m only 28, so it seems like it’s less likely to be something malignant, right?
The best thing you can do for yourself is what you’re already doing, getting it checked out right away. Best case scenario is you have peace of mind knowing an exam ruled out the bad stuff, and worst case scenario is early detection.
For what it’s worth, I know a woman who describes pain exactly the same as yours, with a single point of pain near the armpit that occasionally radiates toward the center. She scheduled an exam, after which the doctor found no reason to diagnose her with any particular medical condition.
Here’s an I-am-not-a-doctor-but-I-have-this-and-it’s-fine anecdote for you:
I have really grainy, lumpy breast tissue anyway, but I have a definite lump in my left armpit (it’s still breast tissue) that comes and goes periodically (heh) and with other hormonal changes. When I had my baby and my milk came in, that was fun. Usually, it goes away entirely, but it’s gotten as large as a ping-pong ball. It can be very painful when it’s swollen, and is usually sensitive to pressure even when it’s not. I’m 36, and I’ve had it for, oh, 10? 15 years? I’ve had various doctors palpate it over the years, and I’ve had a mammogram done on it, and so far, so good. I’m told it’s just lumpy tissue that gets plugged up now and then, and aside from the discomfort, it’s nothing to worry about.
As you say, you’re young, and boobs are weird, so it’s probably fine.
Thanks everyone! It’s good to know that Dope is here for you when you’re being crazy-anxious.
The appointment went fairly uneventfully. The nurse practitioner did a manual exam and chatted about my history for a bit, and then we scheduled an ultrasound for Monday to take a better look. She also did a urine pregnancy test while I was there, just to rule that out. When that came back negative she sent me on my way.
HOWEVER. I just got a call from her an hour ago. Apparently after I left, the urine test turned positive. She had them run it again and the second one came back positive!! :eek:
Now I have no idea what to think, and the NP seemed baffled when she was telling me this, and said “I’ve never had that happen before!” I had mentioned to her in the appointment that I had suspected I was pregnant last month, due to some off feelings and also what might have been the first flutterings of baby kicks in my belly. But two home tests came back negative (I was super-paranoid) and so I thought nothing of it. I had what seemed to be a normal period, and disregarded these recurring “gas pains” as me being more paranoid and maybe things feeling different after my c-section last year.
But now… what the hell is going on with my body? I just had blood drawn for a STAT pregnancy test, so I should hear back within the hour what the verdict is. Has anyone had anything like this happen to them? I’m totally flabbergasted here!
If I AM pregnant, why did all those tests show negatives? And if I’m NOT, why did the other test show a positive, and twice?!
I can’t decide if I want to panic or laugh hysterically. Maybe both?
I’ve been feeling these possible kicks for two months now. I had two negative home tests, at least two “regular periods,” and none of the other symptoms I had with my son. Who knows how far along this is? I’m heavy and didn’t show until 26 weeks the first time.
Also I’ve been on some psych meds that are contra-indicated and I wasn’t on prenatals at all. OK now I’m worried!!
Waiting for the OB and the psych dept. to call me back. YOU GUYS this is the craziest day I’ve ever had, hands down!
Most likely it is a noncancerous soft tissue growth (or lipoma), though you probably still want to get it removed if it’s causing you pain by pressing on other parts–which in a skin fold is more likely. Ask your mom or grandmas, on both sides if you can, whether lipomas run in the family.
Nasty TMI:
Maybe it’s a subdermal boil that hasn’t come to a head yet? I get boils in the underarm area sometimes. There’s a small lump under the skin (can be VERY painful), which eventually comes to a head, and I poke and squeeze it and pus comes out. I think you can get boils in any skin crease, but mine always appear in my left pit. Bodies are weird!
This thread kinda made my day. To see an OP go from anxious worry to such a crazy, unexpected (but it sounds like welcome news) twist in the opposite direction… Well, if it is positive, congrats!
