Hello, I saw my GP yesterday about a lump I first felt under my right arm 9 weeks ago. The first week I felt the lump, I had fallen ill with a head cold that lasted 4 weeks. I had been to my GP last year about a small lump in the back of my neck that was diagnosed as a lymph node due to an infection that I had for 12 weeks and that it wouldn't fully go back down due to scarred tissued but it did shrink over time. Due to this, I have put this lump under my arm to a swollen lymph node. After 4 weeks, I am positive the lump did get smaller as I was feeling better but after 2-4 days, the lump did go back to the original size about 1cm. In that time, I also felt what I can only explain as a tiny swelling above the lump but it's more like a bump. The GP did check my breasts and confirmed everything feels normal, but as I am just over 30 years old & have had the lump over six weeks, I am being referred as urgent to a nearby breast clinic for an ultrasound. 

It was hard to feel the lump yesterday with the GP as it seems to feel bigger some days, and other days it feels barely there but she was able to feel something. She did remark she wasn't sure if it was a lymph node or it could ribbed muscle under my arm, but I have been feeling waves of anxiety since then and it could be a few weeks til I get the referral. I noticed last night after the appointment, the lump and small bump above felt more prominent, which I am not sure if touching it causes it to flare? This morning, the lump seemed to have gone right back down but the skin around the lump/bump is red and has been red this whole time of nine weeks.

This evening as I write this, it feels like it's a little big more prominent again but I don't know if this is due to me feeling around it throughout the day? The GP did mention that the change in size (going up and down) was unusual. I feel concerned, but at the same time, I keep trying to tell myself it's routine as an ultrasound will be able to confirm it better than guesswork.