Good afternoon All,

This is my first time posting so please bear with me. 

My name is Zara and I’m 25. I apologise in advance for the length of this post. 

Around the end of July this year I developed a boil under my armpit, I’ve had one before that healed, with time, on its own. However, this particular boil was stubborn. I began turning to Dr Google for answers and, of course, I was hit with the potential ‘Breast cancer’ or ‘Lymphoma.’ 

This was clearly a trigger for me and I’ve been suffering with health anxiety since. I began poking, prodding, squeezing the area until the pain was unbearable. A pinkish fluid came out and I decided to visit my local urgent care centre. I expressed my concern of Breast cancer and Lymphoma but was reassured that it was an abscess and given a weeks course of antibiotics. 

The area of my abscess was quite large. The antibiotics reduced some redness but the lumpiness underneath the skin remained. Around a week later (after continued poking and prodding, another lump appeared lower down my armpit which to me, felt quite hard), I phoned my GP and was given a triage phone slot. My GP advised that I return to the urgent care centre to just be on the safe side. I returned the next day, but to an urgent care centre based within a hospital. A doctor examined me and said it felt quite deep rooted, the area was around 5cm and she said it didn’t feel like lymph nodes. She gave me a referral to the SACU ward where bloods were taken, had an MRSA swab and later a surgeon assessed me and I was given an incision and drainage alongside daily packing for the next few weeks. 

I was reassured by both the surgeon and doctor that it wasn’t lymph nodes. 

Over the past 3 weeks I’ve been having my dressings changed daily and new packing reapplied. I haven’t felt my armpit much during this time due to the nature of the procedure and the big dressings which were applied. 

I did, however, observe that part of the lumpiness still remained. I asked a nurse what this could be and she explained that it was scar tissue. 

I had my last dressing removed on Tuesday and the nurse appeared to be concerned as there was still an area that was hard under my armpit. She asked to feel my other armpit in comparison and mentioned lymph nodes. I explained that I was told it was scar tissue and I got quite upset, she then backtracked and couldn’t get me out of the room quick enough. 

Over the past few days I have noticed that the initial abscess area is now red and feels very squishy and fluid-like. 

I left feeling so uncertain and worried. I’m booked in for an appointment with the nurse at my GP next Wednesday so I will ask for her opinion also. I have been feeling my breasts, excessively, every day and can’t feel any lumps. 

However, I know that it doesn’t mean there isn’t any there. 

I’m considering paying for a private mammogram. 

Any advice would be great.

Many thanks