Enlarged Axillary lymph node

A hand to hold please!

I’ve had pain down the side of my left breast and in my armpit fold intermittently for the past few weeks, I’ve also been having pain at the top of my left arm, again intermittently.  As I’m 29 weeks pregnant I had put it down to that at first, I also have a toddler who’s very keen on being picked up and put straight back down atm and as the left is my weaker arm I put it down to that.  
I stupidly googled it and was bothered as it seemed the pain seemed to be along where the lymph nodes are, so I have been to see the GP who couldn’t feel anything and advised to go back again in a couple of months if the pain is still there.  Anxiety got the better of me and I booked a private scan in the hope I would be reassured and told it must be growing pains due to the pregnancy.  I had the scan this morning and I was advised I have an enlarged axillary lymph node on the left side, seemingly where the pain is.  The measurements I’ve been given seem to show all aspects of the node are double the normal size.  Again, stupidly googled it and it’s come up metastatic cancer etc, queue the near nervous breakdown that I have cancer and it’s already spread.  I’ve been hopelessly searching for anything begin it could possibly be, but it seems because all aspects of the node are swollen it doesn’t look good.  I’m going to contact the GP tomorrow, but in the meantime was hoping someone else on here has had or knows of a similar experience and it was a positive outcome.  Sorry for the long post! 

  • Hello Katielou1, 

    You did the right thing in contacting the GP again so that you can get some proper answers. Have you managed to talk to your GP since and what have they said? You can trust totally what your GP is going to tell you but keep well away from the infamous and unreliable unqualified Dr Google who will unnecessarily and often wrongly send you into panic mode! Don't worry we've all done that but googling often only leads to more googling and more uncertainty and the worst case and most unlikely scenario. 

    I hope that you are feeling a little better now after you have spoken to a medical expert about this. Others on the forum may have had a similar experience and positive outcome and I hope that they will be along shortly to share their story with you. 

    Keeping everything crossed for you that it all turns out to be nothing of concern!

    Best wishes, 

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator