Lump in left armpit and throbbing in left arm

Hi i'm new to this, So please bare with me.

I have a lump in my left armpit. Had it now for nearly 5 months. Over that period it as increased in size. It isn't painful, but i plucked up the courage to go and see doctor.

I went last Thursday for a full breast examination. That is one of the reasons i was putting it off, So embarrassed. Doc found a 2nd lump (not sure where) i didn't ask because i was shocked.

She said i would hear from the hospital within 2 weeks for an appointment for breast clinic. The very next day, Friday. I received a letter for an appointment for the 23rd. Dec. I am absolutely all over the place.

I've not told anyone as i wouldn't want them to worry ( especially my children) .  I've also been having like a throbbing sensation, now and again in my left arm, but the top bit (if that makes sense).

I am worried due to nearly everyone in my family as died of cancer, whether it be Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma to leukemia. I'm 39yrs old with children, who i love more than life itself. I'm trying not to think the worse, but its really hard not too.

Stressed to the max!.

Anyway would it be normal to experience throbbing? As i really have no one i could ask and google scares the hell out of me.

Thanks xx

Parents
  • I am sorry to hear that you are waiting for results and what you are going through.  I have inflammatory breast cancer stage 3 which has spread to my lymph nodes and I am currently going through chemo.  My type of cancer is rare and aggressive and prognosis not good but it hasn't spread yet anywhere else so far as CT scan shows.  My symptoms prior to a big mass in my breast appearing overnight was discomfort in my right rib area for quite a period of time and also tingling and weird sensations in my right arm pit.  The doctors only did tests on my insistence earlier on but as I was worried about organs due to the location I insisted on ultrasound of liver and kidneys which came back normal, they did not do a gall bladder scan or other organs which I was expecting them to do, they did not do a proper test of my lymph nodes.  They then did blood tests that came back as low in iron, folic acid and B12, the hospital did a chest xray which was normal but did not tell of the risks of having chest xrays, should have referred me to a CT scan but didn't. I had a gynae check on my insistence as I have had polcycstic ovaries for sometime yet no one has done anything about it.  I feel that had a medical professional thought to check my breast area via mammogram or done a full CT scan then the cancer would have been picked up a lot sooner than when the mass presented overnight, as I believe the arm tingling was my lymph nodes saying that something was wrong and the rib discomfort was connected to the cancer,  The type of cancer I have is related to hormones and is not genetic.

    I do not wish to worry you because there are several things it could be as Jolamine points out below.  People can have cysts that aren't cancerous or other things under the skin, people can have throbbing for other reasons as well,  The good thing is either way you are getting checked out as the sooner anything is dealt with the better and the better the prognosis if it is seen to.

    Additionally, with lumps on the breast it seems to be that they do get these tests arranged very quickly and there are lead times to do so to rule out cancer so just because you had a quick appointment does not mean bad news, It is hard to say not to worry because the wait on news is the worst but talking to people can help.  For me personally I have been very calm throughout my diagnosis and treatment but I don't have children, however I do have a partner and family and have been talking to people about my experience and also talking to people in similar situations.  

    I am hoping it is good news for you but my advice is to ask lots of questions if they do find anything untoward and ensure that you get support.

Reply
  • I am sorry to hear that you are waiting for results and what you are going through.  I have inflammatory breast cancer stage 3 which has spread to my lymph nodes and I am currently going through chemo.  My type of cancer is rare and aggressive and prognosis not good but it hasn't spread yet anywhere else so far as CT scan shows.  My symptoms prior to a big mass in my breast appearing overnight was discomfort in my right rib area for quite a period of time and also tingling and weird sensations in my right arm pit.  The doctors only did tests on my insistence earlier on but as I was worried about organs due to the location I insisted on ultrasound of liver and kidneys which came back normal, they did not do a gall bladder scan or other organs which I was expecting them to do, they did not do a proper test of my lymph nodes.  They then did blood tests that came back as low in iron, folic acid and B12, the hospital did a chest xray which was normal but did not tell of the risks of having chest xrays, should have referred me to a CT scan but didn't. I had a gynae check on my insistence as I have had polcycstic ovaries for sometime yet no one has done anything about it.  I feel that had a medical professional thought to check my breast area via mammogram or done a full CT scan then the cancer would have been picked up a lot sooner than when the mass presented overnight, as I believe the arm tingling was my lymph nodes saying that something was wrong and the rib discomfort was connected to the cancer,  The type of cancer I have is related to hormones and is not genetic.

    I do not wish to worry you because there are several things it could be as Jolamine points out below.  People can have cysts that aren't cancerous or other things under the skin, people can have throbbing for other reasons as well,  The good thing is either way you are getting checked out as the sooner anything is dealt with the better and the better the prognosis if it is seen to.

    Additionally, with lumps on the breast it seems to be that they do get these tests arranged very quickly and there are lead times to do so to rule out cancer so just because you had a quick appointment does not mean bad news, It is hard to say not to worry because the wait on news is the worst but talking to people can help.  For me personally I have been very calm throughout my diagnosis and treatment but I don't have children, however I do have a partner and family and have been talking to people about my experience and also talking to people in similar situations.  

    I am hoping it is good news for you but my advice is to ask lots of questions if they do find anything untoward and ensure that you get support.

Children
  • Omg im so sorry to hear what your going through. Yes i do class myself as lucky due to quick appointment. I just cant believe they never thought of checking for you. My lump started out as like a pimple. Which i thought it was because i had gone from waxing back to shaving. Its now nearly approx nearly 2 inches. Im not going to worry myself till i get a result. I truly am sorry you got brushed off to begin with, cause basically thats what happened. Xxx