Rapidly growing lump and numb pain in arm on same side

Hi ladies,  I'm 45 and have been seen by a gp who found a kidney bean sized lump in my right breast on Thursday.  It's now Monday and the lump is now the size of a small egg. It feels bumpy under my skin and now in getting a numb pain in my right arm and shoulder.  I'm starting to feel sick and really tired.  I don't know if it's panic or all related.  My gp is calling me back on thursday to see about the lump as she put it down to hormones but I think I'm going to call her in the morning to say it's getting really big.  Please help calm me down as I'm thinking the worst! 

  • Hi Boomyphoenix,  hope this helps but i remember having a small lump like yours to begin with and i was so worried about it that i found my constant touching it to check it wasnt changing or whether it felt ominous caused it to 'swell' almost as i basically irritated and inflamed it by my constant touching and squeezing of it...thankfully it turned out to just be hormonal. The stress and worrywill most certainly cause you to tense the muscles in your arm causing the numb pain you talk about. Anxiety can cause so many aches and pains that can make you suspect the worse. Its good the Dr thinks that it is hormonal as sounds like it probably is from remembering mine was like that too.

     

  •  

    Hi Boomyphoenix,

    A very warm welcome to our forum. I am sorry to hear about your symptoms, but glad to hear that you have already seen your GP and that she believes that it is hormonal. Having been on this site for many years, I can assure you that stress can certainly make many of us imagine additional symptoms, which disappear as soon as we get a diagnosis. 

    It is a well known fact that pain seldom accompanies breast cancer, but if you are worried about this increase in size, it might be worth phoning your GP to tell her this. This is always a worrying stage and our emotions tend to run away with us. Try to remember that not all lumps are cancerous and that it's not cancer until you're told that it's cancer.

    Regardless of the outcome, you will feel better once you know exactly what is causing this. I have had 2 bouts of breast cancer in the past 11 years and, having lost both of my parents to cancer, I naturally thought the worst. Fortunately, I am still here and leading a busy life. I'm not saying that treatment is a breeze, but it is perfectly 'doable'.

    Please let us know how you get on with your GP tomorrow. We are always here for you. Whatever you do, steer clear of consulting 'Dr Google', as this will only scare you further, for no good reason.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx