"Hopefully i will be referred".  Unless a gp or any doctor can prove beyond doubt it's "nothing", then push for an answer. Swellings/lumps/bumps that are still present after 2-3 weeks need further investigation unless there's an obvious cause for those swellings. You owe it to yourself to seek an acceptable answer.

Is it something sinister?  The odds are well stacked in your favour that it isn't. But no one can give you that answer other than those who specialise in that particular part of the body coupled with tests. Be your own advocate when it comes to your health.  If something isn't normal for you, press for an answer or answers.

Hi [@Feelingpositive2021]‍ i have this exact issue. My armpit is swollen and feels like im holding a tennis ball under it almost all of the time it's so uncomfortable. I sometimes can feel a lump depending on what way my arm is positioned. 

I was referred to the breast clinic about a month ago and had an ultrasound on my armpit and mammogram and was given the all clear however nothing has changed so im going back to a specialist next week to hopefully get another ultrasound and get to the bottom of it as something is definitely not right!

The tennis ball feeling is exactly how I would describe mine too, I feel like I need to adjust under my arm every now and again to get comfortable. It's reassuring to hear your ultrasound was clear but I agree it's worrying not knowing what it actually is!

how long has yours been like this for?

I had noticed the swelling around July time but didn't really think much of it as it wasn't annoying me, however I woke up one morning around the start of September and that's when it actually started to feel uncomfortable. It got really tender during my period that month, the tenderness calmed down but the discomfort never went away. My beast also feels tender and painful on and off as well 

No idea if this is relevant, but when i had shingles around 4 years ago, I got that exact tennis ball sensation. Rubbing my hand under my armpit was like touching very bad sunburn. It really was like I had been burnt. I never got the classic blister rash, but it was shingles.

When you first got these symptoms, did the area feel raw? Even a small rash? If you did, it could be.  Shingle pain can remain for months.  Shingles run parallel to nerve paths and there's one near your shoulder blade that runs under your arm. But even if this all fits your symptoms, do still get those checks like i said further up.

Shingles tends to happen when our immune systems are stressed.  So just a thought. But yeah, my brain was having a hard time processing the fact there was no lumps or burns because that was the signal my brain was getting.  Maybe even a wee trapped nerve. Even to this day, if the wife is rubbing my back in that area it gets pretty irritated to this day. So i can only tolerate it for about a minute before she has to move elsewhere.

Thankyou. That's exactly how mine started, I literally woke up one morning with this issue! I also have the same tenderness/pain in my left breast too. Will be assertive for referral with gp this week.

Thankyou - that's interesting. Mine did start with tenderness which gradually went away but the swelling remained. I was pregnant at the time which may explain the immune system issues. I'll see what the GP says this week and push for the referral. Thanks!

Yes def do and let me know how you get on, it's all I can think about I can't focus on anything and it's so difficult trying to put on a 'face' in front of people pretending that all is ok when it's maybe not! 

Yeah, really do push for that appointment, but if that's how it all started, it sounds like you may have had shingles at one point and never really noticed outside of the pain.  I'm male, but we all still have the same nerve paths more or less.  So good chance it has been that, but better to check anyway.