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Wednesday, August 08, 2012 rntdavis asks

Q: Lump under left armpit, extreme itchiness, sharp shooting pains

I am very concerned now, darn internet!  I am 32 years old, mother of four, youngest is 22 months old and still nurses once per day.  I have had a pea sized white lump under my left armpit for over a month now, and its slowly getting larger.  It is not tender in any way, but getting larger.  Add to this that after an email I got today, I realized that the extreme itchiness that I get between my breasts and my armpits could be a bad symptom.  I also get sharp shooting pains, nerve like pains, from the back of my breast to the tip, on occassion.  Non of this has come together in my head until now.  Please help! Opinions needed. Cancer in general really runs in my family as well.  Breast and ovarian.  Im probably making an appointment soon.

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Answers (1)
PJ Hamel, Health Guide
8/ 8/12 4:18pm

Let me say up front, we're not doctors here - just well-read breast cancer survivors. But none of these symptoms sound like a typical symptom of breast cancer. An underarm lump that you can see, apparently just underneath the surface of your skin, sounds like an infection of some kind; in general, cancerous lumps are far enough under the skin that they can't be seen, but can simply be felt. Itchiness is only a breast cancer symptom in very specific cases; it'll center on the breast, and will almost always get worse, and be accompanied by swelling, pain, soreness, redness, and heat. It'll look like your breast is infected. It sounds like your itchiness is more sporadic and widespread. Finally, breast pain is seldom a breast cancer symptom.

 

That said, any time you notice a breast change that lasts longer than a month - see a doctor. Only a doctor can put the whole picture together and come up with a diagnosis. So yes, call your doctor. Good luck - I hope you get this all figured out soon. PJH

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By rntdavis— Last Modified: 08/08/12, First Published: 08/08/12