Pain in underarm

HEY MY NAME IS STEPHANIE AND LATELY I HAVE BEEN HAVING SOME PAIN ON MY LEFT BREAST CLOSE TO MY UNDER ARM..DO YOU THINK U KNOW WHAT COULD B WRONG WITH ME…??

THE BREAST DOCTORS SAY:

Fortunately, pain is usually not a clinically significant symptom, and it is often due to cylical fluctuations in female hormone levels in your body, especially if you have a background of lumpy breasts or fibrocystic change. In fact, most commonly this will affect the upper outer quadrant of the breasts, near the underarm area. Most of the time the pain will subside after a week or two.  If it does not subside, or if it is associated with a lump, you should see your doctor for further evaluation.

Thyroid problem and the breasts

I have concerns with my breast health, I am 37 and I have 4 children 20 months – 8yrs old. I had a breast reduction at the age of 26, that has left my breasts with deep cavities under my nipples, numbness over most of the breast to the touch, I have Hypothyroidism, and recently diagnosed with poriasis, porisis arthritis. I was unable to breatfeed any of my children, and I would get a very painful lump on my left breast through every pregancy and afterwards. I have a family history of breast cancer, and fibroyed cysts. I have had an ultrasound and mammogram and I have been told that I have the cyst.
My concern today is that I still have a discharge from both breast and painful glands in both breast that reach under my armpits. Is this something that I should be concerned about, my endocrinoligist has no concerns. the pain is not related to my menstral cycle, it is always there. I donot take any birthcontrol pills, I have just started to take embrel for the poriasis, and I am on synthroid.
Is there something that I need to be more aware of.

THE BREAST DOCTORS SAY:

Bilateral breast discharge can be common and due to benign conditions such as fibrocystic change, duct ectasia. Hypothyroidism can also cause bilateral discharge. Unilateral discharge is usually more of a concern, as it could be due to a benign or malignant tumour; whereas bilateral discharge is more likely to be due to a physiological state.

If your mammogram and ultrasound show that you have cysts, they could account for the pain you are experiencing.  If the pain is due to a particularly large cyst, the cyst fluid can be aspirated to relieve the pain. You can also try to reduce your caffeine intake (coffee, tea, chocolate, colas), reduce your salt intake and take the supplement evening primrose oil.  These are often helpful in reducing the pain over weeks. If you have voluminous breasts, even after reduction surgery, the tissue may extend to the armpits or you can have accessory breast tissue in the armpit region as well.

 

Armpit lump and breast cancer

While showering, I found a small oblong lump in my armpit. It’s very high up the armpit. I’m terrified as my biological mother had breast cancer. I think she was diagnosed in her mid 40’s. I’m petrified. I don’t have any lumps in my breast. My question is, does breast cancer start in the breast or can it start in the armpit? In other words, for the lump to be in my armpit, wouldn’t the cancer start in the breast? I hope I’m making sense.Thank you.

THE BREAST DOCTORS SAY:

Yes you are absolutely right that cancer starts in the breast, and at a later stage it spreads to the lymph nodes in the armpit area. However, without alarming you, less commonly a woman with breast cancer can have an enlarged lymph gland in the armpit without being able to feel a lump in the breast.  This is because the lump in the breast is present, but is just too small to be felt. First of all, an ultrasound of the armpit lump should be done to confirm that it is indeed a swollen lymph gland. If it is an abnormally swollen lymph gland, a fine needle aspiration can be performed to test if there are cancer cells within the lymph gland. If the armpit lymph gland is positive for cancer cells, a mammogram and ultrasound should be done to look for the small breast cancer. Sometimes an MRI of the breasts may also be necessary. See your breast doctor for an opinion. Don’t panic because the most common causes of armpit swellings are still benign.

Large breast cysts

At 42 years old I recently (3 months ago) discovered rather large cysts in both breasts. My OB-GYN aspirated them all – one cyst having 6cc of fluid!! Unfortunately, these cysts immediately refilled so that I have been back two more times for the largest ones to be aspirated. This is growing very tiresome. I cannot fathom returning to the doctor once every month to have cysts aspirated!! They are so very painful though as well as unsightly (two of the cysts are so large that when I lie down on my back, they are very visible, which is distressing not only to me but to my husband as well. My mammogram and ultrasound indicated numerous cysts… nothing more of concern. My doctor has mentioned surgery. My question is: from everything I have read cysts disappear after menopause so is it really necessary to have surgery? Is there nothing else that will work other than aspiration or surgery?

THE BREAST DOCTORS SAY:

Most of the time cysts are harmless; however as in your case, they can be distressing because they can swell to a significant size and cause pain. If that is the case, aspiration is performed to relieve the symptoms. Usually only the ones causing you pain need to be aspirated. If they are smaller and to giving trouble, they can be left alone.

Surgery for cysts are hardly necessary these days. It can be considered if the cyst keeps recollecting and it is troubling you. However, if you have so many cysts, it is not possible to surgically remove all of them. One option would be to perform an ultrasound guided vacuum assisted excision biopsy, which can remove the cyst wall with just a small skin puncture, under local anaesthesia. Removing the hypersecreting cyst wall can prevent the recollection of that cyst.

Pain in the nipples

Dear Doctor,
Recently I start to feel pain in my nipples. This happens when I touched them and even when I shower. I’m in my 30s now. May I know why is that so, is it common or is it serious?

THE BREAST DOCTORS SAY:

Yes, it can be quite common to experience very sensitive and even painful nipples. This usually occurs in the 1-2 weeks before the periods. Many women experience an increased sensitivity of their breasts and nipples before their periods due to the hormonal changes. These sensations are usually transient and become less intense with the arrival of the menses, but it may recur again before the next cycle. Sometimes it can even occur on one breast or nipple but not the other. If there is no swelling or discharge from the nipple, it is unlikely to be anything serious.

Blister over nipple and armpit lump

My gynaecologist found a lump in my right armpit during a routine exam.
She said that since it hurts, there’s probably no cause for alarm. To be on the safe side she’s sending me to a surgeon to have it checked. Since then I have developed a pimple like blister on the very end of my nipple. There is also a bloody pus filled discharge that occurs when I squeeze my breast. This blister really hurts. I’ve been very tired, had a non stop headache for a week now and feel generally ill. I do have breast cancer that runs in my family and I have had a couple great aunts die from it. Any ideas what this could be? My appointment with the surgeon isn’t until April 30 (my son’s birthday of all days). I’ve also had very itchy skin on my back, stomach, breast and arms.I should also mention that I had a complete hysterectomy done in June 2004 due to a severe case of endometriosis and adenomyosis. And over the past year, my right breast has become much larger than my left. Left is a C and right is a DD.

THE BREAST DOCTORS SAY:

It sounds like an infection over the nipple area resulting in a swollen tender lymph gland in the axilla.  Infection of the breast area can lead to swollen axilla lymph glands. The lymph glands should reduce in size, if not disappear completely, after the infection subsides. If it is a non healing sore over the nipple for a few months, then Paget’s disease of the nipple must be considered and excluded by a biopsy.

If you have itchy skin all over your body, you could have generalized eczema, and the eczema can also occur over the nipple area.  This could be the predisposing cause for your nipple infection.

It is unlikely that the difference in breast size is related to these events, if there are no lumps in your breast. If you are not sure, see a breast doctor for a check up. A mammogram and ultrasound can also ensure that the difference in breast size is not due to a large tumour deep inside. While it is common to have breasts that are different in size, the disparity is usually not great. Changes in developmental size of the breasts tend to occur during puberty or early in late teens and early twenties.

 

Painful and sensitive breasts

i have warm sensitive sensation in my left nipple and areola, breast was painful and felt engorged but i am on second course of antibiotics which has relieved the full hot sensation in my breast but the nipple and areola remain the same, i am absolutely terrifed and cannot eat sleep or function, i am waiting for appt for mammogram

THE BREAST DOCTORS SAY:

You are right in getting a mammogram; an ultrasound of the breast is also useful; but don’t panic. These symptoms can be due to mastitis, inflammed cyst or abscess formation (all are forms of infection), or it could just be due to fibrocystic change from hormonal changes in your body. Rarely these sensations can be due to a rare form of breast cancer called inflammatory breast cancer, where symptoms of breast cancer can masquerade like that of an infection.  Ensure your breast doctor does a full examination, together with the mammogram and ultrasound. If it is an infection, the symptoms should resolve with antibiotics and with time, such as a couple of weeks.  If not, or if your mammogram or ultrasound shows an abnormal area, you may still need a biopsy.  

Breast Eczema

I am 18 years old had eczema on my right brest. it has been ongoing since last june and i have been to a dermatologist and they have diagnosed it as eczema,but nothing seems to clear it. the doctor has prescribed me several steroid creams but nothing seems to work!!i also have eczema on my arms and legs but it is not as bad as on my breast.do u have any suggestions because it is really uncomfortable, red, painful and at times oozes.

THE BREAST DOCTORS SAY:

If it is due to eczema the steroids cream should work. Look also for aggravating factors that worse the eczema, such as unsuitable clothing, food allergy and even stress.  If the eczema is weeping or oozing you need to take proper care of the wound to allow it to dry up. The steroid creams will not work if the eczema wound is raw and becomes secondarily infected. Ask your dermatologist for simple dressings that you can do yourself to help the weepy wound to heal first, then when treat it with steroid creams when it is dry. And try to avoid any potential aggravating factors.

Small painful lump getting better

I had a lump in my left breast about the size of a small rubber ball.It kind of hurt when I touched it and it moved.Now 2 days later it’s gotten smaller,it doesn’t feel like a ball anymore,and it doesn’t hurt when I touch it.What could it be?

THE BREAST DOCTORS SAY:

It sounds like you had a small cyst which then got smaller spontaneously. Cysts are usually small fluid-filled little sacs. Sometimes the fluid accumulates and you can feel a painful lump.  The fluid may get reabsorbed or the cyst might burst, resulting in the painful lump getting smaller and sometimes even disappearing. Small cysts like this are usually harmless. You can have an ultrasound of the breast to confirm if the cyst or lump is still there.

Nipple discharge during pregnancy

 

I am currently 6 months pregnant and have recently discovered a slight discharge from both my nipples when squeezed. the discharge is slightly milky in colour and has no odour. Is this related to pregnancy or there is something wrong with my breasts?

THE BREAST DOCTORS SAY:

The milky discharge during pregnancy is called colostrum and is normal, though not every pregnant woman will experience this. If it happens, it usually happens during the mid trimester through till delivery. Essentially the breasts are preparing for breastfeeding.  Absence of colostrum, however, does not mean that the woman will not be able to breastfeed successfully.