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Underarm Pain

Posted , 113 users are following.

watesey
watesey

Where do I start. Hoping someone can put my mind at rest.

In January, I had a nasty virus which led to chest pains, feeling terrible, palpitations, went to doctors, had ECG and bloods, all normal. Was taking Cerazette mini pill at time, stopped taking it. Started feeling a little better, started taking again. Had dull ache under left armpit and sore boobs. Put this down to starting pill again. Chest started feeling all tight and heavy, pains again, so stopped pill again, went back to doctors, slight swelling to sternum area, told I had Costochondritis. Pain in underarm/left side of breast continued, had a good check doing self breast exam, went back to doctors, had examination off the doctor, no lumps felt, no swollen lymph nodes, doctor put it down to combination of hormomes and costochondritis. Painful armpit went away, got my period, started taking cerazette again.

After a few days, started feeling ill again, armpit and left breast uncomfortable. Took pill for about 12 days, then made decision to stop it altogether, had another doctors apt - blood pressure, heart rate and ECG (again) all normal.

However, dull pain/ache still in armpit and sometimes down left side of breast, sometimes ache down arm. Its intermittent, not always there, when I'm sitting and relaxing I dont feel it, its not stopping me sleeping. When I'm doing things around the house, i'm aware of it. When I squeeze my armpit towards my body, I can feel the ache, but when I stop squeezing,

i dont feel it.  Both my breasts look as normal as usual.

I'm sick of waking up every day to this, worrying about it, the doctor says there no lumps and it will probably go away in time, but i'm worried that theres something more seriously wrong, and keep thinking im going to die and leave my husband and daughter which upsets me and makes me think of it more!

I have a 2 year old child that Im always lifting up, and i'm left handed, am wondering if it could be hormonal due to the amount of times I've stopped and started the mini pill in a short space of time, and also if I maybe have a trapped nerve or damaged a muscle in some way.

Any comments would be appreciated.

7 likes, 162 replies

162 Replies

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  • hollynarvaez
    hollynarvaez watesey

    Posted

    Hello everyone. My pain started a bit differently but I found this thread by googling my symptoms. After drinking very heavily, I was experiencing a fluttery heart the next day. Alcohol withdrawals will do that. I've done my research since. One morning, I was feeling overly flutty in my heart and asked my wife to take me to the emergency room. As we were driving there, I experience a false heart attack. My arms went numb, my face went numb and my hands clinched in on themselves. The doctor there took a good look at me and found a very healthy heart. I had the same false heart attack 2 more times. Each time, I was told it was a panic attack. I have since gone from extreme alcoholism to a complete non-drinker. I still feel the chest pains but the flutter is gone. Most of the time, the pain is in my armpit and bicep on my left side. At times, I feel it in my jaw. Maybe it really is all panic disorder and stress, but it is scary because no matter what the doctors say, I feel pain that is very real to me. When I am distracted, I don't feel it. I try to remind myself of that when I do feel it again. Has anyone had a similar experience? Has anyone found a way to make this stop?
  • nic17225
    nic17225 watesey

    Posted

    Hi All,

    So glad I found this discussion. I'm 36 with 3 kids. I first started feeling left breast / underarm pain at Christmas 2014. I instantly self examined for lumps, nothing at all, but my own vigorous self exam caused even more tenderness in that area. I realised I had been carrying my 3yo daughter around loads more than usual (school holidays etc) so I decided to completely stop doing that, and the pain pretty much disappeared within a few days.

    It has, unfortunately, returned, 3 months later. Same pain, which now goes down my arm and causes tingling / pins and needles in my left arm. Sometimes, my left nipple feels slightly like it did when I was breastfeeding and had milk let down. But that goes very quickly. I have done lots of research and found out about a condition called 'Costochondritis'. which I think might help explain my pain.

    I did have similar after my 2nd child was born and I was nursing loads. I saw my dr then, who confirmed no lumps and after a month or so it disappeared.

    Not sure why I can't shift it this time, other than I had a coil fitted in January, so potentially hormones from that?

    I might book a dr's appointment for this coming week, just to be on safe side. Am cheered by most sites which say pain generally isnt a sign of breast cancer, but as this thread shows, we all automatically think the worst!

    Will report back from doctors once i've been....

    • watesey
      watesey nic17225

      Posted

      Hi, I was also diagnosed with costochondritis in march last year and some days (not very often) I get chest painwhich nmakes me think i do have it. When I had my breast examination the doctor said the costochondrial joints run down the chest through the sternum and around into the armpit. I still have the underarm pain but it's very intermittent, it's more of a dull ache than a pain. I'm still very aware of my left breast and have been for a year now, constantly checking for lumps but nothing found and then I wonder why I'm sore the next day and I never lie on my left side or left breast. Something I've got used to and ifI do tthenI find I'm a bit more aware and aching the next day. It's scary! I'm kind of used to it now. I'm still on the pill but I managed to get my doctor to put me back on my old pill so I'm still pumping hormones into my body.
  • darryl94146
    darryl94146 watesey

    Posted

    Hi all I am a 42 year old male and for the past 8 years have had chest pain on the left side with pain under my arm pit when i push my arm into my chest i feel it more ..pain in my upper left arm . Iv had tests done x rays ecg blood tests all normal . I have put my pain down to anxiety which causes muscle stiffness . I think but this is me thinking we get it both sides but notice it more on the left because of our heart and heart related problems are to the left . Look into anxiety and other anxiety symptoms hope this helps
  • amanda00606
    amanda00606 watesey

    Posted

    So glad I found this. I had my son in June and in September I started experiencing chest pain. After numerous trips to the er and doctor offices I was told I had Costochondritis. I'm still having the pains on my left side. I also sleep on my left side. I get awful pain in my neck and have headaches from grinding my teeth when I sleep. Looks like maybe I ask anxious and stressed. I work at my family's funeral home so I'm really scared something will happen to me and I'll leave my 9 month old and husband behind. I'm 22 and always had good health.
  • jeanette61385
    jeanette61385 watesey

    Posted

    Hi

    So glad I've read all your comments I'm at my wits end as I too have have pain in left armpit and down left side of my breast with on occasions shooting pains across my left breast.  I've had these symptoms since October of last year and went to my GP when they started - told me to take painkillers as there were no lumps?  Had a mammogram last June and everything was fine so he would'nt send me for another.

     It may be a coincidence but my symptons started when my Mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer and we lost her after only four weeks of diagnosis.  Can't get over this and always down and stressed and this isn't helping as I can't sleep or function because I'm always thinking the worse.  I have a teenage daughter and young son and worry about them all the time.

    Decided after reading all your comments to make a further appointment with my GP and will insist on further tests to find out what it is, there are too many of us suffering from the same symptons for it to be nothing.

    Will let you know how I go on and once again thank you to you all I might get some sleep tonight knowing that I'm not the only one.

  • aly16
    aly16 watesey

    Posted

    I wish I could hug you all smile I am having the same symptoms as everyone and I have had so many test and been to doctors and everything makes me seem crazy! I stress to much about it. I want my normal life backsad
    • elaine00004
      elaine00004 aly16

      Posted

      Hi! I'll take the virtual hug, thanks, and I send one to you. smile

      Here's my story in case any of this is beneficial to you or anyone else. I will post more as my search for what is causing my breast/underarm pain goes on.

      I'm post menopausal, am 56, and have never had children. No family history of breast or any other cancer. I've never been on HRT.

      I've had pretty severe breast pain, off & on for a year and a half now. My worst pain was when I went thru three months of nonstop severe pain in my right breast starting in Oct of 2014. It was a constant severe deep ache that felt like it was deep inside my breast or behind it. Had a mammogram in early Jan of the next year (2015). It came back clear.

      The pain came back a month ago in the same breast, in pretty much the same area but now I also have tender spots that seem to move between the left side edge and the right side edge. I also now have it off & on in the left breast, though not as severe. I've also had aching in both my arm pits. No lumps or swelling there.

      Just had a mammogram a week ago which also came back clear.

      I got a copy of my report so I could read the details, thinking I might have a cyst(s) which might account for my pain. No cysts were mentioned. It did say that my breasts are moderately dense which can make it harder to see any problems on a mammogram.

      So now my priority is going to see a Dr in the next few wks so I can get a referral to have an ultrasound done. I urge you to do the same if you're having breast/underarm pain.

      The recommendation is that anyone with dense breasts have both a mammogram and ultrasound done every year. I didn't know this until recently. I've been having yearly mammograms since I was 40.

      I'll keep you updated when I have any new news.

    • maggieO
      maggieO elaine00004

      Posted

      Hi Elaine

      Just reading your thread and wanted to know how you got on?? I am experiencing similar symptoms to you. Really appreciate your contribution.

      I hope your pain has gone and your are well.

      Cheers smile

    • elaine00004
      elaine00004 maggieO

      Posted

      Hi Maggie!

      About 2 mos after I posted (so 7 mos ago) all of my breast andunderarm pain disappeared!

      Then in Jan of this year, I started having just the occasional breast pains. When I have them, which has been about 10 days in the last 3 mos, they are now in the sides of my breasts closest to the center of my chest. Sometimes it's one breast, usually the right one, and sometimes it's both. The pain is sharp and sometimes feels like it's in my breasts and at other times, under my breasts.

      I've also had 3 episodes of squeezing in the center of my chest (once) in January that lasted 4 seconds and upper stomach (twice) in March that lasted 1 and 2 seconds. Twice it happened when I'd just gotten in bed late at night and after just a few mins of laying there, the squeezing happened and I was shocked and sat straight up in bed I was so scared! As the squeezing stopped right away and I had no other symptoms at all, after the shock wore off and I'd calmed down enough I was able to go to sleep.

      After two bad days of symptoms including sharp pains in my breasts on the inner edges near the center of my chest, varying chest symptoms such as a fluttering sensation and palpitations, and occasional twinges in my upper jaw right below my ears, earlier this month I decided to go to Urgent Care.

      The Dr was caring, attentive, and efficient.

      He listened closely to the list of my symptoms I'd been having that I read from notes I'd taken daily. I'd already had an ekg done the minute I got there, and he then had someone come in and take two vials of my blood, and I went down the hall for a 2 view chest xray. I got the results very quickly. All 3 tests came back normal. He gave me a referral for an echocardiogram, just so we can see if my heart is completely healthy. I can't get in til May but I'm calling several times a wk, hoping someone cancels and I can take their earlier appointment.

      In the meantime, his instructions were to stay well hydrated (easy to do) and get plenty of sleep (hard to do).

      I finally have regular medical insurance (I was on Medicaid and the doctors SUCK!), and have my 1st appointment with my new primary Dr in May. I will be trying my best to get him to give me a referral for an ultrasound of both breasts since that is recommended for women with dense breasts, which is what I have.

      I really think that most, if not all of my symptoms are due to the extremely high stress level I've been living with for the last year and to a slightly lesser degree, the last 15 years

      I will update here after my visit with my new Dr.

      I hope your symptoms have improved and you are feeling better. smile

  • jen27206
    jen27206 watesey

    Posted

    I'm experiencing the same thing.

    I had an ultrasound about three weeks ago for lumps on the inside of my left breast near my chest bone. Lymphoma was tossed around while I lied in the bed but then she said she thinks the lumps are fat deposits. One larger Like a Lima bean and the others smaller. I need to go for another check in six months or sooner if there is any change.

    I now for the last week or so have pain and discomfort in my left armpit especially when I lie down and my arm is pressed up against my side. There feels like there is a lump but when I feel there is nothing that o can find. I get numbness and tingling down my arms and into my fingers.

    I'm wondering if I should call the breast clinic back and see if the can give a mammogram this time. I'm 37.

  • Mamaofthree
    Mamaofthree watesey

    Posted

    Hi ladies,

    Can't believe how many of us have the same symptoms and no answers. I too, have pain, achiness, burning in my left Breast, armpit, shoulder arm and sometimes neck!

    I am breastfeeding but only my left is doing this? I'm 28 and have 3 kids. Have so many emotions and Google is def not helping! Kinda relieves me because so many of u have these symptoms.

  • rampuia14435
    rampuia14435 watesey

    Posted

    I am a 27 year old male who has been experiencing a slight numbness in my left underarm for over a year. It somewhat feels like there is a lump but actually there is none. I have met a cardiologist twice and had ecg taken and was told that it was all fine. I have also undertaken a blood test and an ultrasound scan of my left underarm without finding anything abnormal. There is no pain or tingling sensations whatsoever but only a slight numbness. Sometimes when the weather gets colder the numbness reduces, but when it gets warmer i get reminded of the numbness again. It also increases when i move my arm a lot or exercise. Has anyone experienced the same symptoms as mine?? I want to know why. Could it have something to do with my nerves? When will it heal? I really want my left underarm to feel normal again... sad
  • fizzjaketed
    fizzjaketed watesey

    Posted

    hi i found this as ive been bad a started to google what could be wrong with me!! well i have left armpit dull ache that comes and goes and radiates down to the outer left side of my breast, not a pain just a dull ache. I have also found a lump at the lower part of my armpit that is hard and the size of a kidney bean not sore unless i push it!, it isnt noticable unless you push to find it. we have no breast caner in my family and im 38 yrs so a tad too young for Menopause.
    • elle11870
      elle11870 fizzjaketed

      Posted

      I was diagnosed as perimenopasal at 38. You're not too young. Eight years later I still have some of the crazy symptoms and a regular monthly cycle. I call it the worse of both worlds. This left side back, shoulder and armpit pain is new but like several previous posters I am recovering from a three week bout with some type of virus/infection.
    • m56411
      m56411 fizzjaketed

      Posted

      Did you go to the doctors for this? I am having the same pain you have discribed and I am 33.
    • Sarah-1991
      Sarah-1991 fizzjaketed

      Posted

      Hi I was wondering how you are doing?as I have had all the exact same symptoms as you?

      Thanks

      Sarah

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