Breast pain, radiates to armpit and down arm

Julieben · 12-06-2005, 12:08 AM

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask if any of you had ever had burning/pulsing (about as painful as having AF) pain in outer side of your breast that went up to the top of armpit that then radiated down to your elbow and felt like deep/hot/burning aching pain, almost like it was running through your veins and you could feel it pulsing? My right breast/arm is doing this, all day today. Although advil took the edge off, each "surge" at the beginning is like having period cramps. If I push on arm muscles in areas where it "aches" they don't hurt, so I don't believe its muscular. I've had this for 7 hours straight today and I have had two very brief (5 min or less) versions of this in the last two weeks. Ironically I've never truly had breast problems (beyond the occasional sharp pains that I think were related to my menstrual cycle) until october when my doc agreed this thickened ridge under rt breast was suspicious, so she sent me for mammo because I do NOT have dense breasts, but the radiologist says "no we don't do mammos on women your age, but we'll do a sono", they did and the tech hemmed and hawed and said she "had to go get radiologist" and brought him back to look and he said it looked fine (the u/s) but wanted a mammo, DUH that is what my doc ordered in the FIRST place! Anyways, they did that too, then afterword the tech went to see radiologist and came back w/a piece of paper that had a box checked "No signs of cancer" and said they'd just give me this slip instead of mailing it to me. That was over a month ago. No one has ever told me what it is if its nothing serious, then what IS it!? Even my doc keeps forgetting to tell me. I'm being worked in today about the pain I'm having, but has anyone else had it? Also I am trying to get pg and nipples are sensitive but I'm only 10 dpo (or what I suspect as ovulation as I am not sure I o'd at all) and have been on met a month so I am no longer sure how long my cycles are/will be. Whew I talk too much

Any info would help me get thru the next two hours until my appt!!

Julie

beejcee · 12-08-2005, 04:43 AM

hi julie -- this sounds like what it felt like when i had shingles on my nipple, breast and inner elbow area several years ago. it was sooo painful. eventually i had the little sores erupt and crust over in those areas. shingles tend to appear on one side of your body.... maybe you could google shingles and find out more about them! good luck! beejcee

merrickgirl · 12-12-2005, 05:46 AM

maybe a cyst under the skin that spread into the lymph nodes , I have had that under my arm pit that went down the lymphs and hurt liek hell. I would throw a fit untill i got some answers though about my breast, god forbit its anything and it keeps getting over looked. good luck

ABumpyGal · 12-12-2005, 01:49 PM

Hi Julie,

I'm so sorry you're having all this pain, and on top of all the worry your breast has been causing you

((((hugs))))))

Did you see your doctor? How did things go?

I've had something similar to the whole thing you've described, from the thickening to the shooting pains. For me it all started with, of all things, Secret Platinum Antiperspirant. I tried that stuff and the next day my right armpit was swollen and the swelling spread all the way down the side of my right breast and to the rib cage. It was scary! I saw the doctor and she pronounced that "these things sometimes happen", but offered a mammogram if I really wanted. I opted to wait. For the pain to stop for one thing! Basically the antiperspirant had inflammed my lymph nodes/system in the axilla and breast.

It took months for the lymph node in that armpit to go down and the swelling on the side of my breast has now become a monthly occurance just before AF. I'm getting my mammogram and ultrasound done this year as breast cancer runs heavily in my family and I want to be safe, but I figure it's a good sign that it comes and goes. I don't think cancer normally does that!

Anyway... back to the shooting pains. Is your lymph node swollen under that armpit? You'll feel it if you gently prod around in your armpit. Normally you either can't feel it at all or it will be tiny (think pea-sized), but if it's swollen it can be anything bigger than pea-sized and it may feel odd and almost "rubbery" to the touch. Mine was about the size of a peach pit and caused the shooting pains you described. The actual pit/node ached for me as well though, but mine was pretty darn swollen.

I hope it's better for you today!
Dana

camarofanatic90 · 12-26-2005, 08:36 AM

I just seen this. How did the appt go. I have had the pain in the right underarm and it comes before af and stays until shes gone. But when I went to the dr they said it was growing pains that was yearssssss ago. Am I still growing? LOL. They don't know what it is for me.

Julieben · 12-28-2005, 04:42 AM

Thanks everyone for your responses and checking in. That day I saw an NP at my PCP's office and she just wanted me to have an armpit u/s which I lost the orders for and never did, so today I went for a diabetes problem and discussed this with my regular doc, she said I could/should have another ultrasound (and include armpit this time) but could wait and see a surgeon first because she says sometimes those machines don't catch what we feel or what our instincts lead us to and she says she has never had a doubt when someone questioned the results as to whether or not they should see a surgeon, and usually it is a good thing they saw one so she sent me right upstairs to a good surgeon in her building that she works with and I have an appt for 1/18. Who knows if it'll be biopsied or not, but he'll be able to tell me if another u/s is necessary or not ( I mean, why keep going if they keep telling me its nothing)!

Wish me luck

Julie

camarofanatic90 · 12-28-2005, 04:58 AM

Good luck Julie keep us informed