I just wanted to share my experiences when I noticed an armpit lump recently. While using Dr Google scared me sooo much and made me cry for days, I did find reading real life experiences here on Mumsnet so informative, reassuring and calming. Maybe this post can help someone feel the same one day.
A few months ago, I noticed a visible swelling in my left armpit because it kept being itchy. No rash or other skin changes. No pain. I did not feel anything underneath when I pressed the swelling and decided to try and forget about it. Hard to do when you have the tendency to be anxious about the big C. The armpit itching continued on and off afterwards but I was never sure if I imagined it because I knew that it could be a big C symptom.
About 2 months later, following another prodding session of the swelling, I noticed an actual swollen area nearby in the same armpit. It was long (1.5cm) and thin. No pain. No other symptoms.
I decided to see the GP to get it checked. After an armpit examination, he announed that he thought the two areas were swollen lymph nodes. This was followed by a breast exam (nothing found), comprehensive blood tests (nothing found) and a course of antibiotics in case the nodes were caused by a bacterial infection (they were not). I was a wreck during these subsequent two weeks of testing and waiting. My possibly short future was all I could think about (I'm mid-40s with children). Such a miserable time.
The next step was an 'urgent breast cancer referral' (the actual name on the document that scared the living daylights out of me). However, thanks to Mumsnet, I learned that this was a routine next step to rule out the big C rather than diagnose it (in fact, in most referral cases the results are benign). Knowing this helped me so tremendously to try and keep calm. I found great comfort in similar threads on here with mostly positive outcomes. The wait was unbearable as it was so hard to keep level headed all the time while pretending to most people that I was fine.
The referral was supposed to result in a breast clinic appointment within two weeks but my GP forgot to send it in for a week. My local hospital also operated on a two to four weeks appointment basis. I could not wait that long to find an answer and decided to privately fund an appointment at a nearby Spire Hospital.
A week later I found myself in the waiting room at their one stop breast clinic. First step: consultant. He examined both armpits and could not feel any swollen lymph nodes. Breasts felt fine too. Second step: mammogram for reassurance. All fine. Third step: armpit ultrasound. All fine. And the consultant sent me home. What a relief, I had been fine all along!
The 4 weeks from GP appointment to seeing the consultant were the hardest. Waiting messes with your mind so much. But I am grateful to Mumsnet users who have shared their experiences in the past. I knew what to expect and that you can come out ok on the other side. Such a comfort. Thank you.