Hi,

I had excision and drainage of axilla abscess over the Summer which required three months of daily packing.  As soon as the wound fully healed another abscess appearred.  Another I&D and all was fine from an abscess point of view. 

A large irregular shaped lump then emerged and the whole axilla area has been swollen, sore to touch in places, feels weird, the lymph nodes seem to come up and go down and I get stabbing dull pains.  I have no infection and bloods are normal apart from slightly elevated lymphocytes.   When the pain is bad in my right axilla my left side also gets a weird tingling pain.  I have lumps on both sides, but both were thought to be fatty lumps with cysts.  I have never had these lumps investigated.  I also have neck, shoulder and arm pain which I had put down to a couple of bulging discs in my back.  Pain Management advised me that the bulges would not be causing this pain.  Neurologist performed nerve conductions and they were also normal.  He advised a bone scan but this wasn't followed up, and I felt to stupid to ask!  I also get stabbing breast pain on the right side of my breast, on my breast bone, ribs and back pain.  I had put the rib pain down to a pulmonary embolism I had in 2011 due to scarring?  I am tired to the point of crying, it is not a normal tiredness, it is more like I have no stamina and my muscles and joints ache.  I am short of breath on minimal exertion and have a weird hoarseness or dryness down my throat.  I have also been itching quite a bit (I had been thinking to myself that dear god, I really must bath the dogs and keep them off the couch!! but now Dr. Google has scared the life out of me!)

My Mam had mastectomy (sixties) and my maternal aunt had double mastectomy in her fifties.  I had a normal mammogram twelve months ago, but I was not as symptomatic then.  My medical history has pretty much mirrored my Mams to date. 

At my last surgical appointment the doctors were concerned about what was going on in my axialla and referred me again to the breast care clinic for ultrasound +|- bx.  I was scheduled for routine ultrasound once my wound had healed, but now I am being brought in urgently.  Hydradenitis was ruled out.

I'm just wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation and what their diagnosis turned out to be?  I wasn't worried, but the closer the date comes I am starting to over think.  The weird stinging pain and the lovely stabbing pains are a constant reminder that something could be wrong.  Dr. Google has also listed pancoast tumour, so between that and reading way to much about lymphoma I could really do with a bit of reassurance.

Thank you (and sorry about the long post, I have no one to talk to about all of this, especially as everyone is really only getting over Mam's diagnosis and illness)

I forgot to mention, I am also awaiting hysterectomy + BSO for chronic pelvic pain, lower back pain and severe abdo swelling.  I didn't know there was lymph nodes in that area until now!