foster
Stranger
Reged: 04/27/04
Posts: 15
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First I want to say hello, I am new and I hope this is the right place to ask this question. My 23 yr. old son had one lump in his armpit about 3 weeks ago. It went away and now he has 2 in one armpit and 1 in the other. Let me explain a little now, He just came to my house yesterday and told me about this. He said they are very painful and it's uncomfortable to put his arms down. I could tell he was very concerned and tried to play tuff. He will be going to the Dr. tomorrow but in the time being I was hoping and praying someone could tell me "Oh that's normal" Very worried. Thankyou for any replies!!
After reading my post, I really don't know why I called it lumps in breasts when it in his arm pits. thankyou
Edited by foster (05/02/04 03:59 PM)
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yawkaw3
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/22/03
Posts: 1193
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There are a ton of reasons for this- I really, really doubt it's cancer- most people are quick to think that a lump in that area is cancer. Could possibly just be a fatty growth (there is breast tissue in the armpit), maybe a local infection, a cyst, an allergic reaction, hard to say- but it's essential the doctor looks at this, so good move there.
-yawkaw
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tortie2
Journeyman
Reged: 04/20/04
Posts: 59
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foster
Sorry for your worry over your son! I know that any sort of lump people find can be worrisome. However, the following characteristics of your son's "lumps" would highly suggest that they have a benign etiology: 1) Your son has had several lumps in his armpits and at least one of these has come and gone within 3 weeks. 2) Your son describes the lumps as "very painful" and that it is hard for him to put his arms down. 3) The lumps are bilateral.
Probably the most common causes for "lumps" in the armpit area are reactive axillary (i.e., armpit) lymph nodes, localized subcutaneous infections (abscesses, boils, etc.), cysts, and lipomas (circumscribed benign collections of fat). The transient nature of at least one of the lumps would mitigate against a lipoma since, once they appear, they tend to persist. Localized subcutaneous skin infections may not always be apparent on the skin surface initially - although they often break through later. Is there any redness or other discoloration or warmth of the skin surface over the lumps? Reactive(benign) lymph nodes are seen frequently in the armpits. The nodes can be enlarged secondary to an infection lower in the arm or they can sometimes be seen after inoculations or shots in the arm (though this would typically be in the one arm which received the shot). You can also have generalized lymphadenopathy (i.e., lymph node enlargement in multiple areas of the body) secondary to a systemic infection or flu-like syndrome or as a manifestation of some kind of allergic reaction.
It is, of course, reasonable to have this checked out by your local doc ......but I wouldn't be terribly worried about it. You don't mention it, but has your son been in generally good health? Is he on any new medications or had any local infections or vaccinations?
Good luck to him - and please let me know how it all turns out!
tortie2
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foster
Stranger
Reged: 04/27/04
Posts: 15
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Thankyou very much for the replies... My son is in very good health. He hasn't been ill of any kind for about 6 months. At that time he had sore throat ect.. never went to doc over that as he thought it was just sinuses. There is no redness or warmth over the knots. You have to push fairly hard to feel them. One is about the size of a nickle and the other 2 are a little smaller. He is on no meds at all. He is a very active dirt bike racer and he works 40 hrs or more a week. I sound like a proud Mama in that statement. I hope I answered everything that was asked. I feel a little better since hearing from the 2 of you. Thankyou so very much and I will post tomorrow as soon as I get home from work. Thankyou
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pickles
Journeyman
Reged: 11/09/03
Posts: 55
Loc: Indiana
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Too much caffeine! Honestly,this is very common in males.That's all it is!Have him lay off the caffeine and bye bye lumps,let us know how the Dr.visit/results go.
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tone
Veteran
Reged: 06/29/03
Posts: 554
Loc: Chicago
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Males can get breast cancer.
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tortie2
Journeyman
Reged: 04/20/04
Posts: 59
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tone -
Of course males can get breast cancer - I don't think anyone on this board said otherwise. However, male breast cancer usually presents with a small firm nontender mass palpable in the breast tissue. It would be highly unusual to have it present as multiple small, somewhat transitory, very tender masses in the armpits, especially since in this fellow they are reported to be bilateral. I just didn't think the father should be really frightened about the etiology of his son's lumps. Regards -
tortie2
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D2003
Member
Reged: 12/12/03
Posts: 193
Loc: Texas
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I've had a very similar thing with small lumps in my armpits that hurt like mad. (I'm also male, but an aware of breast cancer seeing it runs in the female side of my entire family. I do monthly breast exams, just like any woman as well as exams of more private male areas as well. It's marked on my bathroom calendar so I don't forget, and really only takes a few minutes total while taking a shower.)
Initally, I just thought the lumps were either cysts or boils. Only, nothing came to a head, so to speak. So trotted myself off to the doc and it turned up out to be a very mild system wide infection and some material was gathering in the lymph nodes in my armpites. (Picked it on on a transatlantic flight a month or so earlier.) Ran through a course of anti-biotics and all was well. It's never recurred since. (Over 6 years ago now.)
Regardless of being male or female, new strange lumps, even if they are not tender do need to be examined by a doctor. For both men and women, learn what your breast tissue feels like (some of us are 'lumpier' than others), and for the guys, check your privates (especially those two quite normal ones inside your sack) for lumps too. Doing it during a shower helps (all that soap does make it easier) and get to know what lumps you have normally and what are new ones. Any new lump, especially if it is tender needs to be examined properly by a doctor. There can be so many reasons for those lumps, that self-diagnosising is not really the best option.
Have fun getting to know your lumps and be prepared to have any new lumps examined immediately.
D2003
(Trying to be polite and not get 'best kept off the board' added to important information.)
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foster
Stranger
Reged: 04/27/04
Posts: 15
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Thankyou so much for all the feed back. My son has an infection just like the previous poster talked about. We were stressed to the max. Dr. put him on strong anti-biotics and say's he will be fine. My son couldn't remember the name of the medicine just said it was 850 mg. He feels better already just knowing their not going to be cutting on his armpits. thanks again, foster
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