I'm 35 this year and was scheduled to get my baseline mammogram done anyway but put it off b/c I thought I had other more important Neurological stuff to deal with first. But,my PCP who is also a Hematologist/Oncologist got wide-eyed when I was in there last and told her (again) about the pains I am having in/near my right breast. I have a dull pain on the side near my underarm and a sharp pinch that happens on the underside and a skin tab that appeared suddenly on the nipple quite a few years ago. A bunch of dr.s over the years have told me not to worry about the skin tab but she seemed to freak out a little about the combo of all 3 things. So I am going to have my mammogram and also an ultrasound. Has anyone else has similar symptoms and found out that something besides cancer was causing them?

So I had the tests and they didn't see anything but what they said is a tiny cyst. So now I am back to symptoms that "shouldn't be caused by" what they can see/find. I went to my PCP again and she did an exam and can't even feel the cyst so she's not concerned anymore and told me to come back in a year. I have a follow-up with my Gynocologist too soon. Is there something else I should be asking her to do?

I feel like I just went through this with my sinus problem and whatever else I had that resolved incidentally with my surgery.

COuld be related to the brachial plexus and the nerves that run under the collarbone and down the arm. If the nerves are irritated it irritates the surrounding muscles and then there is pain. My is caused by TOS and I often have pain in that area. Thats my only thought.

I have Fibrocystic Breast Disease and go through the "scare" every other year it seems. I have lumpy dense breast and it's hard to see anything much less know what lump is normal and what's not. So, for this I get to have extra mammos and ultrasounds. It is painful to have the fibro lumps but after a mammo it's worse for sure. I wish they would just let us have the ultrasounds and bypass the mammo.

Glad to hear your ok! I have been told less caffeine and chocolate lessons the pain. Someday i'll listen to them.

Thanks for your input. I'm in a weird spot. I got really sick in January and spent most of the year trying to figure out what what wrong. Of all of the tests I had, the only things that came back out of norm were 2 herniated discs (c4-5 & c5-6) and an opacified right sinus. I did PT for the discs and that seemed great but then I developed neurological function symptoms and motor skills problems. After reading this reply of yours, I started to look into TOS and realized that all of my problems (including the possible Occipital Neuralgia, ear pain, breast pain and lymph node inflammation) could be explained by TOS. So here's where it's tricky. Since my sinus surgery, I have been really careful about what I do and how I sleep etc. Consequently my symptoms are very light. They are there but not bad enough to keep me from functioning (which is good) so I am thinking it might be time to stop looking for a while. I think this partly because I don't want to go through potentially expensive and painful tests only to find that they aren't showing what they would be if I was having worse symptoms and then when I AM feeling worse Dr's might not want to repeat the tests based on them being normal the last time. Does that make rational sense or should I be pressing on anyway?

A couple of thoughts.

One if the symptoms are light and you can cope its not a bad idea to give yourself a break from worrying and focusing your energies elsewhere. So I say take a break

The fact that you have herniated discs at c4/5/6 which inneravte all theose muscles that run through the are you have pain say to me its being caused to some degree by that. And that you watch how you sleep and see improvement could also indicate its all realted. I have TOS and disc bulges at c5/6 and a condition called retrolithesis/subluxation where the vertebrae slide under one another so for me I totally have to be careful how I sleep or the pain in the muscles in and around my neck is higher.

If you already had PT for those thats great. Can you cotinue to do some of the exercises at home to help keep that area under control? And there are also some exercises for TOS that you can do. Ley me know and I can email you something I have.

Oh and on the ear pain, I often would wake in the middle of the might with this deep hard nerve pain and I was also dx'd with TMJ from grinding. I got a mouth gaurd from my dentist made for me and it is down considerably.

Shelley,

Thanks for your input. That's what I was thinking too. I might as well try to contain it with being careful and exercises that the doctor would tell me to do anyway. I've wanted to try to start doing pilates and yoga again but I have a leg injury that makes most of those positions difficult. I feel like I just started falling apart for no reason about 2 years ago. It's very frustrating when the answer to one ailment means poking another bear you just got to sleep. I stopped doing my neck exercises because they started to make my neck hurt as if I was overextending it in the other direction. I'm also stuck with my lifestyle needs in that I have to carry a small amount of stuff around with me all day as I live in NYC and have to walk/train everywhere. My backpack hadn't been a problem but is starting to be and the rolling case I have puts strain on my neck whenever I have to carry it up and down steps (about 6 times on an average day). The rolling case is heavy empty and the backpack is relatively light but looks heavy because it's big. The one thing that was helping me feel better was playing adult league volleyball. The new season is starting soon so hopefully that will continue to help and not make anything worse. Sorry if I am rambling now but I don't have anyone outside of this board who really understands.

I've been doing much better lately. I haven't been around as much but wanted you all to know I really appreciate all of your sharing and support. I still have the base of the skull headaches here and there but they are very manageable. I am taking a break from doctors- especially since volleyball went so well the other day. Wishing you all pain free days!