Hi everyone,

I remember a while ago i saw some mention of the lymph system being affected by tos.

The last 6 months or so i have been getting small painful lumps in my right armpit (my symptomatic side) and one time in my left armpit. They are very tender but never amount to anything (they dont pop - just leave surface of my skin a bit red) They have been coming and going so eventually i went to docs earlier today and he wants to send me to have a lymph node biopsy!!!

It then occured to me that this could possibly be tos related so thought i would run it past you guys.....my doc did suggest possibly just blocked sweat glands but wants to refer me for tests to be sure.

very worried now - trying not to as i know most cancers (lymphomas and hodgkins) are not painful lumps.....but then i also know that tos seems to be responsible for all sorts of strange things!!

I think tshadow mentioned something like that a few times. A few others too.

I can't recall if she mentioned a size or not.
Are they pimple sized, pea size, dime , quarter, etc ... semi soft, firm or very hard?

I do get puffy /achy armpits when I hold a book or newspaper open with my arms up/out - don't do that much anymore....

In the sticky I have videos about lymph drainage massage, or you can Google it -probably faster and maybe some newer ones are posted.

that and warmth might help to resolve the lumps, and if you can recall doing a different use that might have caused it?

About the size of a chickpea - semi soft i suppose - tender to the touch......

i will try the warmth thing. it doesnt feel as if it will ever come to a head of anything as it doesnt feel really close to the surface (its close but would have to swell up significantly more to burst the surface if it was a boil or cyst)

If the biopsy comes back with nothing then i will look into this lymph drainage.....very worried though.

If you can raise your arm up or have a helper - if not painful for you.. they can hold arm up and do light strokes toward the core of your body.
that is the main way to do lymph drainage.

I do mine in the shower, I can still get my arms up and my ROM is OK.

My arm pits will get puffy, tender and sometimes a pinchy feeling - like if I am really into a book and read for more than and hour at a time.
If I prop with a pillow I can read longer...

Hi

I've had little, nonpainful bumps for as long as I can remember, about 5 or 6 of them. I'm not worried about them. Those are not related to TOS.

I've had tender points but not knots in my armpits and the inside of my forearms and straight across the outside of my breasts. I have had puffy out of the bra to armpit swelling. I used 3" balloons placed in my armpits to relieve some of that deadened, weakening painful points. All these I related to accident resulting in worsening of cervical spine and TOS, scalenes and now realized pectoralis major and minor issues, scapula and shoulders... or the upper body.

I definitely would try the lymph drainage massage Jo*mar is referring to. Light tough massage will move things. Try it.

Keep in touch.

See ya around

my lymph system gets clogged in my head. i self treat by massaging in a particular pattern.
1. use lotion. from my crows feet go out along the eyebrow.
2. from just under the ear, go toward the chin.
3. from the nose side to the ear side follow the bags under your eyes.
4. from the outside of the eye go towards the ear
this technique might clear up a headache. be sure to use lotion or you might get a skin abrasion.

also, alternating heat and cold can jump start stuck lymphs.

the bold part makes me wonder about acne inversa....

Hmmm, just googled it....the only thing is that they never come to the surface and pop or anything like that.....

havent had any for a while now so fingers crossed its sorted itself out!

mine came up after botox into spasming muscles close by. don't know if that's relevant for you?

Armpits are a common location for trigger points.