Hey, so I just wanna get an opinion on this. So I just realized I have another large lump in my armpit, almost the size of a small Easter chocolate egg if not a bit bigger. To be honest I've had them before, in each armpit too. When I gently squeeze them they seem like they're just giant zits from the puss that comes out. Honestly I'm not really worried because they go away after a few days to a week. I just want a second opinion. Thanks!
Hi I have the same problem as you and only recently confided to my doctor. I've been put on routine ultrasound examination to monitor the progress of what the radiologist call this a fluid collection. They can still see it with the ultrasound image after it disappears from the outside.
I had the same thing as you, and they'd go away, or I could pop them like a zit. Then once when I was at university, one just got bigger and harder, and I kept expecting it to go away but it didn't. Eventually it started limiting my arm movement pretty severely so I had to go to student health and they lanced it and drained it, with like 5 med students watching because it was such a unique procedure I guess. Kinda weird. I never found out what causes it or could stop them, so you might want to mention it to a doctor next time you are seeing one.
I've had the same problem with both of my underarms and actually had surgery on the lump on my right arm. I still get them pretty often but they always go away in like a week or so. Yeah they get painful but warm compresses seems to help some.
In the slight chance that anyone was wondering, I ended up going to the doctor today. Which turned out to be a really good idea! As it is, its a massive cyst. I'm now on a full 10 days of meds, and I have to go in later this week to have it drained. If anyone has something like this, I would recommend seeing your doc. If the cyst ends up rupturing on its own all the puss could pour into your bloodstream!!
I've been getting similar things for years on my upper legs and crotch area. I finally had a doctor look at it. He was not 100% sure but he believed it was a sebaceous cyst. He put me on some antibiotics and had me put a warm compost on it. That cleared it up. I've gotten a couple of more since then. I just put a warm compress on it for 20 minutes over a few day. That seems to do the trick.
So many people get armpit lumps, so most of the time it's nothing to worry about. What nobody else mentioned was that you may have lymphadenopathy, or swelling of the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes swell as a result of activity in the immune system. Picture how a plastic grocery bag expands to fit its contents. When you have an infection or anything else that triggers an immune response, the lymph nodes swell as a result of the frequent activity that is generating many cells. Most cases of lymphadenopathy are the result of infection and will clear up in about a week, from my experience. Less common possibilities are cancers such as lymphoma or leukimia, lupus, or HIV infection. You don't have to get a lymph node biopsied though, unless it's been swollen for over three weeks without pain, seems very hard, or your doctor suggests it. One thing that suggests something dermatological is the "pus" you described. Lymph nodes don't contain pus, if i recall correctly. That could be cystic acne instead, or other things in the skin. Of course, I can't tell anything without seeing it, and we can't say anything for sure unless you see a doctor about it.
