Soft itchy puffiness under left armpit – going out of my mind
Australia, 35 yo F, 180 cm, 95 kgs, Caucasian, no existing diagnosed medical issues (ADHD current untreated while I’m breastfeeding), no current medications, I take a breastfeeding multivitamin, no alcohol and no drug use, non-smoker, complaint ongoing since January 2024. No significant past medical history I can think of other than I had bacterial meningitis when I was 4 years old (hospitalised for ~3 weeks, and put in an induced coma).
I’ve tried to set out anything I think could be relevant below, if there’s anything I’m missing, please let me know and I’ll update it asap. I’ve included some photos that I’ve taken today (in the blue dark shirt) and June 2024 (in the grey shirt): https://imgur.com/a/CmUMNlu
High-level – I’m a 35 year old woman in Australia who has a consistently itchy left ‘pit’ of my armpit (specifically the puffiness is most visible about 2 centimetres above the ‘centre’ of the pit) which is noticeably ‘puffier’ than the other side. There is also some pain on and off which feels more like a pressure or a slightly sore throbbing (I can sometimes feel a pulse in there). When I refer to pain, it’s not significant - I’d say it ranges from 0.5 – 2 out of 10, but there is a noticeable sensation compared to the other armpit. Sometimes it feels like more of a slight burn (again, not significant, just like I had a minty toothpaste sitting on the skin in my armpit). The puffiness is not extreme at all, but my partner and others can notice it when I point it out (especially compared to my right armpit).
I first noticed this in early January 2024, when my left underarm got itchy at night and after an hour or so of scratching it on and off, I checked it out and noticed the ‘pit’ of my left underarm (specifically the part about 2 centimetres above the ‘centre’ of the pit) was noticeably ‘puffier’ than the other side (also red, because I had been scratching it). I thought maybe I was having a reaction of some kind but when it hadn’t gone down in the morning, I booked a GP appointment. That GP looked at the area, noticed it was red (probably from my scratching), felt my lymph nodes in the area, and said he thought it was a pocket of fat (uneven fat distribution (?) or a muscle).
Since then, I’ve seen 2 other GPs to have it checked – all have said they’re not worried about it, but they have no idea what could be causing it (anxiety and stress are loosely proposed). One GP referred to me have an ultrasound of my breasts and underarms. During the ultrasound, I was told I had extremely dense breast tissue (which I’d already been told), and no lumps were found. I’m obviously very relived that nothing nefarious has been found, but the itchiness and general sensation under the armpit is distracting and driving me a bit nuts. When my arms are down, the left armpit feels ‘full’.
I’ve recently gone back to a new GP because the itchiness and vague sensation/pain was driving me nuts. This new GP has said he isn’t concerned because he can’t feel a lump, but has referred me for another ultrasound. I’m waiting for that appointment, but in the meantime am hoping for some potential insight from Reddit.
Some more information that may or may not be helpful:
- If I squeeze/poke the area with the puffiness, it feels inflamed (‘squishy’) but there is no defined lump that can be felt (I can’t feel anything that feels like a cyst or an abscess under the skin, for example);
- Other than puffiness under the left arm pit, there is nothing visually around the area to signify something is up (the area isn’t hot or red, etc.);
- I’ve switched to a natural deodorant (about 3 months ago), and its made no difference;
- In October 2022, I had a mole removed under this arm pit (from the centre) – in the tiny area that the mole was removed, there is a small scar where hair doesn’t grow;
- There is nothing I can pin down that makes the itchiness/puffiness/sensation better or worse;
- I started taking Saxenda in around June 2023, and stopped taking it sometime in January 2024, because I was planning to start trying for a baby I around April 2024.
- Since I first noticed this, I’ve been pregnant and had a baby, a 16-month old that I’m still breastfeeding – relatively uncomplicated other than some late preeclampsia that resulted in an emergency c-section;
- I’ve put on quite a lot of weight since January 2024 – about 13 kilos (mostly during and following pregnancy);
- I’ve had a number of general blood tests done since first noticing this, and nothing of concern has been flagged (inflammatory markers, etc are all fine apparently, although I haven’t looked at the results myself). I’ve been low in zinc, iron, Vitamin D, on and off but nothing too out of the ordinary for a women who exclusively breastfed for a year and it still feeding twice a day.
**EDIT: I'm new to all this and can't figure out why my Imgur link isn't working...I'll try again later tonight when I'm finished up at work and the baby is asleep.