update on swollen gland underarm

[renie]

I posted a few times reg. a enlarged gland under my arm now for about 9 weeks..I am currently pregnant and also have a weird tubular swelling on my areola that comes and goes..well I went back to my family doctor who first gave me an antibiotic to see if it would go down and it didn't so she sent me for an ultrasound...the ultrasound showed a few slightly enlarged lymph nodes w/ a fatty middle..she also did my nipple and that didn't show anything but veins(I guess form being pregnant) the radiologist was not worried about the gland..my doctor says to recheck in 4 weeks...what is the standard in watching and waiting? is this normal?

[hopeing9090]

A related discussion, breast lump was started.

[Kate 49]

About ten years ago I showed my Gyn a lump under my arm, he said it was a swollen lymph node and nothing to worry about. When he retired I showed it to my new doctor and he said the  same thing. I showed it to him again a year later and he said the same thing. Should I have this checked out after all these years. Any comments would be appreciated.

[joi]

JUST HAD A QUESTION ..WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A LYMPH NODE IN THE AXILLA? IS IT THAT IT COULD HARBOR A CANCER OR IS IT THE FACT THAT IT'S A LUMP THAT HAS TO BE EVALUATED TO TELL IT'S A LYMPHNODE?

[CCF-RN,MSN-rf]

Dear renie:  There is no absolute standard to wathching and waiting.  Your ultrasound results do not suggest anything to be worried about.  Four weeks is a very short interval and is a conservative approach.  In the meantime, if this gets larger, you should let your doctor know.

[surgeon]

a lump anywhere needs some sort of expanation. A lump in the axilla could be many things; there are lots of lymph nodes there, among other things. To be able to feel lymph nodes is not necessarily abnormal; it depends on several things, especially size and texture and context. If a person has an enlarged node, the most common explanation is infection or inflammation, which may be acute, or may be left over from some process long since over with. Or it could be due to tumor; either a primary lymph tumor such as lymphoma, or one that spread there from somewhere else, like the breast. To determine whether it's significant or not, or what kind of lump it is, may only take an exam by an expert, or it may take watchful waiting to see if it changes, or it may need some sort of biopsy -- surgical, needle, etc.

[renie]

I took my ultrasound results to a breast surgeon and she was the one that suggested to recheck in 4 weeks..my ob/gyn keeps saying it's a reactive node from shaving..when is it worth it to biopsy ? if it gets bigger? it's 1.0x .07 w/ clearly defined margins and a fatty helium??? there was another that was scattered and very tiny..

[surgeon]

It's hard to define a standard: each situation is different, and followup depends on many things. It might give you peace of mind to see a breast specialist; what you describe, and what's been done suggest the likelihood of something serious is quite low. But if you find yourself still concerned, getting another opinion might help.

[surgeon]

I don't know the term fatty "helium," altho when a lymph node appears fatty in its center it's a sign of being benign. If your surgeon had been concerned, she would have recommended a biopsy; four week followup is a very safe plan. 1 cm is not very big. If it grows, at some point it might need biopsy. But it sounds highly likely to be ok.