Why would I have an enlarged lymph node in my breast?
I am a 30 y.o. female with no family history of breast cancer. I found a lump in my right breast a short while ago. Over the next few weeks I had 2 sets of mammograms and an ultrasound done. I called my gyn daily to get the results of the tests, and when they finally came in the FNP returned my call. She stated that it was benign, and when I questioned her further she said it was an enlarged lymph node. Not being a pushy person, and I didn't really have any questions prepared for this scenario I let it go and hung up. Now I can't find any info online for why I would have an enlarged lymph node in my breast. From what I'm finding it must not be a common place, because I have yet to find anything.
So, my question is...Is this something that should be further tested? It is still the same size as when I found it about a month and a half ago. The only other symptom I am having is that occasionally my breast will ache slightly. It's usually only for a few seconds and it quits. It occurs maybe 1-2 times a day.
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Hi, Anon, and welcome to Empowher!
Thanks for a great question. I'm sure that the last month and a half has been frightening for you -- there's nothing worse than worrying and waiting, is there?
Did the FNP seem to think the doctor would call you at some point or that there would be more communication of any kind? It seems odd to me that after that many tests, you would hear only from a nurse practitioner, even though they are very good at what they do.
Our lymph nodes -- there are many throughout the body -- perform a lot of important functions. They are part of the immune system, helping us fight infection and viruses, and they help drain excess fluid and waste. There can be a lot of reasons why one might be swollen.
One of the most common is infection. Did your doctor or FNP suggest this to you, or suggest a round of antibiotics? Or perhaps suggest over-the-counter pain medicine and warm compresses for the pain?
Here's the Mayo Clinic page on swollen lymph nodes. Be sure to note the things you can click on down the left side such as Symptoms, Causes, Treatments and drugs, Lifestyle & home remedies:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/swollen-lymph-nodes/DS00880
Have you had any other symptoms as well? Fever, loss of appetite, weakness, etc? Here's another article that discusses swollen lymph nodes, and their sometimes-link to lymphoma. But it includes several symptoms that you did not mention:
http://lymphoma.about.com/od/symptoms/f/largenodes.htm
This page has some more technical information, as well as a graphic:
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/swollen_lymph_glands/article_em.htm
And here's a short ABCnews video on how to know if your swollen lymph nodes point to something serious:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ColdandFluQuestions/story?id=6434097
I hope this information has helped somewhat. Maybe it has helped you form questions that you can ask your FNP or your gynecologist to set your mind at ease. Please write back and update us, or let us know if we can be of further help.
I have had a enlarged lymphnoid in my breast for a few years now, I get it checked every 6 months. 4 months ago I was diagnosised with Hashimotos Thyroid which is an autoimmune disorder where my immune system attachs my thyroid glad inturn I do not produce the thyroid hormones I need. Since being put on Armour Thyroid Meds (90MG) I haven't had my breast checked yet, could Hashimoto's cause my lymphnoid in my breast to be enlarged?
I also have a lump in my breast that they are saying is most likely a lymph node. I have felt it there for 3 years now but it has gotten slightly larger. I am going to see a surgeon next week to discuss further. I haven't seen many answers to these questions online in regards to enlarged lymph nodes in the breast. I will give an update next week.
Thanks for replying. I had returned to my GYN for my annual on Tuesday of this week, and he suggested that I visit a surgeon to see if there is a need for a biopsy. Saw the surgeon today and he said that we could either go ahead and take it out and send for biopsy, or get another ultrasound to compare with the previous one and go from there. I haven't been able to find anything online regarding an enlarged lymph nodes in the breast. The only thing I could find shows placement of lymph nodes in the body, and yes there are nodes where my lump is. Guess I feel that everyone should be as concerned as I am, and I didn't feel that the radiologist who read my results was. Luckily my GYN & the surgeon I saw seem to want to get to the bottom of things. Good luck!
Anon,
I'm with you! It's so important to be able to get information that's complete as possible whenever it comes to something like this. Did you decide to do a biopsy or another ultrasound?