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Old 06-12-2008, 06:23 PM
 
Location: I'm not lost, I'm exploring!
3,401 posts, read 13,337,741 times
Reputation: 5774

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Hi guys. I need advice.

I know the first thing you're going to suggest is to see a doctor and stop self-diagnosing, but I have no health insurance. I'm trying to scour the internet for free clincis, or obgyns or something that I could slip into as soon as possible.

With that said, let me give you the run down.

Once a year, I get a small pea-sized lump underneath my arm. It's not painful, it's always very deep under the skin and never swells, or breaks, or leaks or anything weird like that. Just a small lump that shows up.

Now the first time it made it's appearance, I went to the ER, and was diagnosed in under 5 minutes with a small abcess, and was given a standard antibiotic to take for a week. It went away. All's good.

After talking to my mother after moving up here, she says she used to get them all the time when she was younger under her arms, and even the occasional one (down under). She said to save my money on doctors, because give it a few weeks, it must be viral, because they always go away on their own. Sure enough, since moving here. The one or 2 that I have gotten, have gone away on their own.


Now to catch you up to speed here...
I have one that is most definately "down under". I won't get too graphic, it's not in my most private of areas, but it's close! Right around the area I start shaving, in the front, off to the right a little bit. Again, heeding what my mother has told me in the past, I am giving it time. It is so small and painless, that I didn't even notice when I first got it. But after keeping an eye on it, it has assuredly been at least 3 weeks now. IT doesn't hurt, but it bothers me that it hasn't gone away. You can see a slightly bruised discoloration on the skin where it is. But just like under my arms, it's no where near the surface, and never gets any closer.


I'm just starting to squirm, and wondering whether this is something I should have looked at. I'm not sexually active (lol sorry) so I don't have a regular obgyn or anything that I go to. And again, I'm at a loss, without health insurance on where to start looking here.

I'm okay with giving it more time - but it's something that worries me. It doesn't hurt.. but it's just not going away. Has anyone ever experienced this before? What did you do? If anyone could help me scour the internet for sources I could go to for help or to get checked out, I'm all ears.

I know I'm a hypo-condriact (sp?). So I could sit here all day on webmd.com and find all sorts of possible things wrong with me - but I'm really not looking to add to the stack. I know if my body is fighting an infection and it's a lymph node, that is why it is swollen. Is my body losing the battle if the lump is still there? or did it give up? I know smoking lowers your immune system's ability to combat bacteria - stopping smoking recently should be helping my little lump, no?

Any advice! I'll stop rambling...
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Old 06-12-2008, 06:49 PM
 
3,490 posts, read 8,198,978 times
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Are you sure it's not just an ingrown hair? That would make sense if you shave and could make sense both in the under arms and 'down below' areas.
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Old 06-12-2008, 07:00 PM
 
Location: I'm not lost, I'm exploring!
3,401 posts, read 13,337,741 times
Reputation: 5774
It feels like it's underneath deep.. not like it has anything to do with the surface of the skin.

I've had ingrown hairs before I think, they hurt, but they go away, generally after coming to a head at the surface, or after plucking the monster 6-foot hair out that was stuck in there and letting it heal after it opens.

The underarm lumps and this lump... it's something underneath all the skin that never gets any bigger, or anycloser to the surface. it just sleeps underneath the skin quite contendedly while I freak out on the outside about it. Like I said, the arm ones went away. This one.. wants to stick around and keep me company.

Last edited by Marylandkitten; 06-12-2008 at 07:15 PM..
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Old 06-12-2008, 07:21 PM
 
Location: South Carolina
5,297 posts, read 6,273,878 times
Reputation: 8185
I certainly understand the no insurance thing and web md has helped me diagnose myself several times.I hate getting little bumps and wondering if they are something to worry about.I noticed several pea sized lumps running down the shin of my leg.That was about 6 years ago and luckily I'm still doing ok.I still have them,my husband just noticed them the other day when he was rubbing my leg,he kind of had a freaked look on his face.I told him relax I mentioned these lumps about 6 years ago to you.He didn't remember...lol

But if you are concerned I'm sure 2 minutes in a doctors office or urgent care is all it would take.If money is an issue most of these places will take payments.I know the no insurance dilemma,I've been to the doctor once in 13 years.
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Old 06-12-2008, 08:09 PM
 
Location: Duncan, OK
2,919 posts, read 6,803,486 times
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It does sound like a Lymph Gland from your description... For whatever reason mine are very sensitive and I will get those swellings from time to time with no apparent reason. Sometimes it turns out that I am getting ready to get an ingrown hair, or I have a tiny cut somewhere that I have barely noticed. I will even get them over an inflamed hangnail!

I had one in the underarm area just a couple of weeks ago right after shaving... lasted about a week, worried me to pieces and then disappeared... (as usual )

The discoloration does sound a little odd, unless you have caused it by checking the "lump" 20 times a day.

I think the longest I have ever had one bother me is around 8 weeks... but I do have one in my neck that never went away after a nasty ear piercing infection.

If it is worrying you it would be best to have it looked at... just to be on the safe side.
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Old 06-12-2008, 08:15 PM
 
Location: Chicago's burbs
1,016 posts, read 4,528,296 times
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I agree with Hobokenkitchen, it sounds like an ingrown hair. They sometimes can be deep under the skin if they get infected down by the root. And it makes sense since you are getting them in areas where hair grows.
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Old 06-12-2008, 08:43 PM
 
Location: I'm not lost, I'm exploring!
3,401 posts, read 13,337,741 times
Reputation: 5774
okay.. even the sites that I've checked say, worst case scenario it would be another abcess (that will go away with time) or a cyst that starts with a b... that also, might be inconvenient, but they do go away.

It looks like I'm just going to have to sit on it and keep my self-diagnosies to a minimum. It only starts to color on the surface of the skin when I've been checking it 20 times a day or so.. lol. the more i forget about it, the smaller it seems - so... I'm going to just start taking a once a day women's vitamin, and, stay squeaky clean and stop fidgeting with it and... thanks for calming me down guys.
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Old 06-12-2008, 11:04 PM
 
3,191 posts, read 9,158,153 times
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maybe it is a Gartner's duct cyst, sound too far outside the labia area to be a bartholin cyst........? At any rate I wouldn't worry too much. Does it feel 'loose' and not attached? And kind of slide around if you manipulate it? Use some warm compresses now & then will help the swelling. It is probably just a cyst of some sort/

Try not to fiddle with it, it will start felling like a boulder!!

zinc ( no more 80mg total a day ) good for infection

fresh pineapple is good for inflammation and helps to heal

garllic capsules - good natural anitbiotic properties

hope it gets better....those bumps can pop up any where and are irritating to say the least!
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Old 06-13-2008, 12:55 PM
 
Location: Pacific Northwest
1,075 posts, read 4,299,897 times
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It's probably nothing like you're thinking, but what if it is something and you're letting it get worse by not getting it checked out?

We could imagine and help you with all sorts of scenarios, but none of it helpful in the long run.

I sympathize with you about the expense, that's for sure. But do you have a car? What happens when it gets sick? You spend the money right?

You are way more important than your car!
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Old 06-13-2008, 04:01 PM
 
Location: Texas
8,672 posts, read 22,209,589 times
Reputation: 21364
Quote:
Originally Posted by stone-ground View Post
It's probably nothing like you're thinking, but what if it is something and you're letting it get worse by not getting it checked out?

We could imagine and help you with all sorts of scenarios, but none of it helpful in the long run.

I sympathize with you about the expense, that's for sure. But do you have a car? What happens when it gets sick? You spend the money right?

You are way more important than your car!
I agree here. Since it's a source of concern, I think you need to bite the bullet and just spend the money to see a family doctor. One visit would likely be about $100.00. (At least, that would be the average for the Dallas area where I l live.) Agree with car analogy. I think it would be worth it to you.
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