Hi everyone. I'm new here but have been experiencing symptoms that have been worrying me now for some time and I just don't feel able to talk to anyone about it (I usually just end up crying with worry and then nobody gets anything out of the conversation). Back in October I started to experience discomfort in my right breast (I don't call it pain as it is more of an ache) that started suddenly one day and that would come intermittently during each day. I have in the past on a couple of occasions experienced painful breasts around the time of my period but this is defintely not the same. I wondered, because of my age (41), whether it was just a change in hormones or muscle damage so left it to see if it settled down. I couldn't feel any lumps on self examination. Since the start of December I have started to have the sensation at times that my right underarm is swollen, again intermittently but have also had discomfort on my right hand side. I stopped using deodorant (I had recently tried a new type so wanted to rule out any disagreement with that). I have managed to convince myself also that my right nipple has changed and developed a slit like appearance. I am so panicked as I cannot think clearly as to whether it was like that before. It definitely seems to look different to the left nipple though. So I have been scared to do any further exams as I'm worried about what I might find and as I haven't been able to pre-book an appointment with my GP until this Friday (I phoned the first week of December!) have been fretting for the past four weeks and spending a lot of time crying. I learned a year ago that I am a very big wuss when it comes to my health and medicine as I was seriously iron deficient and had to undergo various procedures in hospital, the experience of which effected me mentally especially as quite early on the GP told me that it was possible I had a cancer - and the only test they had done at that point was a blood test! For a while every pain I had I thought I was dying and I have serious issues with the thought of dying. I am worried to the max and cannot think about anything else, it's on my mind from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep. Apologies for the long explanation
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