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What Causes Left Sided Underarm Pain?
Hi there, I m having some trouble with pain under my armpit, but not directly in it. The location of the pain is on the left side and corresponds with the edge of where my bra cup ends. The pain is intense and I often get it after I haven t eaten in a while or I didn t eat high amounts of protein during lunch. Any guidance you can provide would be greatly appreciated! Lauren
posted on
Fri, 20 Oct 2017
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Wed, 24 Jan 2018
Answered on
Tue, 30 Jan 2018
Last reviewed on
hi Lauren
there could be 2 possible reasons for your pain and both are manageable
in medicine we evaluate pain by 3 components
focal ( site of pain )
local ( around the site of pain )
global ( remote location other than the site of pain leading to pain )
so the focal cause could be your bra cup edge may be pressing on the site and that is causing the pain
solution - try using a larger size or apply some petroleum get before putting on your bra where the edges touch the body
if your pain subsides with this than it’s the reason for pain
local cause could be swelling in your breast as compared to the other side
solution - try examining it by standing in front of the mirror and if you feel that the size is bigger than the other you should be referred to a breast specialist
global cause - since you mentioned that the pain aggravates after eating it could be peptic ulcer disease ( in lay terms acidity ) as pain from acidity sometimes is referred to the chest region ( referred pain )
solution - start tap pantoprazole 40 mg once in the morning 15 mins before breakfast and if the pain subsides than we know it’s acidity
take meds for 15 days and avoid spicy food
drink 2 glasses of warm water before sleeping and after waking up
conclusion- it doesn’t look to be a cause of major concern and can be managed with the above mentioned treatment
if you have any queries regarding it or any other issues please feel free to write and I shall help you in the best way I can
best regards
Dr Raza Ali
there could be 2 possible reasons for your pain and both are manageable
in medicine we evaluate pain by 3 components
focal ( site of pain )
local ( around the site of pain )
global ( remote location other than the site of pain leading to pain )
so the focal cause could be your bra cup edge may be pressing on the site and that is causing the pain
solution - try using a larger size or apply some petroleum get before putting on your bra where the edges touch the body
if your pain subsides with this than it’s the reason for pain
local cause could be swelling in your breast as compared to the other side
solution - try examining it by standing in front of the mirror and if you feel that the size is bigger than the other you should be referred to a breast specialist
global cause - since you mentioned that the pain aggravates after eating it could be peptic ulcer disease ( in lay terms acidity ) as pain from acidity sometimes is referred to the chest region ( referred pain )
solution - start tap pantoprazole 40 mg once in the morning 15 mins before breakfast and if the pain subsides than we know it’s acidity
take meds for 15 days and avoid spicy food
drink 2 glasses of warm water before sleeping and after waking up
conclusion- it doesn’t look to be a cause of major concern and can be managed with the above mentioned treatment
if you have any queries regarding it or any other issues please feel free to write and I shall help you in the best way I can
best regards
Dr Raza Ali
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