aching in my left breast.. why?

[BCsmarty]

My name is Danielle and I am 25 years of age. I have a larger body frame(big boned some would say), slightly over weight, 5'6'' and am 200lbs ( I carry it very well). I do have Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrom (was diagnosed at 15). My bra size is a DD40

Over the past 4-6months I have started to get aches on the side of my left breast. Never in the center and rarely if ever (can't seem to remember) on my right breast. Just my Left. Cancer runs in my family yet I can't seem to find a lump, thank god. The aching is usually in the lower side around my armpit area on the side of my breast and up and around in a circle way (half moon kinda of) to the top of my chest on my sternum, where I sometimes get sharp pains (I think that part could be my muscles as that usually happens when I am stretching my arms out then relax them). I just finished my period. its not a sharp stabing pain in my breast, just an ache.

I'm not really in money and can't afford to go to the doctor right now to figure it out as i have to pay each time so figure I would try this. I would appreciate any type of advice or information you could give me. Websites, or anything so kind of ease my stress about this. Thank-you very much for your time and help.

- Danielle

[John Kenyon, CNA]

Hi Danielle -

I'm afraid the problem is sufficiently vague as to be very difficult to narrow down beyond possible muscular stress due to some possible slight postural misalignment which, combined with the amount of breast tissue carried, could be causing some strain on the muscles and rib cartilage in the affected area.

I'm not satisfied with this answer, however, mainly because of your family history, so I would strongly advise you have this examined and possibly have a mamogram done as well. I understand money is a problem right now, but this has to be weighed against your overall health and safety. Hopefully you can connect with a doctor who is sympathetic to the fact that many people don't have the usual means to pay, and will perhaps work with you on a sliding scale or discounted rate for a one-time exam (assuming nothing significant shows up). I do suspect this is orthopedic in nature, but again, due to family history, I would be remiss to simply send you off with that as my final answer. I really think you should get this checked. There's no way this can be diagnosed adequately on line, and self-diagnosis isn't a great idea anyway.

I hope this is helpful to you. Best of luck and please follow up with us as needed.

[jlnunes]

Many places have free mammograms do some digging online and you may be able to find one especially if you have a family history of breast cancer. You may not always feel a lump especially if you are heavier set and have larger breasts. At least get that ruled out.
The American Cancer Society. Go to cancer.org, find the blue box on the upper right (“Find ACS in Your Community”), enter your zip code, and it’ll direct you to your local ACS office. They can tell you what resources are available in your area. Or call the ACS toll-free: 1-800-ACS-2345.