Dear Lynn,
       I can think of one condition which sounds something like what you've
described.  You might want to ask your doctor about it.  There is a condition
called Mondor's Syndrome, or sometimes Mondor's Disease.  In Mondor's Syndrome,
a blood vessel becomes inflamed and often lumpy, and is very painful.  The
lumpiness is due to blood clots forming in the vessel as a result of the
inflammation.  Because these are not deep vessels, such as in the legs, the
possibility of these blood clots causing problems to heart/lungs is remote.  It occurs
in the breast, and can be the result of injury (like an accident of some sort,
or perhaps a nursling who yanked too hard), surgery, radiation for cancer
treatment.  It can also be caused by an undiagnosed tumor pressing on the blood
vessel, and that pressure causing inflammation.  Since your problem seems to
come and go, I doubt that a tumor would be the cause in this instance.  You may
want to talk to your doctor to see if s/he thinks this would possibly explain
your pain.  He might be able to prescribe some medication that could relieve
the inflammation, which would then allow the clots to stop forming, and those
already there would have more room to dissolve.
       I hope you're able to discover some relief quickly.
       Dee

Dee Kassing, BS, MLS, IBCLC
Collinsville, Illinois, in central USA

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