enlarged spleen pain please help

[thewife0311]

hello all. i was diagnosed with having an enlarged spleen about a month ago. i went into the ER with a high fever and diarrhea and abdominal pain. 10 hours and a CT scan later, they found out my spleen was enlarged. it's been about a month now and the pain went down but then suddenly got worse again. i've missed lots of school. right now my ONLY sympton is pain in my spleen, left side, abdomen. the weird thing about this is that my blood count, platelet count all of it is NORMAL, which basically goes against the definition of an enlarged spleen. i feel like none of my doctors are taking me seriuosly because in a sense i am "medically healthy". oh except that one of my internal organs is too big and is causing me pain! i am also constantly weak/exhausted and have missed almost two weeks of school because i cant walk to my classes. whenever i go out for a day, im worse the next day. i'm pretty much just frustrated with this whole thing because no one is finding anything wrong with me but there's something wrong with me. i just want answers!!! i dont know how long this will last but it has the potential to seriously hamper my future as i myself am pre-med and this can affect my grades etc. has anyone else dealt with an enlarged spleen or anything like this??

[Evergreen]

Wikipedia is a good place to start for differentials:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splenomegaly

Good luck

[alchris]

I have heard of a spleen problem when people have mono.....

[PlateletGal]

I had mono many years ago and when I recently saw my physician, he pushed around in my spleen area to make sure it wasn't enlarged.

When you have an enlarged spleen, you need to take some precautions. When I had mono, I was told to avoid contact sports and heavy lifting. Basically... just make sure you protect that area.

Good luck!

[thewife0311]

i've done soo much research on this at like the mercks manual online etc but it always says that there's normally some other sign like a low platelet count. i dont have anything. all my tests are still coming back negative. i've been tested for mono and tons of other things and i dont have those. no one can figure out why it's enlarged. it's SOOO frustrating. AND painful.

and dont worry, i can barely walk fast, there's no way im doing any physical activity in this shape

[PlateletGal]

I'm not surprised about reading about the low platelet count. If they remove someones spleen, their platelet count normally shoots up by the thousands.

[carisa]

You need to get a second opinion for sure.

[Chels313]

I also think that i have an enlarged spleen, although the doctor has not specified this. I have a low white blood count and a low platelet count.  I tend to bruise somewhat easily as well.  My upper abdomenal (abdominal) is sensitive and  a little hard to the touch and pertrudes outward.  I have pains in my left upper abdomenal (abdominal) that vary; sometimes dull, achy, other times sharp.  I have also been experiencing fatigue and had fevers.  My doctor has not said that I have an enlarged spleen, but I think all the signs point to yes. Anyone else agree?

[thedadof5]

hi i have an enlarged spleen it is 9 times bigger than it should be.....and very painful.....has your doc done a lft liver function test yet??

[thedadof5]

i have been tested for mono and was negative......although you can have cancer and blood work shows normal be an advacote for yourself and standup for your rights

[dragon064]

Sorry to say, but I feel slightly better knowing that there are others in this boat I'm in.

For over 6 weeks I have been dealing with overwhelming pain in my left abdomen.
I have been to a urgent care clinic twice and the local hospital's emergency dept twice.
I have had 2 ultrasound tests, a urine test, 2 blood tests and a ct scan.

The second ultrasound showed my spleen was Very enlarged. The results showed in excess of 6 inches in 2 dimensions.... not sure how bad that is, but the emergency doctor said it was huge.

I was given a perscription for pain killers and my test results, then they sent me packing to my family doctor.
My family doctor seemed to disbelieve I was having the pains I decribed and would not give me anything for the pain, saying if I was in enough pain that I should go back to the emergency dept.

He did send me for a ct scan as stated above.
He said that all the tests were fine. He figured that that was all that was required of him, and he washed his hand of me and my pain.

I can't sleep in a bed as I always wake up a couple hours later with severe pain regardless of the pain killers.
The pain has been so bad that people where I work thought I was having a heart attack.

I was told by many people to make myself a tag to wear around my neck when I drive, so that if I am in even a small accident, I can have life threatening internal bleeding.
Why my doctor didn't let me in on this is baffling.

I am 445 years old
I have had cancer before
I have lately noticed I have easy bruising and easy bleeding.
I am totally exhausted.

I am also fully disgusted with the ineptness of my family doctor and the local Canadian medical system that seems bent on cutting me loose to suffer alone.

[dragon064]

Sorry I am only 45 years old, not 445...lol

[LisaC48]

I too am going through this I have been in the hospital 4 times in a year on top of all your symptoms that I too have I also have vomiting. Sometimes my Platelets are low and sometimes not. I have been to a blood specialist but nothing. They can't seem to tell me why it keeps enlarging. It goes back down but comes back up mine has measured 17cm don't remember what they said normal was but it wasn't that. I start out with just pain sometimes intense which is happening now,but can't get into the doc til the end of the month then I begin to vomit,have diarrhea and fever. I too have been told to wear a bracelet for it incase of a car accident because they said it doesn't take long before you can bleed out and die. I am so tired all the time all I want to do is sleep. I force myself to work because I have to.I feel everybody's pain it is frustrating to not know what it completely wrong with you.

[Sierrasmom2006]

I have an enlarged Spleen and I also have Lupus and Fibromyalgia.  My Lupus was so hard to diagnose because all my testing came back pretty normal.  Once I saw a rheumatologist and went over all my symptoms he said I definitely had Lupus and that some people never test positive for it.  I would look into a rheumatologist just to make sure everything else is ok!  I was diagnosed now 7 years ago and diagnosed with the fibromyalgia 3 years ago.  I wish you all the luck!

[2Young4This31]

hello , ive been exsperancing some pains  right below my left rib cage at the bottem  its comes and goes and its been going on for 3 yrs now . at first i thought it was because of my fibroid tumors pushing everything upward. but since then ive had a hysterectomy and im still having those pains and all .i feel it in same spot but in my back also and on my left side. when i sit it feels worse. and ive noticed a lump or something just below my rib cage at first i was like oh its a floating rib . but i dont think that is the case . im wondering if it is possable it might be an enlarged spleen or maybe soemthing to do with my panceris . or maybe my kidney  ? all i know is its very uncomfy at times . and sometimes it stops me in my tracks . sometimes it sharp stabbing and others its a dull nagging pain . anyone else with same symptoms ? it almost feels like i wanna reach in an take what ever it is out and it would make it feel all better ! ive been to my doc and told him about it and he hasnt said anything . or even tested me  told me we will deal wit that later !
i just dont know what to do anymore . its becoming more and more bothering . i dunno of its my spleen , pancreas , kidney , or maybe soemthing to do with my stomach , but i just dunno . the more i read and what i feel its alsmost falls in the the possable enlarged spleen . like i said i do feel something exspecially when im sitting it feels like something is pushing against my ribs on the left side and i can feel it also in my back same area as the front !  im so confused and just dont know what  to do anymore . i think my doc thinks im a nut case. if anyone has these same symptoms please  let me know  and let me know who i should go to ( another doc. ) ?  thank you !

[bookerdedee]

yes i related to the pain i'v ct and utrasound nothing . if it 's a enlarge spleen can we live