Enlarged spleen - tests good so far

[Belial1134]

About 8 or 9 days ago I was experiencing pain on my left side which then moved about the whole abdominal area. Finally got blood work done last week and everything came back good. Doctor had me get a ct scan which was good other than an enlarged spleen (14cm)

Today I had a chest X-ray (negative) and more blood drawn (8 tests in all). I've gotten 3 back and so far everything was good on those. I'm meeting with the oncologist/hematologist on Thursday though my anxiety isn't helping at all.

I turn 40 this year. About 5ft 8 and 173 pounds. Last year I had a bout with LPR (silent reflux) but I got over that in mid October. Not sure if this could in any way be related though.

With all the possibilities of what can cause an enlarged spleen, Im worried. Guess I'm looking for others who had similar issues but had good news when all was said and done?

Thank you for reading

[Belial1134]

I take the Cipro when I go to bed (around 4am with my schedule) and again when I wake up (around Noon - again, odd schedule of mine)
I'm not sure if it's the Cipro or not, but when I wake up I'm aching and have no energy. A bit nausea as well. After 2 or 3 hours it passes and I slowly begin to feel normal other than the sporadic spasms.

Part of me wants to stop the Cipro but the other part says I should finish the bottle (I got a 10 day supply). If it is a kidney infection, does that generally take longer than a UTI to start feeling better?

Also, I'm not even sure which Dr to try and see next. A gastro? A urologist? I'd guess the kidney falls under urologist?

[mkh9]

Well, it is true that the lymph nodes and spleen can enlarge when you get an infection and then they go down. You may have had some virus or bacterial infection and it went away. The flank pain sounds like a muscle spasm due to a back injury or strain. But other than that I don't know. Your lab work sounds really good. I think the spasms will pass too. Often our immune system fights things off and we don't really know what it is. That is its job. So, I hope you feel back to normal soon. Maybe the flank plain has to do with a kidney infection that is somehow referring the pain downward. But hopefully the cipro will know it out and you will feel better.
mkh9

[Belial1134]

The flank pain is actually on both sides kinda where you would put your hands on your hips - but more towards the back than my side.

The best way to describe the pain may be spasms. It seems to come and go and it's both sides.

According to the test I did not have a UTI but both my primary doctor (who couldn't see me that day) and the Urgent Care doctor who did see me said all my symptoms sounded like a UTI - hence the Cipro.

You may be right about the infection somewhere else causing the spleen to enlarge. The urgent care doctor mention that as well but all of the tests that my blood doctor ran came back negative.

I've had 2 CBC's plus a peripheral smear. On one of my CBC's the doctor noted:
No evidence of increased red blood cells on the urine dip with micro analysis.
Pancreatic enzyme normal. Kidney/liver/GB enzymes normal.
No elevated white count or inflammatory markers.

Don't think I had a CRP but I did have a Sed Rate which I thought was a test for inflammation? That was a 5 which I was told was fantastic.

It's just odd how every test yields nothing other than the CT scan and the enlarged spleen. The Blood doctor did say 25% of the time a spleen can enlarge possibly due to an infection but goes down on its own over time, and we never know why it enlarged in the first place.

I can say that other than the flank pain/cramping/spasms, I'm not experiencing the same symptoms that I had when I saw the blood doctor (the fullness/tightness to the stomach - which I was told was a result of the spleen pushing against the stomach).

The urgent care doctor said the issue I have now may not have anything to do with the spleen. I just can't believe my luck to go straight from an enlarged spleen right into a UTI or whatever it is I have. Actually I did have 2 or 3 days of feeling normal before all this started.

Getting to be where I am forgetting what it is like to feel normal.

[mkh9]

Was the flank pain in the upper right area where the spleen is or in the kidney area? I don't think you have mono again it doesn't recur with symptoms like that. So you don't have a urinary tract infection?  Have you had a test for inflammation like a CRP? I wondering if it is infection somewhere else causing the spleen to enlarge? Another couple of things are H. pylori that causes an ulcer and pancreatitis. With H. pylori you could get a urea breath test. With pancreatitis you could get a blood amylase and lipase. They all can cause pain in the same area.
mkh9

[Belial1134]

So I ended up back at the Urgent Care today as recommended by my Dr (I couldn't get to his office today before they closed)

Had some intense flank aches/pains/spasms plus a little nausea and chills. He thought I could have a UTI (assuming unrelated to the spleen issue?) but the test came back negative. The Urgent care Dr went ahead and gave me Cipro since I could still have an infection but not show up on the test.

He also said I could show up as having Mono from more than a year ago too. Just seems I am getting so many different answers to every question from the various doctors.  No one seems to have any idea what is wrong and they are just grasping at straws.

[mkh9]

Yes bronchitis can feel like pneumonia and sometimes like a heart attack. You can get stabbing pain. Same goes for pleuracy. It feels like stabbing pain the ribs. It can be very painful ( I have had it and couldn't stand up straight).  Mono goes away after about 2 months. The swollen lymph nodes can stay longer maybe 4 months. But that is about it. By then it should be negative or past infection in the blood.
mkh9