Bloated tummy and enlarged spleen

[Leilalala]

Hello all,

I have recently experienced a very bloated tummy and discomfort of the spleen. I am on W&W and my last ct scan revealed an enlarged spleen. I have no other symptoms. I am a bit worried. Is it common to have a bloated belly with an enlarged spleen? Mine was not bloated at all until recently. Could this mean that my spleen is getting bigger? Thank you in advance for your replies.

Have a lovely day,

Leila

[Jm954 Administrator]

A very large spleen can cause a bloated appearance and discomfort but I'm wondering if you've changed your diet significantly recently.

You were asking about EGCG and Curcumin recently, did you incorporate them into your diet? Has the bloating come on since then?

If your diet hasn't changed too much you should talk to your CLL Dr about reassessing your spleen.

[Ladydi49 in reply to Jm954]

Hello jm954.....my belly is also bloated and no longer soft...sounds like a drum when I tap on it and my spleen is moderately enlarged....all this started about a year ago. I mentioned the lump on the left side to several doctors and they all said it's my depending colon. It was my primary care doctor who diagnosed me with spleenomegaly and sent me for a CT scan of the abdomen which shows my spleen to be11.9 cm x 17.3 cm. I will be discussing this with my hematologist April 9th at which time I will be having a lot of bloodwork drawn.....auto correct: desending. Ironically one of the individuals who examined me was my hematologist's nurse practioner!

[Jm954 Administrator in reply to Ladydi49]

Ovarian cancer can present like this and even though it's unlikely, I'd still want it ruled out. It may have been excluded when you had your CT scan but worth asking and checking.

[Newdawn Administrator]

Hi Leila,

A swollen stomach with an enlarged spleen isn’t that unusual and possibly more noticeable if you are not of such a large build. The important thing is you’ve had a CT scan which would have identified any stomach related issues but clearly didn’t. Sometimes it can be due to ascites which is a build up of fluid when the abdominal lymph nodes don’t drain efficiently. Jm is probably onto something with your dietary changes and I’m wondering if you’ve also increased your fibre intake which could be causing tummy/bowel problems.

I have quite an enlarged spleen and it also impacts in a number of ways mainly back pain and stomach irritation.

If it continues and you’re experiencing discomfort, mention it to your specialist. An ultrasound can be useful for identifying any problems without having to take another radiation hit.

Best wishes,

Newdawn

[BluMts]

Leilalala, when was the last scan you refer to?

[Ladydi49]

It's possible because I have been dealing with the same thing for several months and look 3 months pregnant.

[Ladydi49]

Yes...I have been dealing with it for a year...my jeans don't fit and my left side of my abdomen aches at times