Is it my spleen?

[LalSD]

Hello everyone, Hope you are all well or as well as one can be. I thought I ask if anyone experienced this strange pain.

I have this pain on the upper part side of my right abdomen. If I breathe, the pain goes to my right shoulder. I was in A&E thinking is it appendicitis (my age is above the usual range for this, 47), I was told all is well, nothing to worry about. But I have this pain (3rd day today) which I can not walk long and I cant breathe because it hurts every time I take a breath. SO I take shorter breaths, a bit nauseous too..

Now, I strongly think this is most likely to be my spleen (swollen). Almost certain. Hospital could not work this out (dont you just love to be your own doctor, laughter). Has anyone experienced this and how did you get better? Hospital took xrays on my lungs, kidneys but forgot to take a scan or xray of the area I was pointing out that was hurting. :).... What can I say? Open to your suggestions.

Sending you love, its Christmas and happy times. Makes me forget about the pain... Will try to drive around to find the best Christmas tree, if I can.

With love,

Lale x

[CecilyParsley]

Hi Lale, I am so sorry that you are in pain. I can relate to having an enlarged spleen. For me I would have pain when I bent over. I struggled to reach something on the floor and it would make me have a flush of heat and nausea. For years I told my GP and Rheumatologist. They put it down to my large belly. Then I had a pain in my leg and it was very hot so I was sent to the hospital to get a Doppler scan. While I was there the Doctor asked if she could examine me. She put her hands right on the pain and said wow your spleen is very engorged. From that time my notes show Spleenamegaly. I have never had any treatment for it and the pain comes and goes but is made worse by bending over. I have not been much help I am sorry. I hope you get some better advice here and feel better for it. Take care xx

[LalSD in reply to CecilyParsley]

Cecily, Thank you so so much for your note. This is very very helpful and much appreciated. It is assuring to know that there is not much they can do. If this is the case, I just live with it. If not, I was hoping to investigate it to see how best to get treatment for it. Very assuring. I hope you all are well and wish you a wonderful Christmas. Much love, Lale x

[CecilyParsley in reply to LalSD]

I just wanted you to know that you are not alone with this Lale. Please do get it investigated. My care has been both patchy and and dismal at times. I will definitely mention it to my new Rheumatologist when I get to see him. A CT scan would show just how engorged your spleen is. When the Doctor at the hospital squeezed it I nearly jumped off the bed. So painful. Her advice was that I should keep an eye on t as it could rupture which frightened me to death however subsequent Doctors have just shrugged?? Have a wonderful Christmas lovely 🎄🎁 xx

[WinterSwimmer]

That sounds as if it might be your gallbladder (gallstones???). I think the spleen is on the left. Did anyone at the hospital mention this? Unresolved stomach ache that goes on for more than 24hrs should be looked at. Signs that it could be gallstones include jaundice, darkening urine, pale stools...

Does seem odd though - if you've had xrays, that they have not picked up anything. When this happened to me it was diagnosed with an ultrasound .

[LalSD in reply to WinterSwimmer]

Thank you WinterSwimmer. you are right, the spleen is on the right. But the only organ left is spleen (:)). That says alot, not slept for days, can not think straight. They checked my gallbladder. I am supposed to be very well. But I am not. I can barely walk, but i guess, I will wait and see. One gets tired fighting back all the time. Just tired but i hope I can get better before Christmas. Lx

[WinterSwimmer in reply to LalSD]

I think you should go back to the hospital. Pain that bad should not be ignored. The only other thing I can think of is trapped wind (sorry) - but that usually resolves itself within 24hrs.

[LalSD in reply to WinterSwimmer]

I thought about going back but it really upsets me at UCH. They have no idea what they are doing in A&E. I showed my right side front part of my tummy , they checked my kidney and lungs. No one actually checked the area I was pointing at. I will try to call my GP tomorrow. Thank you for your support WinterSwimmer. I really appreciate it. The 111 person said ‘lupus don’t have heart involvement’😂. I laughed. And replied yeah lupus does not effect the heart, she understood my sarcastic comments. 😔sad really. I checked gallbladder and it might be it. Or my liver. Who knows. I have been in bed all day, no Christmas tree for us today. x

[WinterSwimmer in reply to LalSD]

Good luck - let us know how you get on. x

[LalSD in reply to WinterSwimmer]

Thank you so much.

[Tiggywoos in reply to LalSD]

Hi Lale So sorry to hear you are in pain . I after with the others please do try and speak to GP .

I had left shoulder pain for a year , felt sick , pain in central stomach . Kept getting told it was indigestion and to eat less fatty foods . Ended up having gall bladder removed as gall stone stuck .

Not saying this to worry you but your know your own body and what feels wrong . You know where the pain is so try and be strong 💪 with GP .

Sending you healing hugs and do let us know how you get on x

Ps I agree with winterswimmer about trapped wind but I think that would have “moved “ by now 🙏

[LalSD in reply to Tiggywoos]

Hi Tiggywoos, thank you for your reply, and yes mine is gallbladder too. There is no urgency to remove it today. I am on morphine and i am in cloud 9, is this what heaven feels like? ☺️. Very grateful for your note. It makes sense. I was having trouble digesting food for sometime, this was the cause I think. Hope you are well and ready for Christmas. Lots of love, L x

[Tiggywoos in reply to LalSD]

Oh my goodness Lal ! Enjoy being on cloud nine for as long as it lasts 😉... do they plan to remove it ? X

[LalSD in reply to Tiggywoos]

Hello Tiggywoos, just got home, yes, the operation will be after cleaning the infection. I had started using my own antibiotics after my Saturday A&E visit, purely by chance, thinking I am getting worse, doctors were not as clear, I am glad I did start an antibiotics. It kind of saved my life, otherwise I would have been in great great difficulty. I am feeling much better, less pain. Thank you so much for being there..

Symptoms: pain on my abdomen, my right side, radiating to front of my right shoulder, rotator cuff, feeling a little sick and slight fever (eventually). When I took a deep breath, it was impossible because of the pain on my shoulder instead of my abdomen.

[Princerogers777]

I thought spleen was on left side, mine was slightly enlarged once as i was having pain on left , all in all im sure it was gas, air, indigestion of sum sort, in your case not sure but its hitting a nerve when it expands from your breathing. Keep mentioning it to doc or get 2nd opinion

[Pepsiandsky]

Hi, your spleen is on your left, stomach, pancreas and gall bladder central, liver on the right. This is definite, I am a nurse. My spleen is enlarged (left side) occasionally plays up if I've been bending over a lot that way or tight higher waistband ! No treatment, if it gets too big they can remove it, you can live without it. My liver doesn't function 100% (right side) and can twinge every now and then, feel like something stuck when bending etc. I had gall stones years ago and had my gall bladder removed. This is pain like I never knew, worse than labour ! It is central and through to left shoulder blade, intense, worse after eating fatty food as that triggers your gall bladder to produce bile. If the pain is sharp and worse at certain times or comes on with certain activities etc it could very well be muscular. X

[WinterSwimmer in reply to Pepsiandsky]

I've heard lots of people say this about gallstones. I had a stuck gallstone in 2016. The pain was central and a bit like really bad indigestion. It was unpleasant but not excessively debilitating - certainly nowhere near labour pains in intensity. After about 3 days I drove myself to the casualty dept of our local hospital. I'm not saying that you are wrong, just that the presentation of gallbladder pain might not always be exactly the same. They wanted to remove my gallbladder. I refused. Four years on I have not experienced a repeat of the same.

[LalSD in reply to Pepsiandsky]

Thank you Pepsi and sky Just left A&E. It seems to be gallbladder. L x

[LalSD]

I could not wait for my GP’s call, had to call an ambulance. Just managed to be discharged fro UCH. It seems to be gallbladder. Either leaking or stones, will be referred back to my GP. But I had the best morphine shot ever. ☺️. Never thought gallbladder could be that painful to the point I was crying in pain. Thank you for your support and note. L x