Re: Enlarged spleen--any danger?

[Guest guest]

Sharon, I doubt it could rupture on its own. I would still

think you'd need some outside trauma to cause it to rupture.

Of course depending on how enlarged the spleen is, the

lesser amount of trauma it would take to rupture it.

I have had an enlarged spleen (currently measured 4 fingers

below the rib cage) ever since my diagnosis, and haven't

been concerned yet. It, however, isn't as bothersome as

yours appears to be.

HTH, and best wishes,

Marc - Long Beach, CA

Dx atypical MCL(CD5-) Leukemic Phase 3/26/02 (age 54)

Current status - Age 63, No treatment yet

http://livingwithmcl.com

The future is just a concept we use to avoid living today

[Guest guest]

Sharon,

I have had an enlarged spleen for over two years, and it got

so large that it became the reason that I had to get

treatment. My primary care doctor almost fainted a few

months ago when she saw how large my abdomen had become.

A trauma to the spleen could rupture it if it's huge like

mine has been. My spleen was 24 cm below the rib cage. I

decided not to go skiing last winter because I was worried

about falling and rupturing the spleen. However, I found

that normal activity wasn't a problem, other than just

keeping my pants from falling off. I even travelled to Italy

in May.

The pain is something to look into. You might want to get an

ultrasound and see if you have any potential issues like

swollen lymph glands in the abdomen that are pressing

against something. Also, look at your liver and kidney

values on the blood test. If the spleen is big enough it can

press on the liver and/or kidneys and affect their function.

Ron

[Guest guest]

Sharon - Given the symptoms you described I would check with

a doctor. It's easy to blame everything on our CLL and

because of that to miss other health issues until they have

become advanced.

Pat

[Guest guest]

A massively enlarged spleen can spontaneously rupture, but

that is extremely rare. Trauma is the big risk when the

spleen is so big (more than double normal size) that it is

no longer protected by the rib cage. Also rare unless there

is a bad car accident or the like. I also wouldn't play

rugby.

Of course a large spleen can lead to anemia and low

platelets, and cause abdominal bloating. It is probably less

effective at fighting certain types of bacterial infections.

That said, usually there are no problems.

Stay strong. We are all in this together.

(bkoffman.blog.com)

[Guest guest]

Ron,

24 cm (9 " ) below the rib cage. Are you sure? That would be

just about to my thigh.

Marc - Long Beach, CA

Dx atypical MCL(CD5-) Stage 4, Leukemic Phase 3/26/02 (age 53)

Current status - Age 63, Stable Disease??, No TX yet

http://livingwithmcl.com

The future is just a concept we use to avoid living today