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This is me, being paranoid


OhioKat

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I feel like a prodigal daughter or something, slinking back onto the boards after a long absence.

I'm curious about people with liver mets. Did you have symptoms or was it dicovered on a scan?

I'm asking because I've been having quite a bit of pain in my upper right area of my abdomen and it seems to be increasing, not so much in intensity but in frequency and duration.

Of course as an avid internet wanna be geek, I've been looking on the internet so signs and symptoms. The reality is that of the ones listed I only have two and I've kind of hidden behind how most sites seem to really tout the weight loss/loss of appatite thing which I don't have.

Lord knows at my size I'd never look at any weight loss as a sign of something bad.

It's just making me a bit nervous I guess, and yes I know I should be making an appointment with my Doctor instead of posting about it here.

I do have an appointment coming up but not until January.

Part of me is saying call now, get it checked now.

Part of me is saying, I really don't want to spend another Christmas with an active cancer, or at least knowing I have an active one something like that.

Part of me says I'm being stupid and paranoid and it's nothing to be so worried about.

Part of me says just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get me. :twisted:

Part me says I probably shouldn't wait any longer then I already have to get this checked out.

Part of me says where the heck did all these parts come from?

I guess maybe this post was more about nervous posting. That I'm having pain because I'm fat and I sit hunched over the keyboard too much and I've "pinched" something.

I guess I'm here because I'm pretty sure ya'll will understand what I'm feeling and not just think I'm a nutter.

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Hey you...where you been..

What do you think about Schmaydee??? We've been missing him too, haven't we?? He is funny...made me belly laugh.

I bet it is from being hunched over. Then again, gall bladder? Yes. Too many parts. I bet if there was something going on with your liver, though, that your liver enzymes would be out of whack. Just thinking outloud.

In any event. You have earned the RIGHT to feel paranoid. It can sneak up on any one of us dx with lc at anytime for any or no reason at all. No shame. Comes with the deal.

glad to see you again though. We were dx in the same month and year!! Congrats on that. The anniversaries can bring up emotions.

Cindi o'h

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Dear Ohio Cat,

Please STOP! You sound so worried it's too much

Now listen-

No. 1. Please get an appointment NOW to see the doctor ASAP!!!!

No. 2. Worry gets you nowhere. Take a deep breath and relax. You're worrying about stuff that hasn't happened yet. STOP!!!!!

Please get your doctor on the phone and go to see him. You are a SURVIVOR. You've been through it all and you can go through whatever they throw at you again - which could me nothing- but you don't know that until you go and see. Remember, early is better as far as all this stuff goes. I want you to promise that you'll do this, ok??? 8)8)

Please let me know.

Joanie

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Hi, Ohiokat! I can only imagine the stress that you go through wondering if your cancer is stable. I am not a medical expert, however, I had upper right abdominal pain for 1.5 years before being diagnosed with a (quite lagre) BENIGN! ovarian cyst in August '05 ( I just had it surgically removed.) I, of course was worried about everything from gallstones (something you should definitely be tested for, especially if your discomfort comes after eating a fatty or rich meal,) to liver or pancreas cancer, but I found out the following. Generally, your liver would not cause pain if it is compromised (until end stage liver disease) but would cause fatigue and jaundice. Liver tissue does not hurt unless severly damaged. or atrophied/calcified. I would go to your onc or a good physician, and have him do some scans and bloodwork. BUT , please try to remain calm. There can be so many things that cause upper abdomen discomfort. My thoughts aqr ewith you.

Debbi

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Seems you have received some excellent advice. I would only concur with what Joanie has said. Interestingly enough, I have some discomfort in that same area and am also a bit worried. I hardly notice it at all most of the timne, BUT I get some twinges almost every day.

One other thing, check you mailbox! I sent you a PM a LONG time ago!

Don't stay away so long again. Let us know what the outcome is here. We will all be waiting to hear.

Kasey

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Go for a gall bladder function test. I think there are quite a few of us here that have had the darn thing removed after diagnosis of LC. Weird, I think...

Mine is gone, it was removed ten months after my lobectomy because it wasn't working. It involved some massive tummy pains, and if I remember right, a full-fledged gall bladder attack can mimic a heart attack. I had a small attack the week before I had it removed, cemented my decision to get it outta there, let me tell you...

I had an ultrasound first, no gall stones, but the function test showed that the gall bladder wasn't working. My surgeon said that since it wasn't giving me a lot of problems, if I didn't have the cancer history he probably wouldn't remove it - BUT, were I to need chemo, that's when the gall bladder would bother me and they wouldn't be able to take it out then. Got me time off at Christmas... :wink:

Here's to being full of gall and totally fixable!

xxoo,

Becky

PS Nice to see you again!

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I started having stomach aches -- at least that's what they felt like -- last spring. After several visits to several docs, the Oncologist finally ordered an ultrasound of my gallbladder. I had a gallstone and a stopped up bile duct! One ERCP procedure to smash the stone and put in a stent to keep the duct open and I was all better. Had to have the stent replaced later with a permanent one.

The offshoot was that I had some very small liver mets, and one on my pancreas that they may not have found so soon had I not had all that done. It enabled us to get to work on the mets, and now most are gone, with only a few that are much smaller, and the pancreatic met that we're hitting with a new drug soon.

Mine showed up in lab work -- I had them run a complete chemistry that includes liver tests. They were way out of whack. Now, those are checked at least once a month when I have my other lab work done.

It may be nothing, but OTOH, it may be something that will benefit from being found so early.

Di

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Welcome back, Kat! I also think you should have it checked out, both liver and gall bladder. Lucie has liver mets and hers were discovered by scan -- she never had any symptoms. But each person is different. It is always a good move to check when there is persistent pain anywhere. Don

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Hi there Kat. Where in the world have you been? So sorry that you're in this state of panic. I would be the same way! I think you should go ahead and make the appointment for now. What's the use in driving yourself nuts wondering about "what could be" when it's probably nothing serious. Hey...give yourself a break and call the doc! Then...let us know what he says!

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