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spleen pain?

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Hi Please can I ask how long it takes for spleen to go back to normal Or at least stop hurting, I was dx 20/7 been on imatinib since this date an I am getting twinges of pain around spleen area still. I was not given an ultrasound to measure how big it was at dx I was just told it was enlarged. X

I am sure your notes will indicate how large your spleen was at diagnosis, but without knowing that it is difficult to say how long it will take to get back to normal. You are still at an early stage in your therapy so it is reasonable to expect that you might still have some residual pain as your spleen reduces in size and your cell counts normalise. You should ask your doctor for reassurance about how long your should expect to wait until your symptoms resolve. It may well be some months yet. At your next visit you might want to write down a list of questions about things that are worrying you so you can ask either the doctor or the support nurse if there is one. Are you at Liverpool Royal? I am sure they do have clinical nurse specialists at the CML clinic. It is sometimes easier to ask to see a CNS after you have seen the doctor.

Sandy

Thank you Sandy yes I'm very lucky to be at the royal in Liverpool prof Clark and the CML nurses are fab. I just feel like I would b bugging them prof Clark did say when I mentioned the pain that it was a good sign of things going back to normal. I think some days the fear takes over and I need constant reassurance :(

Sorry for bugging everyone xxx

Hi Moirah,

Mt spleen took ages to feel normal again. My white blood cell count was 108,000 at diagnosis, which resulted in my spleen being twice its normal size. I recall i had twinges for up to one year. I found when i was really tired after diagnosis my spleen would ache a bit - a good indicator for me to take it easy for a little while. Your spleen has (likely) taken a battering over recent weeks and it will take time to calm down. At your next appointment ask what your white blood cell count is; normal range is ~4,500 to ~13,000 (ish). If you're back in the normal range you should draw confidence everything it ticking along OK.

Best wishes

Chris