I had my pancreas, gallbladder, and spleen removed 3 months ago. Initial recovery in the hospital was tough. Lots of extra fluid weight, drains, pain, GI issues.

Context Explanation

Now that I'm home and it's been 3 months, the main things are diarrhea and adjusting to being an insulin dependent diabetic. I'm 41 years old and was in good shape prior to surgery. I'm back to walking an hour a day and doing weight ... Has anyone found something to relieve pain from an enlarged spleen in leukemia?

Insight Material

Does the spleen shrink once effective treatment is underway, as the excess white cell count goes down? Referred pain is when the pain you feel in one part of your body is actually caused by pain or injury in another part of your body. For example, an injured pancreas could be causing pain in your back, ... An enlarged spleen is characterized as one that is larger than 12 cm (approximately 5 inches) in length or over 400 grams (approximately 14 ounces) in weight. Splenomegaly usually occurs as a result of secondary causes rather than primary diseases of the spleen and is considered a rare condition, but can affect anyone.

Final Conclusion

What causes splenomegaly? Yes, you can potentially remain independent after radiation therapy for an enlarged spleen, but it depends on the cause of the splenomegaly, the specific radiation treatment, and your individual response to treatment. Radiation therapy can help shrink an enlarged spleen and alleviate symptoms, but it can also affect the spleen's function and increase the risk of infections. Hello @grecarmar. I'd like to invite a few members to this discussion that have discussed enlarged spleens and removal of spleens in addition to having a blood cancer. Although a few of these members had a different type of blood cancer, they may be able to share their experiences with the spleen.

@scsimpson, @bordercolliecra, @caroldk, and @shaker1956 all discussed having an enlarged spleen ... But they are all part of the process to help you find out what’s going on in your body with the low hemoglobin and enlarged spleen and liver. Because our bodies are so complex, it can take some time to diagnose blood conditions. My doctor (oncologist) had me have an ultrasound to check the size of my spleen and it showed it to be enlarged at 18cm with normal being about 12cm.