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Pain 8 Years Post-Splenectomy

Posted , 8 users are following.

nicholas176
nicholas176

I had my spleen removed in 2009. It was enlarged and they removed it as a precaution due to my line of work. 

I have always had left side pains right under the rib cag since the day it was removed. Over the past year I have noticed the pains getting worse and more frequent. 

It is nothing I am super worried about but curious if anyone else is having the same issue after this long, or longer, post-op? Thanks

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • pam_2212
    pam_2212 nicholas176

    Posted

    Hi Nicholas.. lost my spleen November '16... 

    no actual pain to speak of , odd twinge now & then but I can not lay on my left side for more than a minute or two .. is painful ...

  • kalle55224
    kalle55224 nicholas176

    Posted

    Hi Nicholas, I had my spleen removed a little over 2 years ago after a bad car accident and I too get phantom pain under the left side of my rib cage. Happens quite a bit and keeps me up all through the night. I thought it was my heart at first but its coming from exactly where my spleen used to be. I'm not sure what to do about it but I hope something can be done because it effects my day to day quite a lot.

  • Wheelo
    Wheelo nicholas176

    Posted

    Hi Nicholas, I had my spleen removed almost 20 years ago and still suffer with the pain you describe, particularly after I exercise - not immediately, the next day or so. I'm not in constant pain, but on bad days it's like a claw grabbing me constantly and it can be very wearing. I've had x-rays, abdominal scans and ultrasound but they have not detected anything - so I'm not worried but the pain is very real. I have found that a mild laxative helps in reducing the duration of the pain. It's definitely the worst impact that the splenectomy has had on me.

    Dave

  • jayem8
    jayem8 nicholas176

    Posted

    I know this may sound weird but a retired health professional (who also had a splenectomy) told me that the bowel can expand into the space where the spleen was. She advised me to push down & inward from my ribs to put it back in place.I'm not suggesting that this is the cause of the pain for everyone but i've found that doing it sometimes eases the twinges i get.

     

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