uncomfortable feeling on left side...

My mom has been having a dull, uncomfortable feeling on the left side of her abdomen. The "pain" is random. She is 2 months post transplant. Since she has had diverticulitis (not sure if I spelled it right) in the past, she is worried that she may be having an episode of it. The transplant team sent her for a CT scan with contrast. All came back okay and no diverticulitis. However, the "pain" is still there. Has anyone else, post transplant, experienced this type of "pain"???

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 6/20/2013 6:55:08 PM (GMT-6)

@ David...how long did the pain last? My mom has been having this for the last 2 weeks...its not a constant pain but happens randomly throughout the day. My mom describes that it feels like when you have been running/jogging for a while and you get almost like a dull cramping feeling, then it disappears. She said she feels better when she craddles her left side with her arm and hand. It is located about waist high, just like you.
I wonder what it could be???

Wd2,
I've had them infrequently, since a few months after my transplant. I still have them occasionally. There's no pattern to them. I could have a couple in a week, and them not have one for a month. It worried me at first, now I don't, as everything works.

PS- Just got my recent blood work back. 18 months undetectable for the virus.

Wonderful news David..

Sandia

Just plain sweet, David :)

         hey David,    great news!!  i go for my 6 month post tx v/l next week, hope to join you in the ranks of the SVR   

                                  barry  

Fantastic, Barry, Im rooting for you :)

Connie, see my post in response to Syxx, thanks for asking :)

@ Pam,

So good to hear you pipe in...glad that you posted and don't want to hijack this one, but wanted you to know I think of you often.

Your last posts were kinda down and I'm hoping things are more settled now.  Things okay here for now. 

Carol

Muscles cut from surgery could be tightening up. It sounds muscular if the pain gets bad when she lays down.

Jane (isn't that your nom de plume a la Mae?),

You are worried. I get that. But so worried that you are not functioning well? When our worries carry us to a place where we can't sleep, can't do our daily tasks, it is time to find someone to help, someone professional to talk to.

That's what I did. I realized I wasn't helping either of us being so upset I was fussing at my sick partner when he couldn't help how he was acting, and my hyper vigilance wasn't curing him one bit.

The counselor helped me see that I need to settle down, to take care of myself, and to face the possibility that all the intervention in the world might still net a sad outcome...and to be more accepting of my lack of control over that outcome.

She worked with me to help me live more in the moment, to try make good memories, to be supportive without making my partner more anxious too.

And she had me see a doc about some anti anxiety medication that is working well. I don't take a giant doses, but enough to keep me from spinning in my mind.

Your Mom needs you, and needs you to be okay...now and later...if if if. But, the TP centers have a very high degree of success...they don't take on lost causes for TP. The statistics ARE VERY HIGH for success at surgery and first year, so the data is heavily in her favor. And the docs are very motivated to keep their post TP folks on a successful track.

I would assume after care treatment protocol as a good one and feel certain they are doing their best. With a few bumps that they all seem to have along the way, your Mom is likely to do well.

Mike's worst bump was when they tried to change him from prograf to rapamune as the anti rejection med. Their motivation was that the rapamune was easier on the kidneys and Mike's creatinine and GFR were too high. The poor man got mouth sores as big as extra tonsils! And nothing would work. He wound up with one of those 5 day hospitalizations where they changed his meds, gave him some neupogen by injection to boost white cell production, and supplemented various chemicals to get his electrolytes back in balance. Mike was so miserable for a long time...worse that the transplant recovery according to him. It resolved, he is back on prograf with cellcept sometimes too. He is on and off that for various reasons.

Sorry these in between times are so bumpy at your house.

Hugs,
Carol

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 6/29/2013 12:09:11 PM (GMT-6)

Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I know it is hard to be optimistic.

I didn't mention that Mike has cancer surgery scheduled for Friday next week. He has squamous cell on his his face and maybe head also. His AFP and Alk Phos are running very high, so there is a worry there is lymphoma somewhere, not unusual for those on immunosuppressant therapy. But we are going to go from MRI to MRI (every 3 months) and live our life in between. He has a second chance at life...but none of us are going to live forever. His days may be numbered and I am okay with that now.

Carol

WD, you certainly are a worry wart! I think you should take Carol's suggestion about seeing a counselor and perhaps getting on medication. You obsess over one thing and when that is resolved, you go on to another. That has to be exhausting!

An HCC of 1.9 cm is not likely to metastasize...anywhere. It would keep growing in the liver or develop into a second HCC. Also, prior to transplant, I assure you that they did a nuclear bone scan, specifically looking for metastasis to the bones, including the skull/brain. Also a CT of the chest. Had there been any metastasis, she would not have been eligible for transplant. If she developed HCC post-transplant, it would likely take longer than 2 mos.

Remind me, does she have hep C? If not, it is unlikely she will develop HCC. If she does have HCV, a tumor would take much longer to develop.

As for back pain, I had it immediately post transplant and complained until an x-ray was done. It showed nothing. The pain kept getting worse, so I had another x-ray or scan several months ago and was told by a neurosurgeon that I have a stress fracture of Lumbar 3 (lower back.) He said the next step would be to inject cement into it, but it wasn't at that point yet. about a month ago, I was having a nightmare and fell out of bed. Since then, it hurts all the time. I have more important appts. coming up soon, but will need to schedule another appt. with the NS and make plans for treatment.

I am a small person with arthritis and my feeling is that the injury occurred when they were transferring me from gurney to the hard, steel operating table...since I've had this problem ever since transplant.

As suggested, it could also be a muscular injury in your mom's case.

Meanwhile, get your mind off cancer and breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth...slowly and deeply.

Hugs,
Connie

H

And all of your worrying will solve ...what?