Left side discomfort. Always worry about my spleen.

[scared88]

I've written about this before. Maybe not on here but on other anxiety forums. About 2 years and some months ago I started noticing some discomfort in my left side of my abdomen.
It worried me a bit cause of my swollen lymph nodes and how they're related to the spleen. The year before I had had two ultrasounds of the spleen and it was normal then. I stopped worrying about it for a bit because it went away. But it always kept coming back, often when eating or after eating and it gets worse if I take deep breaths. My diet isn't good so I've always kinda hoped it was just that but I'm so doubtful.
It can be days and weeks even between episodes so it's not at all constant.

It's hard to pinpoint where exactly it's located but I remember it starting just around the lowest rib where the rib cage curves upwards to the breast bone and the discomfort often comes back around that area and sometimes it's higher up. I can feel loads of little lumps between my ribs and they're sometimes sore so I've wondered if they're related to this. The discomfort isn't painful really. It's more just an annoyance and uncomfortable but the level of comfort changes, I remember Xmas Eve 2014 I had a pretty bad episode and I've had stings from time to time.

I've also wondered about it being muscular because I'm often on the computer while on the couch and in bed and I then lie on my left side with my head arched upwards and forward towards the laptop so I can easily type. This does put some strain on my ribcage muscles I'm sure. I actually started doing this the same year I got the discomfort, 2013. I'm trying to fix this and see what happens. I'm also gonna try to limit acidic food or greasy food really. I ate pizza yesterday and I got the discomfort during eating.

Anyway I've had my nodes enlarged now for almost 9 years, four years since the ultrasounds on my spleen and nodes that didn't reveal any abnormal spleen enlargement. But that was before I got the discomfort though.

Apologies for the ramblings and (probably) strange formatting, I'm on a tablet

---------- Post added at 20:03 ---------- Previous post was at 18:04 ----------

And now I'm having discomfort right in that place where it first started and I'm feeling like I'll fall or keel over.

[Theophania]

Hello, what you are describing sounds similar to some symptoms I had about a year ago. I googled and thought I had some form of stomach/spleen/pancreatic cancer. I went to the doctor who assured me nothing was wrong, but it just kept getting worse. It turns out it was my anxiety. My doc sent me for a CT scan, it came back all clear and then slowly by surely my symptoms disappeared. It is really mind boggling what anxiety can do to our bodies. After my CT scan my doc also sent me for therapy with a psychologist. I think that was the best thing for me. Up until recently I was doing so much better with my anxiety about my health. Have you considered maybe going to see a therapist?

[scared88]

Hello, what you are describing sounds similar to some symptoms I had about a year ago. I googled and thought I had some form of stomach/spleen/pancreatic cancer. I went to the doctor who assured me nothing was wrong, but it just kept getting worse. It turns out it was my anxiety. My doc sent me for a CT scan, it came back all clear and then slowly by surely my symptoms disappeared. It is really mind boggling what anxiety can do to our bodies. After my CT scan my doc also sent me for therapy with a psychologist. I think that was the best thing for me. Up until recently I was doing so much better with my anxiety about my health. Have you considered maybe going to see a therapist?

I had just stopped seeing a therapist when the symptoms first appeared. I started seeing her again in the beginning of the month and we decided to change my medications.

[bethel777]

Oh my, I know exactly this pain and I'm worried about it as well. I also have some lymph nodes that my doctor said not to worry about. I also have a body temp of about 99 deg every day and the doctor won't consider it a fever until it's over 100. Do you ever feel hot and sweaty? I don't have night sweats though, thank goodness!

[scared88]

Oh my, I know exactly this pain and I'm worried about it as well. I also have some lymph nodes that my doctor said not to worry about. I also have a body temp of about 99 deg every day and the doctor won't consider it a fever until it's over 100. Do you ever feel hot and sweaty? I don't have night sweats though, thank goodness!

I sometimes get hot flashes and I sometimes sweat a lot on my head during sleep, but that's always been the case since I was a kid. I don't have drenching night sweats, only ever had those twice and far between them and I don't have a fever. Recently though I've been getting more and more worried about what I feel like is excessive sweating in my armpits.

Where are your nodes and how big are they ?

[bethel777]

I have lymph nodes in my neck all under 1cm and considered normal. I have one in my armpit that measures 1.9cm on the biggest dimension. I've had an ultrasound twice on it in 4 months and it's unchanged in size so my doctor says if it is cancer it would keep growing and not to worry about it.

[scared88]

I have lymph nodes in my neck all under 1cm and considered normal. I have one in my armpit that measures 1.9cm on the biggest dimension. I've had an ultrasound twice on it in 4 months and it's unchanged in size so my doctor says if it is cancer it would keep growing and not to worry about it.

I have in both armpits and both groins. No change in size I think except the one in my right groin has shrunk considerably.
But yeah mine have been there for nearly 9 years and the only change I noticed is that I felt another one in my left armpit 4 years ago

[bethel777]

Wow, well no change in all the time is a very very good sign.

[scared88]

Wow, well no change in all the time is a very very good sign.

Yeah.
Doesnt change the fact though that I'm still worried about it and in particlular it being a slow growing cancer.

[scared88]

Finished the pizza from last night and I got discomfort at both sides kinda in the same place.

[Fishmanpa]

Finished the pizza from last night and I got discomfort at both sides kinda in the same place.

Maybe it's the pizza? Pizza is notorious for causing gastric discomfort. Perhaps keeping a food diary to see what foods aggravate your stomach/gas issues would be beneficial.

Positive thoughts

[scared88]

Maybe it's the pizza? Pizza is notorious for causing gastric discomfort. Perhaps keeping a food diary to see what foods aggravate your stomach/gas issues would be beneficial.

Positive thoughts

Could be. But it feels kinda high up to be gastric

[Fishmanpa]

Could be. But it feels kinda high up to be gastric

Ok then... Hope you feel better soon!

Positive thoughts

[scared88]

Ok then... Hope you feel better soon!

Positive thoughts

I don't have any discomfort right now. It usually starts just below my ribcage and then travels sometimes towards the back