liver cancer? - Cancer: Pancreatic & Liver Message Board

freudian_slip · 08-22-2003, 11:42 PM

Hello all, I'm new here and I'm a 16 year old female. I'm a bit of a hypochondriac but lately I'm worried that I might have liver cancer. I've been experiencing a feeling of fullness on the right sight of my abdomen and I read that this could be a sign of liver cancer. Other than that I haven't had any symptoms to suggest ill health. I've never drank alcohol before or done anything which might lead to liver damage. Also, I recently consulted my uncle, who's an oncologist, about a small lump which I thought I felt on the right side of my neck and he said was a normal lymph node and no cause for concern... do you think I should get a 2nd opinon anyway.... I would really appreciate any replies or suggestions and I appreciate your time...Thank you very much

projapoti · 08-23-2003, 12:03 AM

Okay, I'm going to tell you some thing that I tell everyone on this board when they come with claims like yours. Not that I'm not taking you seriously, but you have to realize something. When you search on the internet by symptom, it can make you very paranoid because all of these bad things can show up, which most probably aren't there. Let me give you an example. Say if one of your symptoms is a headache....if you were to look that up on the net, you'd find that brain cancer is there. Or if you have a cough, it could be lung cancer...the point I'm trying to make here is, you have to take in to account the entire situation. You're 16 years old with no history of alcohol use or (I'm making an educated guess) exposure to any hepatitis viruses. Your risk for liver cancer is sooooo low. The pain you're feeling in your side might be something as simple as gas, or the result of hypervigilance. Hypervigilance is when you pay attention to something WAY more than you normally do, so you notice every little ache and pain (which normally you don't).

...and about what your oncologist uncle said...no, I don't think you need a second opinion. Your uncle went to med school for four years, he did a 5 years of training AFTER med school, and he has been practicing oncology for X number of years....trust me, he knows what a cancerous lymph node would feel like.

My advice to you is to stop feeling for nodes in your neck, and then go to the doctor and mention this side pain that you're having. I bet you that it will be nothing to worry about.

kimzi81 · 08-23-2003, 01:19 PM

my mom had liver cancer.. there are a lot more symptoms than just fullness. a bad chronic cough (meaning it doesnt go away in a few weekds) constant nausea / vomiting.. your skin will turn yellowish (jaundice) and your abdomen may swell. i doubt that you do have it as liver cancer is one of the most rare cancers. if it makes you feel better though, go ahead and get a second opinion. =)

Cancerwife · 08-23-2003, 03:01 PM

Listen,

I agree that searching the internet by symptom can make you paranoid. My husband is dying of cancer, his primary was in the liver. He had no symptoms at all at first and when he did he had a whole host of them.

They included, fever of unknown origin, pain on the upper right side, an enlarged liver, dizziness, nausea, vomitting, persistant non-productive cough. He did not have severe jaundice at all, only around the eyeballs and tips of the extremities.

It's not the same with every case, but given your age and absence of symptoms, I'd say you are probably lucky enough to not have cancer.

Go to the doctor though and get a professional opinion.

Dana

projapoti · 08-24-2003, 01:47 PM

I agree with Dana. The liver has SOOOO many different functions in the body and dysfunction of it can cause a number of different symptoms which can be different in every patient.

Oh yeah...and paranoia sucks...believe me! In the first few weeks of med school, I thought I had every disease that we were studying about. In heart week, I "had" a leaky valve, in gastrointestinal week, I "had" stomach cancer.....I don't even want to TELL you what I thought I had in reproductive week!