Cirrhosis of the Liver - Liver & Pancreas Disorders Message Board

lovethemusic · 11-27-2004, 07:26 PM

Ok..here goes...
A few months back my mother was going to have back surgery for discognetic disc disorder and a cracked vertebra. In some pre-op blood work they found that her platelet count was dangerously low, and surgery was out of the question until they found out why. Well, it turns out that her spleen was dysfunctional and "eating" platelet cells, causing it to enlarge a great deal. The doctors thought she might have something called Splenic Lymphoma, and they decided to take her spleen out. Also had to remove her gallbladder because of several gallstones. After the surgery was over, the surgeon came out and spoke to us family members and said that everything went well, except that her liver looked a little odd, so they took some cells from it for testing. They then diagnosed her with Cirrhosis of the liver.
Now here is my question,
Ive recently read that Cirrhosis can cause the spleen to enlarge by trapping platelets and other blood cells. Was it a mistake for the doctors to remove her spleen? Would treatment of the cirrhosis saved her spleen? I would like as much information about this disorder as possible. Thanks in advance.

feelbad · 11-28-2004, 06:34 AM

I am just wondering why they never took a closer look at the liver before doing ANYTHING at all?My son, when he presented with liver failure(very long story)we did not know he was sick when everything hit the fan but his liver and spleen were very enlarged.The spleen enlarged because the blood that could no longer flow through his portal vein in the liver,as it was closed off by scar tissue,was backing up into the liver and then into the spleen.I cannot understand just why or how the docs in your mothers case, managed to take good looks at the gall bladder and the spleen and not look at the dang liver before the surgery!!My god, its right there between the other two organs.Something just does not sound right to me either.every hosp should have a patient advocacy program, I would ask one of them to help you navigate through this,or another possible option,besides definitely speaking with her own primary doc,would be to contact her health ins co as they would have a real vested interest in this as well.and then depending on what you find out, a Lawyer perhaps??I hope you get some answers here and I am real sorry about what happened to your mom,Marcia

lovethemusic · 11-28-2004, 10:04 AM

Dear Marcia,
Thanks for your reply. I am wondering the same thing......a couple months before the surgery they gave her a CT scan....I am pretty sure they would have seen then if there was something wrong with her liver during the scan...
I really dont know what to think. I may suggest to my mom to ask her doctor about this, and to talk to a lawyer. The spleen is pretty important, and they shouldnt have just taken it out for no reason. But then again, im just speculating.....I dont have any medical knowledge...I just think it all sounds fishy.
Thanks again, i hope your son is doing ok.

feelbad · 11-29-2004, 08:10 AM

Please go with your mother to her next appt with a list of questions you need the answers to.She really needs you there so you know exactly what is up here.I would consult an attorney after that visit if you feel that the doc is really trying to pull something over on you.Good luck and keep me posted,K?marcia