Well, I just wondered if anyone could help. Back in July of 2005 I fainted at work. I had a CT Scan of my mid-section as well as heart monitors, blood tests etc and they found nothing. EXCEPT that in looking at my heart they found a "spot" on my liver. They thought this needed additional checking, so I endured more blood tests for liver disease, all of which were normal. Did an MRI and found out that I have a tumor the size of my doctor's fist roughly. Attempted a CT-guided biopsy. They told me they must have missed the tumor b/c the biopsy results revealed normal tissue. A few weeks later I had a second biopsy only real-time sonogram one this time. Again, tissue samples came back normal. Doctor said it could be focal nodular hyperplasia or a hepatic adnoma but it's non-cancerous. If on the small chance it's the later, it's possible it could rupture. But he was just about 95% sure that was not it.
Oh, just a little history--had my gall bladder out in 2003 and have had a lot of stomach problems since. Seems they documented finding this tumor then too, but didn't follow through on checking it out.
Anyway, the doctor decided that I needed to have another CT scan 6 months from the July date and they would probably send me to see a liver transplant specialist for another opinion b/c my doctor seems worried and calls me an "enigma". So I have now had the new scan, and nothing has changed. It's still there, same size and have it set to send me to the new specialist.
I have pain under my ribcage there but it's more of a dull ache most of the time with sharp breath catching pain only rarely. I am not much of a drinker and my diet isn't completely healthy. But the doc hasn't really commented on any of that as helping or hurting.
Any ideas? Could use the help. Stressed out and don't want to go through anymore biopsy's and testing.
Hi..
Sounds like you've been through the wringer. The stomach probs after gallbladder surgery are real common, but don't ignore them. I had my gb out 11 years ago and still can't tolerate eggs, ham, fried food, fats..kind of a blessing, I guess, they're not great foods. Drinking and ANY liver probs is bad, so don't drink at all, if you can avoid it. I, too would be worried about a lesion/tumor the size of the dr's fist. They would HAVE to get a good sample of the tumor long before they'd consider tranplanting. (I know b'cuz my hubby has primary liver cancer and it's been tough getting him to the transplant stage (we're still working on it--4 weeks and counting) ..and he had a positive biopsy.
Sounds like you are getting lots of advice and lots of conjecturing but no answers. 2nd opinions? remember too, that we think the dr we're seeing is as worried about us and we are and they are just too busy to do that--be proactive and make them listen to you and get some answers. That's a pretty big tumor to just be assuming anything. The first choice of treatment won't be a transplant, it's the last.
Good luck!
Hello,
Sorry to hear what you are going through. I have the same thing. They say its an hepatic adenoma and it is about 7cm x 6cm. I have known about it for about 1 1/2 years now and we are just watching it. Surgeons want to operate, liver specialists just want to watch it. Supposedly the tumor was caused by my being on birth control for about 9 years. They took me off the pill to see if it would shrink...it did not. So now we are watching it by getting CT scans every 6 months. I am glad it is not growing, but I am really tired of going through the CT scans and wondering what it is doing. I have not done a biopsy, nobody has really even suggested it yet. We talk about liver resection to remove it, but because of where it is ( in the middle of my liver) they are not to keen on it as they would have to take about quite a bit of liver. Every day I have a dull ache on my right side and a little towards the front..I think its this tumor, but the specialists say it has nothing to do with it..so who knows. My doctor also says rupture is very rare and he is not worried about that. I know I cannot offer much help, but sometimes for me, knowing there are others out there with this, and I am not such an enigma, makes it a little more comforting. My next CT and appt. is in April, so we will see what they decide. I hope all goes well for you and I will look for your posts on this page in the future.
Thanks! Very good to know someone else is out there with the same thing. Interesting that you have that pain in your liver area still. I have the same thing and I think it does have something to do with it, but it doesn't seem the doctors agree. Odd how we both have that. Yes, they used the same term with me--hepatic adnoma or focal nodular hyperplasia. He seems more leaning towards the latter, but I still don't want to just "watch" it and have to do CTs either every 6 months, but I am not a doctor, so we will see. April is my visit to the liver transplant specialist. He is giving a second review of my files with my other doctor, so we will see how this turns out! Thanks again for the reply and good luck!
Hi Enigma,
Just read your post. I haven't been on these boards very much since I had my liver resection in July 2005. I had what all the doctors, surgerons, etc. told me was an adenoma for 10 years. Went through one pregnancy and it grew about 3 cm in size. Finally was "told" that I needed to have my removed. It was totally 7.5 cm in size. I had liver surgery last summer and once pathology reports came back my mass was said to have been FNH-focal nodular hyperplasia. Everyone was shocked. I had an MRI and ultrasounds every year for the past 10 years. Anyways, to give you some insight in case this does become a decision for you, my surgery went very well and I am just happy to have this tumor removed. I have also been told that since it was an FNH that there is no liklihood of it returning and I am can have another child if I choose. ( I was told after my daughter was born that I could not have anymore pregnancies, so I was happy to hear that now I can). Anyways, my surgeron also found another tumor "hiding" behind the bigger one and took it out. It took me about six weeks to get back to "halfway normal", but I am just relieved to have it gone. I will go for a one year followup ultrasound in July just to make sure everything is OK. Best of luck to you. Not too sure when I'll be back on again, but if you have any questions feel free to post them.
Jen
Yes, they used the same term with me--hepatic adnoma or focal nodular hyperplasia. He seems more leaning towards the latter, but I still don't want to just "watch" it and have to do CTs either every 6 months, but I am not a doctor, so we will see. April is my visit to the liver transplant specialist. He is giving a second review of my files with my other doctor, so we will see how this turns out! Thanks again for the reply and good luck!
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