Enlarged spleen and other problems..Please help - Open to All Other Health Topics Message Board

chasicd · 12-22-2004, 03:52 PM

I am a 27-year-old male with recent health problems that I cannot explain. First of all, I have been a smoker for 6 years now, until 3 weeks ago whereas I have been on the Nicoderm patch for 3 weeks. I have also had GERD for a couple years and have been recently taking Protonox and clidinium, which has helped a lot.
Now my problem. I have had an enlarged spleen for the past two years and three doctors have not been able to explain it. The spleen has been giving me sharp pains when I sit. Sometimes the left side of my body also hurts, right next to my spleen and also when I sit. That pain sometimes pops up in my back as well and at times my lower left side of my stomach, I think it’s my kidney. I have been having constipation for several months now and sometimes-smelly urine. I have also had enlarged lymph nodes on the left side of my neck for the last year– 3 of them that are painless and not that big. Four specialists said the lymph’s are not beligned, and one doctor verified that with a CAT scan of my neck(with Contrast).

I have had two cat scans of my stomach with no clarification from my doctor. I had an endoscopy done 2 months ago and my doctor said I had an enlarged spleen(not a surprise) and a little fat in my liver. I have since then stopped smoking, taken medication and eat right, but I still have the same problems except for the GERD. I am scheduled to go for another Cat Scan and then a colonoscopy. My friends say I am too young for a colonoscopy and my doctor said that if those tests show nothing then he recommends me going to a Hematologist(my doctor is a Gastroenterologist).

I have also had a dislocated left rib cage for years which gets put into place once a year and I dislocated my left shoulder twice, whereas my orthopedist wants me to go for an MRI.

I need help, I am only 27 and do not know why I am having these problems. Could it be my smoking? GERD? Shoulder blade maybe out of place?

And BTW a couple years ago I had a really high fever and some kind of virus that looked like Mono, but when I went to the ER they said it was not mono…My internal medicine physician also confirmed that it was not mono, but it was a bad virus. I could not swallow food at one point and had to go to the ER.

I have no idea what the problem is….Please Help

cmmm47 · 12-22-2004, 05:24 PM

I have been having constipation for several months now and sometimes-smelly urine. I have also had enlarged lymph nodes on the left side of my neck for the last year– 3 of them that are painless and not that big. Four specialists said the lymph’s are not beligned, and one doctor verified that with a CAT scan of my neck(with Contrast).

This is very important to understand you. Could you have misunderstsood the doctors and they said " the lymph nodes in you neck are not BENIGN and one doctor verified it with a CAT scan of your neck"? Please see if you have something written down about your diagnosis or test findings and let me know.

Good Luck
cmmm47

chasicd · 12-22-2004, 05:32 PM

I do not remember his exact words, but I saw him today and I remember that he said that they are nothing to worry about. The doctor who said this was a Gastroenterologist, I also got the same response from an Ear, Nose and throat doctor.
A different ear, nose and throat doctor said the lymphs could have been a result of my dry scalp on my head, due to my scratching it. But, when I got the second opinion that theory was rejected.

What worries me is that the lymphs nodes, the enlarged spleen and the pains on my side may are symptoms that I see a lot in serious diseases.

I appreciate your response and I hope you can help me find some answers.

Thanks,
Chase

cmmm47 · 12-22-2004, 08:23 PM

Im sorry Chas but if your specialist doctors cant figure it out, I cant do anything like that or even come close. They are the experts and not I. If you want I can help you understand the doctors reports but I dont have the education to do diagnosis over the computer.