research is a two edged sword... from The Mayo Clinic's web page
Enlarged spleen (splenomegaly)
1) Signs and symptoms: Enlarged spleen
An enlarged spleen often causes no signs or symptoms. However, some people experience pain in the left upper abdomen or pain that spreads to the left shoulder.
If the enlarged spleen presses against your stomach, you may feel full without eating or after eating only a small amount. If the enlarged spleen removes too many red blood cells from your blood, you may feel tired or weak. Frequent infections or an increased tendency to bleed are possible as well.
2) Causes
Enlarged spleen causes vary, including:
* Viral infections, such as mononucleosis
* Bacterial infections, such as syphilis or an infection of the heart's inner lining (endocarditis)
* Parasitic infections, such as malaria
* Cirrhosis and other diseases affecting the liver
* Various types of hemolytic anemia _ a condition characterized by premature destruction of red blood cells
* Blood cancers, such as leukemia and Hodgkin's disease
* Metabolic disorders, such as Gaucher's disease and Niemann-Pick disease
Sometimes pressure on the veins from the spleen or to the liver cause an enlarged spleen. A blood clot in a vein from the spleen or to the liver can have the same effect.
so i see both good and bad possibilities in my future here, but definitely more light at the end of my tunnel tonight.
Enlarged spleen (splenomegaly)
1) Signs and symptoms: Enlarged spleen
An enlarged spleen often causes no signs or symptoms. However, some people experience pain in the left upper abdomen or pain that spreads to the left shoulder.
If the enlarged spleen presses against your stomach, you may feel full without eating or after eating only a small amount. If the enlarged spleen removes too many red blood cells from your blood, you may feel tired or weak. Frequent infections or an increased tendency to bleed are possible as well.
2) Causes
Enlarged spleen causes vary, including:
* Viral infections, such as mononucleosis
* Bacterial infections, such as syphilis or an infection of the heart's inner lining (endocarditis)
* Parasitic infections, such as malaria
* Cirrhosis and other diseases affecting the liver
* Various types of hemolytic anemia _ a condition characterized by premature destruction of red blood cells
* Blood cancers, such as leukemia and Hodgkin's disease
* Metabolic disorders, such as Gaucher's disease and Niemann-Pick disease
Sometimes pressure on the veins from the spleen or to the liver cause an enlarged spleen. A blood clot in a vein from the spleen or to the liver can have the same effect.
so i see both good and bad possibilities in my future here, but definitely more light at the end of my tunnel tonight.