What relieves pain from an enlarged spleen in leukemia?

CLL no med just= started to have spleen pain

Welcome to Mayo Connect, @veracortnumme30
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is generally a slowly developing form of leukemia. Depending on the progress of the disease, many people often may just be observed (sometimes years) before ever requiring any treatment.

One of the symptoms of CLL can be an enlargement of the spleen. The spleen acts like a spongy filter for your blood removing damaged cells from circulation, including leukemic cells. The spleen is also a storage ‘tank’ for newly formed extra red blood cells and platelets. So when it becomes clogged with excess cells it may become enlarged.

From my own experience with another type of blood cancer, an enlarged spleen (splenomegaly) can feel very uncomfortable. Symptoms are pain and tenderness just under the left rib cage.

There are several members in our Connect forum who have CLL and have shared their stories and conversations in countless discussions. I did a quick search for you by typing in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia in the search bar on top of the page. This link will take you to all of the discussions so you can pick and choose which ones to read:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/
How long ago were you diagnosed with CLL? Have you discussed your spleen pain with your doctor with a recent followup appointment?

@loribmt I have CLL for three years, no med only fatigue , started enlarged Spleen six days ago. Pain when touched. Doctor ap. next week. What to do and not to do until than.

@veracortnumme30
There’s really not much for you to do between now and your appointment. The spleen is tucked up under the left rib cange and usually an pain associated with it is more like a deep ache or fullness than a sharp pain. If the pain is really uncomfortable, from my own experience, I was told only to take Tylenol unless the medical team said otherwise. Advil, Aleve, aspirin could elevate a bleeding risk if there was a rupture or trauma to the spleen.

Not to alarm you but just so you’re aware, if your spleen is enlarged it’s easier to rupture. Until you learn more from your doctor, don’t lift anything heavy and be cautious not bump that area hard. If you have any sudden or worsening abdominal pain that spreads, lightheadedness or feeling faint or a pain that radiates to your left shoulder then you should have that evaluated at an ER. (That was all from information I received at the time I was dealing with my enlarged spleen).

Other ways to help avoid the discomfort that I used, was to eat smaller portions of food (easier grazing through the day), sleeping more on the right side to avoid pressure on the left. Warm compresses helped a little by relieving the tense muscles in the area but it won’t reduce the spleen or correct it.

What you can do since you’ve noticed this change is to make some notes to take along to your doctor. I know how easy it is to get sidetracked in appointments so having a little notepad or using notes your phone can really help keep on track.

Let your doctor know the onset of when your new symptom of belly pain started and if you have any other symptoms.
They’ll most likely ask if you feel any swollen lymph nodes, if you’ve experienced fevers, drenching night sweats, fatigue, weight loss without trying, loss of appetite. The more information you can give aids in the discussion.

You can ask questions too! A few ideas:
What is the stage of my CLL. Has it changed?
Will I need more tests such as an ultrasound for my spleen?
What are the treatment options?
What are the potential side effects of each treatment?
How will each treatment affect my daily life?
What treatment options have shown the best results?
What would you recommend to family member in my situation?

For your upcoming appointment do you know if you have labs beforehand? Have there been any changes comparing your past and most recent blood tests?