Question about Liver Mets

[lisajones4]

Hi everyone. I haven't posted in awhile as I have been busy with my daughter's schedule :) Who would have thought that a 6-year old is that busy! I have a question about liver mets. I have been having some "aching" almost like burning on my right side below my rib cage. It is more uncomfortable then pain. My most recent scans were mid-October and I was clean. Could liver mets come on that fast? I have a regular six-month appointment with my oncologist in two weeks. I am four years and a month out from Stage IIIA and I was just getting comfortable with my life. Now I am so scared.

Lisa

[StephN]

Hi Lisa -
Glad you are so busy being a Mom these days. The area of discomfort you describe is also where our bowel turns and can have gas or "backup" pain. It used to happen to me.

My liver mets came on very fast and there was a difference in that discomfort. The mets pain was more UNDER the lower right rib bones from swelling within the liver capsule, rather than below my ribs and above my hip. It was actually more of an aching feeling than sharp pain.

Hope this helps and that your appointment goes really well in 2 weeks.

[Lori R]

Hi Lisa,
I will share my experience with you but I am holding out much hope that being 4 years NED is a GREAT sign. Remember, I was stage IV at diagnosis AND when my met returned, it did so within a year of wrapping up Chemo.

My liver met returned as a single met that was located in the upper left quadrant of the liver. I felt an ache in my left breast scar that I had not felt before and it was getting progressively worse. Although I had passed a PET/CT 6 months earlier, when I had my scan it showed a 3 cm met.

So...my met grew quickly (at least it felt that way to me) and I later did find out that an issue with your liver can trigger pain up into the shoulder.

But!!!!! I had cryosurgery and a round of insurance chemo and have been NED again since May 2009.

You are partaking in the best possible medicine, enjoying your daughter and sounds like enjoying each and every day.

Please keep us posted!!! Till then....warm thoughts coming your way.

[jhandley]

H
It could be your gall bladder. I have twinges which I thought might be liver mets but I am reasonbly sure are from my gall bladder. (My scans are clear..I had one liver met 4.25 years ago 15 mm which disappeared rapidly on exposure to herceptin and taxol. )
Cheers
Jackie(down under)

[Henny]

Hi Lisa,
As Jackie said it could be gallbladder. An ultrasound maybe followed by a nuc med gallbladder scan would give you all the info to see if it is a pesky gallbladder giving you the pain.

Henny

[ElaineM]

I would get an ultra sound of the abdomen which shows all the organs in that area and see if that can tell what is going on. Ultra sounds are painless and do not require drug injections. If an ultra sound doesn't reveal anything you can always try other tests.