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Discomfort on my left side rib cage mostly slightly at my back

Hi Guys,

Am currently on gliveec 400mg per day and apparrently i have been feeling some discomfort on my left side as mention on my topic.

I have been on medication since November 2017. Is this experience normal? How should i counter it?Please advise.

Regards,

Shem

Hi Shem,

It could be spleen. I am not one of the experts at this site, but my experience after about 15 months on Gleevec 400mg/day (since April 2017) is that on some days there is discomfort or pain. That seems to go with the territory. Fortunately it is minor for me, and when I mention it to my oncologist he says those are known side effects of the drug. Joint pain and stiffness, eye puffiness, slight nausea or upset stomach, leg/foot cramps, and pain or discomfort in the abdomen (left side, as you note) -- these are occasional symptoms that I have (some of them less common than others) and maybe a lot of us have. I have decided not to worry about it because so far nothing serious has developed, and I simply make sure I mention these things to my doctor on my quarterly visits to check blood counts and BCR ABL.

Drinking lots of water always seems to be the answer to everything here, so I do try very hard to do that!

Thanks for your question and best wishes to you.

 

Hi Justine,

Thanks for your detailed reply. However, i would be glad if u let me know how u reduce the abdomen discomfort or do the feeling of discomfort disappear for u.

Also, i discussed the discomfort ordeal with my Oncologist and he mention that its one of the side effects and incase it persists he is gonna change my medication.

Regards

The spleen can increase in size when CML is not adequately treated. You do not mention your most recent blood test results which would be very useful for any assessment of your response to 400mg imatinib (Glivec/Gleevec). If you have your test results please share - otherwise, you need to talk to your doctor (CML expert?) about whether your spleen is enlarged or there is some other explanation for the feelings of discomfort. You may well need to change to another TKI if imatinib is not effecting a molecular response. At 7 months into therapy, you should have already seen a significant reduction of PH+ cells in your peripheral blood and marrow and have already had a major cytogenetic response.

Do you have access to your qPCR test results?

Sandy 

I defer to Sandy on this for expert advice, but would say that when I do have discomfort, I just try to drink more water, rest, walk at a gentle pace, and as a last resort take ibuprofen for pain. Depending on the type of discomfort, a warmed bag of rice on the area can help.

Hi Sandy,

Thanks for the feedback.

For my blood result are spot on. For example:

Hemoglobin level - 13.7

White blood cells - 3.8

Platelets - 210

In addition, my Oncologist mentioned to me that the feeling is some of the side effects but when it persists he is gonna change my medication. When i workout every evening it stops. I dont think its my spleen, because the last time i encountered spleen enlargement was during my diagnosis which i could feel a big mass along my stomach. Apparrently, i do not feel any mass on my stomach.

Regards,

Shem

Does the discomfort come to you occassionaly and stops after some days?

Yes, exactly. Gentle stretching can also help. My oncologist recommended yoga for a number of reasons and it is very relaxing. Good luck & take care!