abdominal issues

[runner]

Hi,

I was diagnosed with moderate aplastic anemia in 2005. (My lowest counts were wbc ~ 2.0 anc ~480 hgb ~ 8 plt ~33k. However, my wbc was usually normal and anc usually above 1000). In late 2006, I was instructed to take a hormone and my counts immediately started to rise towards normal ....wbc ~4 anc ~ 1200-2400 plt ~100k-120k hgb~12 for 2007 - 2009.

For the past 1.5 months, I have been having odd abdominal symptoms. It started after I woke up in the middle of the night with intense abdominal pain (center) that lasted for hours. Now, every single day after eating lunch and dinner, I have abdominal pain, very loud stomach noises, or extreme bloating. The symptoms kind of went in phases, such that the last 2 weeks I've had predominantly the latter and am never hungry.

My CBC showed a low wbc = 2.3 and anc ~ 780 and plt ~ 95k (not bad). After having fairly normal counts for the past 2 years, my doctor was surprised to see this result and my hematologist implied that my abdominal symptoms could be related to this. However, I did not think that an ANC above 500 should be symptomatic. Sure, my wbc is low, but not really that low, right.

I really hate to complain because I've been extremely lucky in my case of AA!! However, these problems are getting mildly annoying and are worsening, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

Has anyone had or heard of such abdominal symptoms related to a low wbc?

Thank you!

Cheers,
Serena

[bchenaille]

Have you been checked for PNH?

[runner]

Hey!
I was in 2005 and the test was negative at my local center and Brodsky at Hopkins claimed only 1-2%. (I saw no records of this, even when I requested all my records as well as that specific record. It's difficult for me to believe anything I don't see recorded and 1-2% shouldn't be symptomatic).

Anyway, my rbc and hgb are normal as well as red cell size and shape.

[Jill2008]

Hi,
I have had abdominal issues too and it seems to only happen when my counts are dropping. I have sudden intense cramping, gas, bloating and diarrhea. I had a colonoscopy and nothing was found other that very slight diverticulosis which is pretty normal for my age. My gastroenterologist feels my recent issues may be related to the hormones I was put on to control excess bleeding during my menstrual cycle, but I'm not so sure. I had the very same symtoms before being diagnosed with MDS in June 2008 and when my counts stabilized, the symptoms disappeared.
Jill

[runner]

Interesting.... When I was first diagnosed in 2005, I had chest pain and pain/pressure in the upper left quadrant of my abdomen. No doctor could find a reason for it, and it eventually went away. Also, I use to post on aplastic central (an excellent resource). The users, who seem to mostly have SAA and VSAA, did not experience these symptoms.

Now...a mild discomfort in my upper left abdomen is back, but the abdominal distention and other gi symptoms are far more bothersome. An abdominal x-ray showed that, as my doctor put it, my symptoms are not in my head, but not diagnosis. (Yeah, I had to explain to her that I'm not a big fan of hanging out at medical centers and wouldn't come in unless I was sure. It's fine -- she's actually quite nice.) I'm wondering if other tests (e.g. CT scan, barium upper/lower GI exam) are really worthwhile.

[Hawaii Bill]

Originally Posted by runner

Interesting.... When I was first diagnosed in 2005, I had chest pain and pain/pressure in the upper left quadrant of my abdomen. No doctor could find a reason for it, and it eventually went away. Also, I use to post on aplastic central (an excellent resource). The users, who seem to mostly have SAA and VSAA, did not experience these symptoms.

Now...a mild discomfort in my upper left abdomen is back, but the abdominal distention and other gi symptoms are far more bothersome. An abdominal x-ray showed that, as my doctor put it, my symptoms are not in my head, but not diagnosis. (Yeah, I had to explain to her that I'm not a big fan of hanging out at medical centers and wouldn't come in unless I was sure. It's fine -- she's actually quite nice.) I'm wondering if other tests (e.g. CT scan, barium upper/lower GI exam) are really worthwhile.

One of the things that my hematologist told me when he first started trying to diagnose the cause of my very low blood counts is that my liver (and maybe my spleen) were enlarged. He told me that they had probably begun trying to make up for my reduced bone marrow function, that when we are babies in the womb, our blood is produced by the liver, IIRC. I don't know if that is the case for you, but I thought I'd throw it out there for you... Good luck!

[Robi1Knobi]

Hi Serena,

I also have moderate AA now, and will go to NIH August 2011 and maybe get started on Danazol. I did have abd issues and constipation which is much better now that I have cut out dairy (for the most part) and feels even better when I eat vegan. Sorry...hope it gets better soon ). Try cutting out dairy for a week and see if that helps? Maybe you are lactose intolerant?

[jackiejo]

I started having severe lower abdominal pain around the same time I was diagnosed. It's always accompanied with bloating and diarrhea. I've asked all my doctors about it, and they couldn't find anything on a CT or ultrasound (they thought it may be endometriosis). It disappeared for awhile, but it's come back in the past two weeks. My doctors all said it couldn't possibly be related to my AA, but I can't see how it's not since so many of us seem to be having the same problem...

It seems to get worse when I'm stressed or my counts go down. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to deal with it (I'm really reluctant to go back to taking hydro for it) or what it might be?

[pat]

I have had abdominal pain with loss of appetite, bloating, nausea. I had an endoscopy which showed nothing except inflamation of the stomach. I was told to take pepcid 2 times a day. I have had some relief from it, however I am considering asking a naturopath about probiotics. I will post what he suggests.