Should a small benign growth be removed from liver...

[pegatha1981]

Should a small benign growth be removed from liver...

My 42 year old daughter is scheduled to have surgery on May 19, 2011. She has been complaining about stomach pain.

During an exam, a small, benign, growth was found on her liver. She had a baby last May and Dr's said possible hernia too.

I'm writing because she was told that if she did get the surgery, they could only guarantee about 50% pain relief.

If it's benign, why risk it for only 50%..it could be something else after the surgery.

She has a 1 year old baby that she is very hands on with, and i know it will be hard for her to do bed rest.

My question finally is..is this a difficult surgery..can there be complications..what's the recovery time..are there alternatives?

They said it looks like it's something she was born with..1st time i've ever heard about it.

Any help would be much appreciated - Thanks

[pegatha1981]

Thanks for responding Dr. Al, and Zoisite as well  Yes, she has had all the necessary tests, and then some..she's had CT, US, MRI and bloodwork. She's also had a Colonoscopy. Her bloodwork came back normal, and the other tests too. She was also told she had a small hernia. The growth is on the back side but it hurts in the front. Dr. Al, you are correct about it being an Adenoma. The surgery has been postponed and she will reschedule it, because she's going to need someone to help her afterwards with the baby..I'm about 2 states away. I also wanted her to be sure that this is the problem. What's the recovery time on this kind of surgery? I will google it and check it out..i really appreciate your help.

[radiology]

Small benign liver lesions are unlikely to cause pain. These are usually hemangiomas or hamartomas which are very common benign tumors. If she has been on birth control pills, she may possibly have a hepatic adenoma, which is usually a benign lesion. Adenomas are usually resected surgically as they can bleed and cause pain. This might be what she has. I am sure she has had a CT, US and/or MR of this lesion and the docs know exactly what it is. Find out what the name of the lesion is. Then look it up on google and read about its treatment. I cannot comment on whether they are doing the right thing which out knowing the name of the lesion we are dealing with here.

Dr Al.

[zoisite]

I wish I could help you Pegatha, but I don't have alot of info to go on.  Like how long has she had this pain, does she have any other symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, bloating?  Has she had a full range of diagnostic tests (ultrasound, cat scan, blood work)?  It could be a hiatal hernia, as well as the growth on the liver.

I guess, since it is so close to the date of the surgery, there isn't much you can do now.  At least, if she has the surgery, they will be able to identify what the problem is.

All the best to you and your daughter.

[pegatha1981]

Thanks for your response. She's not 100% sure that this is the total cause of pain. The growth is on the back side, so laparoscopy may not be an option. I wish she would research it more and give me more time to as well..the surgery is scheduled for the 19th of May..next week! I'm in California and she's in Utah..she postponed it but they talked her into going ahead with it. what else do you think it could be..they mentioned a hernia..she had her GB removed over 10 years ago..she also just had a baby and he's a year old this month. Thought all the heavy lifting etc. could have aggravated something. Anyway, thanks for your input..any help is appreciated.
.

[zoisite]

*  Are the doctors sure the growth is what's causing the pain?
*  How big is it?
*  Is it a cyst or a tumor?
*  Will the surgery be done laparoscopically or with actual incissions? (laparoscopic surgery  allows for much faster healing time).
*  Maybe they should just monitor it to make sure that it doesn't get any bigger before they go ahead with surgery.
*  I would find out more about it.

.