Enlarged Spleen with HeadSweats

[SDBryan]

I have been HIV + for ( Years and have been on meds since becoming +. and have undetectable Viral load and Tcells above 500. Over the last year I have had pain under my left ribcage and recently had a CATScan done which shows and enlarged spleen which my doctors says is normal for long term HIV infection. In addition to the enlarged spleen, I have experience head sweats on almost daily basis that occur in late afternoon or evening. My doctors think the two are unrelated but I thing they are related and have read several articles on Chinese Medicine that talk about Spleen Qi Deficiency and its effect in overall Yin Deficiency caused by Spleen enlargement caused by HIV infection

Has anyone else had these symptoms and if so, can anyone recommend any herbal or acupuncture remedies.

Thanks

[Lisa]

Hi Bryan,
 It is not uncommon to experience splenomegaly from time to time. I have the same issue, as it seems to wax, and wane.
Every time I see Rachel, she palpates for liver and spleen enlargement, and then tells me she can't feel it. Last visit, I told her she ought tot be on my side of the spleen, then she could feel it. There is nothing to be done with it, at least by Western medicine. I have no experience with Chinese medicine, and would caution you about ingesting other herbs, or supplements, as there may be interactions with your med regimen. As long as the pain does not reach the level of too uncomfortable to bear, then it may simply be an anomaly of your HIV experience.
As for the diurnal sweats, those kinda come with the territory. Depending on your age, it may even be impacted by hormonal changes.(yes men do have a quasi menopause too) The only thing I can say is that, I  have a greater chance of having a sweat attack in the afternoon, or evening too. There are some things that may affect this. Caffeine in any form, as well as alcohol, and even some supplements.
 I would never presume to poo-poo your experience, but your symptoms sound very much like what we have all experienced at some time or another.
I admittedly know nothing of the use of acupuncture as a technique to alleviate your symptoms, if you try it, and it works, then great, but I would hate to see you fall victim to an unproven technique. There is a lot of quackery out there friend, and you must be cautious about ingesting anything, without having first researched the possible interactions with your meds.
I wish you well.

[Christine]

Hi SDBryan,

I have had a enlarged spleen on and off since being diagnosed in '93. The doctor monitors it, and so far it has not been a problem. I also go to an TCM acupuncturist, and have been diagnosed as having a Damp Spleen. It is my understanding that the Spleen in TCM is an energy (qi) area, and not the actual spleen organ. I receive Guasha treatments to build my constitution, and to help with energy levels and nausea. It is a form of acupressure that follows the acupuncture meridians. I feel better after the treatment, and it has given me some relief with nausea and fatigue.
Christine

[Christine]

Hello,
I wanted to add to my previous post that if you do choose to go to an accupunturist, make sure they are licenensed. The person I go to has a westren nurseing degree, then went back to school and received a degree in Accupuncture at a TCM college.

I also don't use any herbs becasue I am afraid of interactions with the westren meds, and because my counts are really low I don't have accupunture with the needles in order to reduce any possible infections.

Christine

[heartforyou]

Ask Water Duck, aka Siang

He could be of help.

hermie

[Shawn Decker]

Hey there,

I experienced an enlarged spleen once, right around the time I was diagnosed.  I was probably 10-12 years old, and I remember the jelly on my side and x-rays in the hospital, and everyone was kind of confused as to why my spleen was causing me trouble.  Then nothing happened, the spleen went back to its normal size a couple of days later and I haven't had an issue with it since.
Shawn