Swollen hands, headache, fatigue

L

lh1093

New member
Hi everyone,

Lately, I have been having some strange things happening. Some of these symptoms have occurred for a while but I never put much thought into them but as of late, they have been getting worse. Recently I have been experiencing:

- a lot of headaches
- constant fatigue
- weight loss (I lost 10 pounds in a month but have actually been eating more)
- increased bowel movement
- missed/ light periods
- swollen, itchy, red hands

I have gotten the swollen, itchy hands for about 5 years now but never thought much of it, just assumed it was an allergic reaction of some sort, even though it happens frequently, even when I am on vacation and not in contact with anything that is the same. I know I am not pregnant and had two negative pregnancy tests, so that rules out that. I am just wondering if anyone else has experienced these things? When I check my symptoms I get a lot of random possibilities ranging from stress to hyperthyroidism.

Also, I don't know if this makes a difference but I recently had an aneurymsal bone cyst removed from my left leg and also have a 4 cm liver tumor (I had a biopsy, which showed it was benign but am awaiting the final diagnosis).

Thanks for your help in advance.

-Dazzled
 
I could be off here but I have a few ideas. I understand the tumor in your liver is most likely benign, however I wonder if it can still have an effect on liver function. I'll check it out. A lot of your symptoms fit into a scheme of decreased liver function, and I'll tell you how/why.

Itchy (pruritis) - alcoholics, people with hepatitis (inflammation of the liver), get jaundiced (a yellowing of the skin) caused by bilirubin .. a breakdown product of blood .. normally this bilirubin is conjugated and excreted by the liver. If the liver is not functioning correctly, or has outlet obstructions, the bilirubin backs up. You get jaundiced, and itchy. Are your eyes yellowish at all? Maybe on the edges?

Missed periods - your liver has a lot to do with estrogen breakdown and metabolism, abnormally high levels may be throwing your periods off. Do you notice any breast tenderness?

Weight loss - again, anorexia is typical in patients with liver disease. Your liver produces a lot of chemicals to help break down and absorb fats into the body, without it you lose weight.

I bet they suggest taking out the tumor regardless of whether it's benign or malignant. Do you have any pain in your right upper quadrant?
 
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