Liver Cyst

Hi Amy, my name is S. im a ultrasound student and have been studing and acanning a lot of abdominal areas. Cyst that that small in size are usually nothing to worry about as long as they are catagorized a "simple cyst". Usually doctors ask the patient to follow up in that time frame because cyst can grow slowly if they grow at all.
My school takes patients as volunteers to be scanned for these kinds of thins if you so not wish to wait 6 months.

Now this might be nothing ... but why WAIT to find out? My MIL found a lump smaller than a pea in her breast. Had a mammogram & all came back A OK & they told her to come back in 6 months. Well, by then it was terminal. Now I know we are talking about 2 totally different things, and I don't mean to alarm you. I want to you to just be aware. I personally would get a second opinion. You will feel much better.

I had a similarly sized mass appear in an ultrasound so they did a CT scan, still there, and then a nuclear scan and determined it was probably something that had been there all along. It was rescanned every 6 months for the last 2 years - no change. That's one of the disadvantages to all of this technology. . . we know too much!

J.

Liver cysts are not uncommon... 3 mm is quite small, too. The only additional testing I would recommend is a blood test to check the liver enzymes. If they are still concerned about this cyst in 6 months, or if it grows, they can always do a liver biopsy. This sounds invasive, but is really a simple procedure. Hang in there. Your husband is lucky to have such a caring wife.

Hey A.,

Don't worry, cyst aren't so bad and they defiantely don't grow agressively!! Do yourself a favor and go to the internet and do some research!! It will get you more involved, busy and educate you on these things......always helps me when I am worried something!! Good Luck

V.

A.,
Have your husband see a naturopathic Dr. He may need to do a liver detox and get on a good regimen of nutritional supplements or change his diet. FInd an ND.
Good Luck,
D.

Trust your instincts and get a second opinion. Better safe than sorry.

Hello my docter just called me yesterday and said the same thing im not to worried but just pray they are right and its not cancer cause cancer runs bad in my family and everyone that has died besides my grandma and one of my uncles died of cancer so i am just leaving this in Gods hands for now but i know how you feel and i will keep you in my prayers .

Please don't worry! Cysts are our body's way to capture toxins in our system and keep them away from vital organs. Our bodies take in so many toxins from what we eat, drink, breathe and absorb through the skin. Our body does quite a remarkable job keeping us going considering everything that it takes in!

I am a nutrition coach in Altadena and have had great success in helping people to put their bodies into balance. I just assisted a woman dissolve her larger cyst on the liver as well. She was quite thrilled when her doctor found it has disappeared!

Email me at: ____@____.com if you would like some help.

My very best to you!

I know nothing about liver cysts but I do know about waiting 6 months to know if your husband has some terrible disease! Last year my husband had a mass in his lung and because of it's location they decided not to biopsy it until they knew whether it was growing or not. We had to wait 6 months to know whether it was lung cancer or not. WOW it did suck! Everything did come out ok though. All I can tell you is hang in there...you're not the only one!

No, a cyst is not bad-they are very common. Good they found and will watch it-it will probably disappear on it's own. They don't normally remove a cyst. I have had many of them; on my ovaries, on my adrenal gland, in my breasts. They don't know why some people are more prone to them then others, but in and of themselves, they are harmless.

Hey, take it day by day. I know it's not easy but worrying is not going to change anything. My dad had a cyst on the liver, which turned out milignant. I read and researched on the internet and that made me feel better. I think the more you know the more you can handle. He ended up having surgery, they removed part of the liver. The good thing is that the liver can regenerate itself. He went through chimo and now, ten years later he is still here. Hope that helps. This was the worst case scenario, it could be that your husband just has a cyst.

I suffer from my own condition that I am healing from,thanks to macrobiotics.Its all about balancing the body.He could probebly disolve that cist through proper diet.I have seen and heard amazing stories through macrobiotics.Look it up.Also my macrobiotic counslers name in Mina Dobic:)

If this was discovered by a GP or Internal medicine doctor, have him go to a specialist immediately. It may be nothing, but only a specialist understands the problem and can give you answers.

Get a grip woman! The doc has probably seen these several times before, no? Ask him! Ask him what all the terminology means. If it is a cyst, what is the prognosis, what will they expect to do? Why is it there? What has caused this? Has he had cysts before? Some body types have cysts without any explanation, I have them at 58, my mom had them and never had a problem.

Get a cup of mint tea, some honey, sit down and breathe, you need to be the anchor in the storm, the parachutte in the wind, etc. for your family. Period.

Let me know how you are doing, I care,
E. H

you should get a book called Prescription for Nutritional Healing..it will tell you what he should take to get rid of the cyst..i had a cyst on my ovaries when i was trying to conceive and then it just went away.

Hi Annie,
As a Oncology nurse, the best advice I can give you is do not wait six months, get a second opinion. Sometimes CT scans can not get the full view of the image, it sounds like he needs to get a MRI- this is a magnetic resonance image which presents a much better view for the physician.Take care. Barbara

liver cysts are normally incidental findings, 3mmis tiny. nothing to worry about.
debby

Cysts usually mean the body is walling off toxins. Not dangerous, but a symptom. This is a good opportunity to start your husband on some liver cleanse programs. Glutathione and Milk Thistle would both be beneficial. Also, some dietary changes would be in order. Get rid of all MSG, any artificial sweeteners. The liver has 300 different functions and is one of the prime organs of detox. So, taking care of it--before it gets really sick--is an important part of staying free of cancer and chronic disease.

Dr. A. Dunev

Don't worry. A cyst is not the end of the world. An easy thing to do is a castor oil pack. Edgar Cayce, an intuitive healer from the early 1900's, used to recommend it for a host of ailments and is still recommended today by holitic healers. I just recommended it to a friend of mine who was literally doubled over with pain from an infection in her colon. She told me it gave her a great deal of relief. Cysts often break up on their own with no ill effects. The best way to do a castor oil pack is to use cotton flannel pack-you can order one from
http://www.baar.com/index.shtml
In lieu of that, do what my friend did and just use a thick white hand towel. Pour the castor oil on the towel, get it fairly saturated. Place it over you abdomen, your liver is just below your ribs on the right side. Put a heating pad over it and let it do its thing. Do it when you go to bed to get maximum benefits.

I had a cyst in my breast when I was 16, and it was the size of a peach pit (a lot larger than your husbands) but, your husbands is in a different area. You won't help anything by worrying. It is quite normal for a Dr to wait since it is very small at this point. I would maybe look into what would cause a cyst in the liver. If there are any dietary changes that could be made etc...in the meantime. I know for me, the Dr's were very non-chalant about my cyst. They wanted it out because it was rather large and could have had cancerous cells attach themselves to it - eventually. Sometimes, it is just an abnormality that no one could have prevented. I would pray over it and God will help you get through the waiting. Good luck & God Bless You!!!

Hi A.,
My name is C.. I would probably be a little concerned if I got the news that you did, too. In reality, many people get cysts or have them places that they never even know about. I learned when I was 21 that I have multiple cysts on my ovaries and, with the exception of painful ovulation, have had no problems with them. It is important to keep an eye on it to be sure that it actually is a cyst and not something more. Please keep in mind that your husband may have had this little critter for years without any problems and that it could, very realistically turn out to be nothing.

Hi, I can tell you some info on this for sure. 2005 I had a cyst removed from my left rib section and it was begnin. It was a fast recovery from the surgery and I had no problems. I had a CT scan in 2006 and there is a cyst on my spleen but the doctors said it was 14mm it shouldn't cause any problems so just to keep it monitored. In between we switched health care insurance and I went back to my favorite Dr. I noticed I have a lump again where the other cyst was removed from my ribs and told my doctor about both and she asked my why I waited so long......I explained the insurance and what the other Dr. had told me. She sent me for a CT scan last Monday and I am waiting for the results. I had blood drawn and my liver function was high the last two times it was done so she is sending me to a Gastroentologist. So with this information can I ask, did he ever have an unusual liver blood test? Maybe he should have that checked? I know that cysts are sometimes uncomfortable does he have any pain? If so, I would get a second opinon. Men are hard to get to the doctor so it is great he went keeping on top of the issue is the best thing you can do. I wouldn't let it go 6 months if it was any larger, but since it is on his liver that concerns me. Hope some of the information I gave you helps and god will guide you. Thanks, M.

Hi A.,

I can certainly understand your worries. I have ahd cysts before in the oast myself. never on my liver but on my ovaries. From what I understand theya re normal and most of them do tend to disappera on their own. On occassion I have heard of people having to have them surgically removed because they did not go away. However, I am not a doctor or nurse each situation is different. If it continues to bother him I would suggest to hae him get a second opinion or perhaps gor back in a month and if it is still there talk to the doctor about having it removed.

First of all, as a health professional, I want to reassure you that livers commonly have innocent cyst's all the times and for the most part people are completely unaware that they have them. Most times they are found incidentally on a CT scan such as your husbands. You can be comforted by the fact that they suggest waiting 6 months as if they were really concerned they would repeat the scan in 3 months. Now my word of caution is that this information is based on the fact that I don't really know why he got the CT scan in the first place. Most people don't get CT scans unless there is a good reason for it, so I may be able to better reassure you if I knew that piece. Still if you are really worried you could always push to have the scan repeated in 3 months rather than waiting 6.
Hope this helps.

I dont know if you heard about negative ion clothing. These are health undergarments and it's very safe to use because it's a cloth with a very special kind of fiber. Anyway, these really help people with chronic illnesses. And even people with mild cancer. These health undergarments offer many enhancing benefits for our body, and we need them in order to live. It improves blood circulation, aids in relieving joint pain and a lot more. please visit www.tevironclothing.enefful.com and for your own peace of mind you can research negative ion and you will see all the wonderful effect of this product in our health. It really works because im also a living testimony we even have a complete bedding and our family are all enjoying the health benefits of negative ion. Thank you for your time and hope that your husband get to recover soon.

I am an ultrasound Tech. I just wanted to let you know that a cyst is nothing. 3mm is very small and if you want to make sure it is a cyst for sure, you can ask the doctor to please confirm it by doing and ultrasound on it. But 3mm is very tiny and sometimes hard to find. It can be confused with vessels easily. As long as it is a cyst, it probably won't grow. But don't worry about it. I see cysts all the time and they are nothing to worry about. Just a little fluid collection. Some people are more prone to getting them than others.

Hi A.,
3mm is a fairly small cyst. According to the Mayo Clinic Simple liver cysts — fluid-filled cavities in the liver — usually cause no signs or symptoms and need no treatment. However, in some cases, they may grow large enough to cause pain or discomfort in the upper right part of the abdomen.

Most liver cysts can be detected on ultrasound or computerized tomography (CT) scans. When needed, treatment may include drainage or removal of the cyst.

The cause of simple liver cysts isn't known, but they may be present at birth (congenital).

Good that they caught it and are keeping an eye on it. Take care and hopefully you aren't as worried now as you were before with all the responses.

A. I know this can be very stressfull my dad just went through this although it was worse because he had just finished with Chemo treatments from Colon Cancer. However the cysts are nothing to be stressed over as long as they are not getting any bigger. We have had many opinions done and they say people get them all the time they just don't know about it. They say not to stress just make sure you do not miss that 6 month appointment and keep monitoring them close and to keep doing blood work for the liver counts. Also I would get a copy of the records of the size and location keep those for the next appointment and compare them. Hope this helps don't worry and keep him from stressing over it. Most likely it is nothing..You might want to ask the Dr. if they can biopsy it. With my dads they said it was to small to do that. Just say your prayers GOD will take care of it.

T.

I'm a stay at home mom with 2 boys 3 years and a 4 month old.

never, ever wait and see unless you have a second or third option telling you to wait as well. you should listen to your aching stomach and follow up on this.

Hi A.,

I'm a massage therapist ans soon-to-be-licensed acupuncturist. I had a client before who had several cysts on her liver. They weren't a big deal. She didn't do anything about them and wasn't really concerned. She also had several fatty cysts throughout her body. Does your husband? If so, then it is more likely that it is a cyst. I would say that your husband's cyst is small. I've massaged several cysts and they can be the size of golf balls, so 3 mm is pretty tiny. Perhaps many of us have cysts on our liver and don't even know it. Why did he have the CT scan in the first place? Was he having symptoms or did he notice a bump? Do the doctors seem concerned? If they're going to wait 6 months, I'm assuming they're probably not too worried.

If it is a cyst, your husband can put a castor oil pack over his liver. You can buy castor oil at Henry's, Long's Drugs, or Whole Foods. Just make sure it is cold pressed castor oil. Also buy large gauze pads. Then you moderately drizzle the castor oil over the gauze and place it over the liver oil face down. (The liver, in case you're not sure, is under the lower right rib cage.) Cover the gauze with Saran Wrap and then place a heating pad or hot water bottle over the pack. Let your husband lie down and relax with the pack on for about 20-30 minutes.

If the doctors suspect it may be cancerous, then do not use the castor oil pack. If it is only a cyst, it can help. You can also do this treatment, as it is very relaxing and will help reduce stress for you. However, do not if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or menstruating.

I understand this must be a worrisome time for you. Remember to breathe and relax so that you don't make yourself sick.

I also highly recommend acupuncture. Whether it's a cyst or otherwise, acupuncture is highly effective at promoting liver health. It's also good for achy stomachs and worry. If you don't already have one and would like a name of a good one, let me know.

Here's an excerpt which explains the uses of Castor oil:

"A castor oil pack is placed on the skin to increase circulation and to promote elimination and healing of the tissues and organs underneath the skin. It is often used to stimulate the liver, relieve pain, increase lymphatic circulation, reduce inflammation, and improve digestion.

Castor oil packs have many applications, and are specific in cases of uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts that are not cancerous. Packs also relieve ovarian pain or help with healing after a ruptured ovarian cyst. Other conditions that respond to castor oil packs include headaches, liver disorders, constipation, intestinal disorders, gallbladder inflammation or stones, and conditions with poor elimination.

Castor bean oil has been used externally for centuries as a natural therapy. The Edgar Cayce Readings inform us that castor oil packs are to be used to improve assimilation, elimination and circulation, especially of the lymphatic system.

Castor oil appears to have a unique ability to sink transdermally (through the skin) to relax smooth muscle. This simple mechanical action has a beneficial influence on all hollow organs, specifically the blood and lymph vessels, the uterus, fallopian tubes, bowels, gall bladder, and even the liver (which is not hollow but is filled with venous lakes).

Castor oil application increases the efficiency of circulation through your pelvis in general. Good circulation is required for supportive nutrients to be delivered to the cells, and for waste products and inflammatory factors to be removed. If a castor oil pack is placed over your liver area, it will help your liver to do its work more efficiently, including the metabolism of your hormones."

It's my understanding that cysts are very common, benign growths, and if small, are harmless. Quit tying yourself up in knots -- pick up the phone, call the Dr and get in for a consultation to have this all explained to your satisifaction -- you will not be "bugging" the doctor!!!!