I have a 6.9 cm focal nodule on my liver and scheduled for surgery in two weeks. Has anyone had surgery for this and can elaborate your experience with surgery and recovery?
Hi amanda, an FNH is benign i.e not cancer. Is there a reason why you are having an operation to remove the nodule rather than leaving it?
I had a cancerous tumour removed by laparoscopic surgery which meant i was up and about in 12 hours and out of hospital in 4 days. Recovery at home took a while as i was sore and tired and i was off work for about 2-3 months i think.
It's a huge one. 3 inches. They are worried it would rupture if I ever experienced trauma (car accident, etc). I can also feel it and it causes pain. I just had my non functioning gallbladder removed last month. It's possible it was pressing on it and caused it to fail. Thankfully I don't need liver resectioning as it actually hangs off like a berry, a baseball size berry. I have to have it embolized first. It sounds like an easy procedure and having had laparoscopic surgery last month I know somewhat what I'm in for. I guess I'm just nervous as it's my liver.
Bonjour, je viens de tomber sur votre discussion et je me demandais si vous aviez déjà subi votre opération. Je suis prévu pour une intervention afin de retirer une tumeur de 5,4 cm qu'ils pensent être soit un adénome, soit une FNH. Je veux aussi vérifier qu'elle n'est pas maligne, bien qu'ils pensent probablement que ce n'est pas le cas. C'est comme la vôtre, elle pend par une tige, ce qu'ils appellent pédiculée. Heureusement, ils n'auront qu'à prélever un demi-pouce de mon foie avec. Cependant, je n'ai jamais eu d'opération auparavant et je ne sais pas à quoi m'attendre. Elle se trouve dans mon lobe gauche et l'opération sera laparoscopique. Toute information ou conseil que vous pourriez me donner serait grandement apprécié. Merci beaucoup et j'espère que vous allez bien.
Désolé pour les erreurs dans mon précédent message qui le rendent en partie illisible LOL. J'utilisais le microphone de mon téléphone et j'ai oublié de vérifier s'il avait mal interprété mes mots avant de publier.
Don't do surgery just yet!! First mine was confirmed fnh through biopsy. It was a tiny 18mm needle (like a long needle but the size they use to pierce your ears) and they used imaging to guide the needle. I had to stay in the hospital I think 4 hours after to make sure there wasn't any internal bleeding. Took the bandage off and could barely see it, that's how small the biopsy was! Okay so FNH confirmed and surgeon wanted to cut out! DO NOT DO THIS! Your liver can easily bleed out, it's dangerous, and you'll be in the hospital for at least a week due to the high risk factor of bleeding and infection. Anyways, my surgeon wanted me to get it embolized before surgery to minimize risk of bleeding. This is where they basically thread this tiny instrument up your artery from your groin area to your liver (image scan guided) and release a material that blocks the artery to the tumor. Search Heptic Embolization. I did a lot of research and found that they actually just use embolization as a way of treatment WITHOUT surgery. I had three arteries going into my tumor! I had another MRI done after 11 weeks and it shrunk 80%! This is a perfectly normal size as they usually do not even operate on FNH unless you are symptomatic and mine was hurting as it was the size of a baseball. So basically your surgeon should require (if competent) embolization before surgery, but embolization alone can be a means of reduction. There are serious risks with surgery. Hospitalized for a week and high risk of bleeding out and infection. The embolization had drawbacks too. Basically your starving the tumor to death and when they are large tumors that is a lot of toxins! Wow! I felt a stabbing pain, was vomiting, and running a fever for nearly a week. I just kept taking my pain pills, drank liver detox tea, and took epsom salt baths to help flush toxins. PLEASE get a biopsy, it's such a small procedure! If it's FNH research heptic embolization and also liver resection (surgery). The embolization was horrible but risk was low and recovery faster, and if you have surgery you'll have embolization anyways unless your doctor wants you to bleed out! Hope I'm making sense, so tired but passionate against surgery unless absolutely needed!
Also my surgeon made surgery sound like such a simple procedure! After reading about it I went and got 2 more opinions and the other two doctors agreed embolization was all that was needed and said the surgery was so dangerous that they would have to send me to a special surgeon two hours away and the surgeon scheduled for my surgery did not have the experience with this surgery! Only one hospital in the state could do it (and we have many).
Merci pour les informations ! Le problème avec le mien, c'est qu'il est si atypique de tout ce qu'ils ne peuvent pas dire s'il s'agit vraiment d'une FNH ou d'un adénome. Ils penchent davantage pour un adénome. Et un adénome présente un risque élevé de rupture, surtout s'il est plus grand que 5 cm, ce qui est le cas du mien. Ils veulent donc l'enlever avant que je ne sois impliqué dans un accident de voiture ou autre et que j'aie une hémorragie abdominale que le service des urgences ne saura pas expliquer et qui pourrait causer de gros problèmes (de plus, ils ne sont pas sûrs à 100 % qu'il ne s'agit pas d'une tumeur maligne, car, encore une fois, il est atypique de tout). De plus, si vous ne retirez pas un adénome et que vous essayez de le réduire, vous avez apparemment une chance qu'il devienne malin plus tard contre le fait de l'enlever et de n'avoir aucune chance de cela. Je ne sais pas. Concernant mon chirurgien, j'habite juste à la sortie d'Atlanta, en Géorgie, et il y a un centre de transplantation hépatique à Atlanta où travaille mon chirurgien. C'est un spécialiste du foie et il effectue souvent ce type de chirurgie ; il dit qu'il ne va retirer qu'une section d'un demi-pouce du foie où la tige est attachée et qu'il va le faire par laparoscopie, donc je ne devrais rester à l'hôpital qu'un ou deux jours au maximum. Je ne sais vraiment pas quoi penser, car j'ai lu quelque part qu'une biopsie n'était apparemment pas une bonne idée pour un adénome car elle peut provoquer des saignements, mais encore une fois, nous ne savons pas vraiment de quoi il s'agit. De plus, je n'ai pas lu sur l'embolisation ; je vais devoir me renseigner à ce sujet. Merci encore pour les informations !
If it's Adenoma then you probably want surgery. I'm glad you have a good surgeon who knows what he's doing and specializes in liver. I had a CT scan, MRI, and biopsy to confirm FNH. There is risk with anything you do whether biopsy or surgery. Do some research and trust your gut what is best for you.
J'ai eu un scanner pour autre chose qui a permis de détecter la masse, puis une échographie qui n'a pas pu déterminer de quoi il s'agissait, puis une IRM qui a conduit à un scénario de type soit l'un soit l'autre. Je suppose qu'il ne voulait pas faire une biopsie au cas où il s'agirait vraiment d'un adénome, alors il a directement opté pour la chirurgie. Je suis extrêmement chanceux d'avoir un centre de transplantation hépatique à proximité. Je pense que, d'après tout ce que j'ai lu, si je n'avais pas un spécialiste comme lui pour le faire, je n'aurais définitivement pas subi la chirurgie en raison du risque. Merci beaucoup d'avoir partagé vos informations avec moi.
Je voulais juste mettre à jour ce fil au cas où quelqu'un tomberait dessus et aurait besoin des informations. J'ai subi la chirurgie laparoscopique et cela s'est avéré beaucoup plus facile que prévu. Ma tumeur était pédiculée, ce qui signifie qu'elle pendait du foie. Ils n'ont donc eu qu'à enlever un demi-pouce du foie pour l'enlever. Elle était apparemment bien placée, donc ils n'ont finalement eu qu'à faire 2 petites incisions au lieu de 3, ce qui a fait un total de 3 lorsque l'on compte la plus grande incision par laquelle ils ont retiré la tumeur. J'ai passé une nuit à l'hôpital et j'ai été libéré en milieu de journée le lendemain. Je n'ai eu mal que les premiers jours et j'ai pu arrêter l'Oxycodone après cela. Le gaz qu'ils ont utilisé pendant la chirurgie était agaçant lorsqu'il essayait de sortir. Cela vous faisait roter et passer du gaz, puis, en remontant et en sortant, cela vous restreignait parfois un peu dans la cavité thoracique et pouvait même causer une douleur étrange à l'épaule. Le reste de la première semaine, j'ai pris du Tylenol extra-fort selon les instructions de mon médecin pour l'inflammation et toute douleur résiduelle possible. La deuxième semaine, je ne l'ai pris que lorsque je pensais avoir peut-être un peu trop forcé et anticipé une inflammation. Mais vraiment, après la première semaine, tout était fini. Enfin, il s'est avéré que la tumeur était une FNH plutôt qu'une adénome, mais je ne regrette pas la chirurgie car ils ne pouvaient rien dire des tests en raison de son emplacement et ils n'étaient même pas sûrs qu'elle soit non cancéreuse. Au moins, maintenant, nous savons qu'elle n'est pas cancéreuse, et il n'y a rien dans mon corps dont je m'inquiète constamment qu'elle éclate ou devienne cancéreuse. J'avais un excellent spécialiste du foie et donc toute l'expérience a été bonne, tout bien considéré.
So glad to hear it went well! I'm glad you had a great liver surgeon!
Thank you for posting an update! I have a large FNH (8x10cm) that was found during an MRI looking for the source of abdominal pain I've had for a year and a half. I know Doctors are reluctant to remove FNHs, but they've ruled out any other possible cause of my abdominal pain through extensive testing, and I can't imagine this huge mass isn't the the cause. Just met with a surgeon Monday and he said he doesn't do laparoscopic surgery, so the recovery would be tremendous with an open surgery - in addition to greater risk of infection. Plus, I have a young toddler I need to look after, so laparoscopy sounds much better! I'm wondering if you had any pain/symptoms before from the FNH and if they've subsided since the surgery? I have daily abdominal pain, so I'm really motivated to find a solution, though not keen on open surgery.
Sorry, meant to reply to this comment! Thank you for posting an update! I have a large FNH (8x10cm) that was found during an MRI looking for the source of abdominal pain I've had for a year and a half. I know Doctors are reluctant to remove FNHs, but they've ruled out any other possible cause of my abdominal pain through extensive testing, and I can't imagine this huge mass isn't the the cause. Just met with a surgeon Monday and he said he doesn't do laparoscopic surgery, so the recovery would be tremendous with an open surgery - in addition to greater risk of infection. Plus, I have a young toddler I need to look after, so laparoscopy sounds much better! I'm wondering if you had any pain/symptoms before from the FNH and if they've subsided since the surgery? I have daily abdominal pain, so I'm really motivated to find a solution, though not keen on open surgery.
Je n'ai eu ni douleur abdominale ni aucun autre symptôme avant ou après. Je suppose que tout dépend de l'endroit où cela se situe dans votre corps.
J'ai oublié de dire dans mon post que si vous pouvez le faire de manière laparoscopique, faites-le absolument. D'après ce que j'entends, l'opération ouverte est beaucoup plus difficile. Je chercherais à trouver un chirurgien/spécialiste qui pratique la laparoscopie.
You can have open surgery to remove, or you can have it embolized. Mine was large and felt like a baseball stuck in my side. With embolization they thread a line up your artery and block the arteries supplying blood causing the tumor to die off. I had 3 arteries feeding mine. A Radiologist would preform this procedure. BUT, just a warning, since most doctors don’t normally operate on FNH they don’t know the after affects. I was terribly sick for a month from all the toxins being released into my body as it died. Ran a fever for weeks even though I took detox baths and drank detox tea and everything to help rid toxins. In the end, mine shrank 75% and pain free. It definitely was better than open surgery, but realize the toxins of it dying will make you sick if you just do embolization. Get a few opinions from different doctors.
Hello. I have just been diognosid with a FNH myself.
My doctors and specialist seem to think it has no symptoms and is safe to leave there with 6 monthly scans to eatch its growth.
Now i think my symptoms are real and im totaly s**tting myself because of a rupture.. im starting to wonder if they know much about this at all.
At what size is it dangerous?
What is everyones symptoms?
Is it safe to do EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING or do i need to be carefull?
I just had laparoscopic surgery at the end of January to remove my grapefruit sized FNH, along with my gallbladder and 20% of my liver.
I SERIOUSLY had to research and advocate for myself. I think the research and current practice is totally obsolete, and with how many other sufferers I've seen posting on other forums and sites - this clearly needs to be restudied. FNH, particularly of a significant size, in my opinion and experience, absolutely causes pain. The first doctor I saw was going to leave it in there, and monitor every 6 months (to the tune of $1300 an MRI for me), because "FNH doesn't cause symptoms". The second doctor I saw said he didn't think it was causing symptoms either, but would remove it for me (via open surgery which carries more significant risk and recovery implications).
To be clear, I ruled out every other possible cause of abdominal pain - ulcers, Crohns, scarring, IBS, etc and now have basically maxed out my insurance two years in a row. It seems crazy to me that the obvious culprit of the pain was dismissed. I found out about the tumor during one of the diagnostic MRIs to determine the cause of my abdominal pain. (Side note, I think rupture is much less of a concern with FNH than with hepatocellular carcinomas or adenomas. You can find published medical journals online with good informaiton)
My grandpa has 35+ years of General Practice under his belt, and encouraged me to go straight to a surgeon. I'm so so glad he did. The surgeon was amazing, told me she could do it laparoscopically, and was so informative and affirming. I almost cried when she said "of course it's causing you pain, I get patients who notice it when theirs is much smaller than yours". I felt so vindicated. And she had plenty of experience to draw on.
I had to wait for insurance reasons, and it grew just slightly over the course of 6 months. I have to be honest, the recovery was incredibly painful. Worse than my c-section, especially those first couple days. And it was tough having the lift restriction and not being able to pick up my (heavy) toddler for 6 weeks. You can walk comfortably much sooner than a c-section, though.
But all I have to say is - it's worth it. It was for me. The pain and discomfort and bloating was affecting everything in my life. I had less energy, I didn't want to exercise or overexert myself because it was painful, and I'd sometimes be doubled over with the pain and pressure. Although I'm sure I'm still healing, it has changed my life. The surgeon said the tumor was inflaming and adhering to all the other organs around it. So, how could that not cause symptoms?
Honestly, a big reason why I wanted to get it out is to have more energy for my kid, and there was no way I wanted to get pregnant again with a massive tumor vying for space as well. I don't know if I had it during the first pregnancy, but it was really uncomfortable, and pregnancies can cause it to grow (growth hormones).
I wish you all the best, and please reach out if you have any questions. I'm so glad I listened to my instincts and kept looking for better answers and the right doctor. At the end of the day, they're all human, and can only go off of what research tells them. But you have to listen to your body.
My daughter whom is only 17 diagnosed with fnh a year ago with a mass the size of a softball.her specialist feels no surgery is needed at this time.however where it is located is between her heart and lung.they will not do a needle biopsy do to the location.she gallows up every 6 months to see if has grown in size.she is unable to be on any type of birth control as it will also make it grow.if ahe was to have surgery she would loose half of her liver.😟feeling lost as a parent and sad theirs nothing I can do.