Ovarian Cyst :: Open Surgery For Large Cyst While Pregnant
I am going for surgery on a large cyst. I am expecting a baby so I am anxious about having to have surgery during this time. Has anyone been through similar and were ok and the baby was ok?
Also what were your experiences of the surgery pain relief and stitches etc?? Did it take you long to recover. Also if anyone has had this surgery pregnant or not I would love to hear from you but if you were what stage of pregnancy did you have surgery?
Large Ovarian Cyst Removal - What To Expect After Surgery?
Just wondering what to expect after op.....and is it normal to be getting bigger..... Now look 6 months pregnant ......when diagnosed in April just looked likes had a muffin top...not in mega pain, but very uncomfortable, can't eat much large meals......feeling sick these last couple of days....am post menapausal so am wondering what will happen as having ovaries removed as well and doc said it will cause menopause so should go on hrt......confused.
View 21 RepliesOvarian Cyst :: Do Simple Ovarian Cysts Of 4cms Ever Dissolve By Themselves?
I'm wondering whether anyone has had a simple cyst which dissolved by itself without medical intervention.
View 2 RepliesOvarian Cancer :: Complex Ovarian Cyst And Agus Pap
Just received my abnormal pap agus no hpv and I'm really scared. I have Further testing next Wednesday and I feel like I've just been given a death sentence. I'm 31 and a mother of four. I don't have any additional info im here just to vent I suppose.
View 5 RepliesOvarian Cyst :: Suffered Hair Loss Due To Cyst?
I had a simple 13cm cyst removed from my broad ligament (next to ovary) at the end of June. It had been causing me issues for at least 6 months, including sharp pains, which I thought were linked to the digestive system at first. I had a laparoscopy and feel much better in myself.
The week before surgery, I began to noticeably lose hair from my head. It's now been coming out for nearly 8 weeks. Luckily I had a lot of hair to start with but I've now had to have it cut shorter as looked awful and I must have lost half my hair or more. :o( I've had blood tests and everything seems fine, so Dr thinks it must have been the stress that the cyst was putting on my body, esp with sharp pains etc. I have found this link to PCOS but not large cysts and wondered if anyone else had suffered in the same way and if so, how long the hair loss continued?
Banding Surgery Experience - Finally Treated My Hemorrhoids
I'm posting this (rather long) history of how I finally solved my hemorrhoids problem in the hopes it will help people who are still trying to figure it out.
I'm a 58 year old man in good health and at the correct weight for my height. I'm not on any prescription drugs, I eat sensibly and work out at least 2-3 times a week.
I've had hemorrhoids for many years and pretty much ignored them, but then about 3 years ago they started getting worse, eventually to the point where I had to do something because they started to affect my life style.
The lifestyle effects were mostly about physical exercise. For example, when I played more than 9 holes of golf, the hemorrhoids would start acting up and get so uncomfortable I couldn't focus on my game. Or playing racquetball for more than a half hour would cause the same problems. The symptoms were pain, sometimes some type of clear fluid discharge (I know - totally gross), and sometimes bleeding. I could actually feel the hemorrhoids stick out of my butt. The pain could last for several days and would be constantly on my mind to point where enough was enough, I had to get help.
So I got a referral from my regular doc to a colorectal doc. It was a bad experience... he examined me and afterward said, "Yup, you got a nice bunch of marbles down there," and told me I needed surgery and how painful it could be. His nurse told me that she'd had post-op patients call her and literally scream and swear at her because they were in so much pain. I left that office and never went back. I forgot about "getting better" and figured I'd just have to live with it for now.
But a month or two later I was playing softball at a meeting away from home and the hemorrhoids got real bad and when I got to the hotel they were bleeding and I had to go out to dinner with a bunch of associates, then get on a plane early the next morning. I didn't know if I'd be able to do either, but I somehow got through it and vowed to go back to the doc.
So I got a referral to another doc and he was a little better. But he too recommended surgery and told me there would be a 2 week period I'd have to take off from work. I still wasn't ready for that, but he did give me a very good key piece of advice, and that was to take one big tablespoon of orange flavored sugar-free Metamucil (he was very specific) mixed with a big glass of water once a day, and to drink lots of water each day. I started taking it the next day and it made a big difference in my bowel movements. They became much 'easier' and didn't bother my hemorrhoids nearly as much as before. That was about 18 months ago and I've taken it every day since (I think it's good for cholesterol reduction too as a side benefit).
Still searching for a non-surgical solution, I got a referral to another doc and the third time was the charm for the time being. This doc examined me and said I definitely didn't need surgery, that my main problem was a couple of internal hemorrhoids and they could be handled with rubber band litigation. I said what about the external ones that I could see with a mirror? He said those weren't the offenders, which was quite different from what the other two docs said. So he did the procedure. He picked the biggest one and put the band on it. It took about 5 minutes and was very uncomfortable but not painful. He told me that's it, that there's no after-care, there should be no pain and to come back in a couple of weeks.
Well, he was wrong about the pain. I woke up that night at 2 am in pain. I took a couple of Advil which didn't help much, so an hour later I took two Tylenols and that did the trick. The procedure had been on a Friday, so I couldn't call the doc to see why I was having pain, but I looked it up online and saw that it wasn't uncommon, especially if the rubber band had been placed too low, i.e., too far towards the lining of the rectum where it would pull on the wall.
I had to keep that up the meds for the next 2-3 days. The whole area was swollen and felt like a typical 'bad' attack, and I was bummed out thinking this wasn't going to work. On Monday, I called the office and found out they're closed on Mondays. Great.
On Tuesday things were starting to get better. There was still some pain but no big deal. I called the doc's nurse and she said I could come in, but it sounded like I was progressing ok and that yes, sometimes there is pain if the band is too low, and that's exactly what this sounded like. So I decided not to go in, and day by day it got better.
After about a week, I was back to working out, and for the first time in a long, long time, I didn't have hemorrhoid problems. I was now able to resume most activities without having those nagging problems anymore. What a relief!
I say 'most' because I still would have some minor problems after longer periods physical exertion, say after 3-4 hours, like a round of golf. But again, the issues were much less.
At 6 months after that first procedure I was still having some issues, so I decided to get another band done to get the second-worse internal hemorrhoid taken care of. I had it done, and this time there was no pain at all afterwards. The procedure was still uncomfortable, but now knowing what the result would be, I went into it with much less trepidation, and knew that even if I did have the same pain as the first time, it would be worth it.
So for me, it was all about getting those internal hemorrhoids dealt with. I still have the external ones, but much to my surprise they really don't cause any issues. I had always thought they were the culprits since I could see them, but I guess that's one of the pitfalls with self-diagnosis; the obvious answer was the wrong one. I may still have one more internal one to take care of, as the doc said they usual form in groups of three. But with the first two, worst ones taken care of, I think most of my problems are gone.
For any of you fellow sufferers out there, I hope you can learn something from these first experiences. The whole thing was embarrassing (to me) at first.... having those first docs checking me out 'down there' took some getting used to, but now I look at it as just another medical procedure, somewhat typical to what women have to go though their whole lives, or so my wife says.
About a year later and I was still having problems with at least one internal hemorrhoids. I went back to my doc who it put a rubber band on but it didn't help all that much. I went back again and he said well, there is another one, and I'll try to band it. I didn't really get what he was talking about with the try (he was never hesitant before) but said go ahead anyway. He said the issue was that he couldn't get the band all the way around the base of it but hopefully this would work. The next morning well sitting on the toilet, the band popped off. I realized that the banding procedure was no longer an option and thought that maybe it time to get surgery and get this finished once and for all.
I asked a separate doc that I trusted for a referral to a younger (<45) doc who knew all the latest procedures, as I was looking for the most non-invasive possible. I found one. When meeting with him he told me all the different techniques he uses and said that during surgery he'd decide which was best depending on how things presented themselves, and I was good with that approach.
I had the surgery and it turned out to be more complex than we thought. Initially, we knew there was at least one internal hemorrhoid that was the main culprit, but during surgery he found two other internals and one external. In fact, the main internal one was connected to the external one, so they both had to come out. So the surgery, which was in a full-blown operating room and I was completely unconscious, was rather extensive. Although it was scheduled to be outpatient I couldn't pee afterwards so they inserted a catheter and keep me overnight (The catheter insertion was weird and uncomfortable and freaked me out a little as a friend had just had one a month before and told me how awful it was. In reality, the fear from that was much worse than the actual procedure. But next time I would still ask for a Xanax or something first). I came home the next day in some pain. He gave me Percocet which helped quite a bit. (He started out with one 5 mg every six hours and it wasn't nearly enough. I had up it to two 10 mg every four hours for the first day or two.)
Here's the recovery process, which I wrote as it happened:
Day 1, Thursday Surgery @ 7:30 am. Prep was nothing to eat or drink after midnight and an enema the night before (more on that later). Woke up after, no pain yet but felt pressure in lower abdomen. Because of the catheter, they kept me overnight and removed it the following morning.
Day 2, Friday I went home, slept a lot, caught up Netflix (the one silver lining). Took 10 mg Percocet every 4-5 hours, which did a good job of containing pain. Was able to walk if needed, e.g., to the bathroom, but only felt like laying in bed. Total meds: 30 mg Percocet, 1 Senokot, 2 Colace, 2 Advil.
Day 3, Saturday - I'm now in the third day after the surgery and things seem to be getting better. I still haven't had a bowel movement which I am anticipating will be somewhat painful, But I'm looking forward to get through it because that will be kind of the last step. Total meds: 10 mg Percocet, 3 Colace, 3 Senokot, 1 Miralax, 2 Advil. (Might have taken more pain meds, but I was asleep quite a bit.)
Day 4, Sunday Had first bowel movement. Was more uncomfortable than painful and I wish I had been taking more stool softeners, because the surgical area is apparently swollen and theres not much room for stuff to exit. I upped my dose immediately to Colace 3x a day and one dose of Miralax before bed. The pain occurred afterward about 5 minutes after I was done, an aching started in the surgery area and got quite bad, to the point where I had to lay down in bed and wait for 10 mg of Percocet to kick in. Thank God for Percocet. From there on, I pre-medicated for the next few days which helped a lot. Had two more BMs that say, the 2nd followed by 2 Advil, 3rd by 2 Percocet. Total meds: 30 mg Percocets, 6 Advil, 5 Senokot, 3 Colace, 1 Miralax,
Day 5, Monday Stayed home from work. Sent email to direct reports why I was out (hadn't told them previously). Woke up at 6 am took 2 Advil. Took various softeners and pain killers throughout the day, had two BMs. Still painful with achiness but not as bad due to taking more softeners and stating ahead on the pain meds. Total meds: 6 Advil, 10 mg Percocet , 2 Colace, 2 Senokot, 1 Miralax.
Day 6, Tuesday - Getting a little better each day. Still stayed home for work, but had a one hour meeting downtown, so I went to that. It was good to be out. I had been noticing that there was a light hygiene issue with some minor staining and a little leakage, so my wife gave me a mini-pad that sticks to your underwear. It worked ok, but was hard to position properly. After that, I switched to the maxi-pads, which also stick to the underwear, but cover much more area and worked better. Good peace-of-mind as I didn't have to worry about being out in public. Had one BM, as I did from here on out. Total meds: 6 Advil, 2 Colace, 1 Percocet.
Day 7, Wednesday Back to work for the full day. Still a little awkward to get up and sit down, so I stayed at my desk most of the day, felt pretty good, maybe 80-85% better. If I had a job where I had to be on my feet all day, I would have stayed home again. Cut Colace down to 1, which was a mistake due to difficult BM the next day, immediately went back up to 3/day. Total meds: 4 Advil, 1 Colace.
After that first week, things continued to get better each day. I continued to have some achiness after each BM and took couple of Advil proceeding each one which helped. I went back to the doc for a checkup at the end of the 2nd week and he was pleased with progress. He said probably best not to take Advil as it causes bleeding, ok to take 2.5 or 5 mg of the Percocet, so I did that for a couple of days, then switched to Tylenol. I eventually stopped taking even that at about the 3-week mark. I continued to use the maxi-pads until about the 2-1/2 week mark. BMs at the end of the 3rd week were still a little difficult, especially to get them started. It felt like the opening wasn't big enough and I had to strain to get it going, but once stared it opened up and progressed normally. Maybe I was just too tensed up?
At the 4-week mark, the BMs are more normal with almost no straining. I was still taking 3 Colace a day, but considering going down to two. I should also mention that I was taking Metamucil 2x a day during the entire time period. I had been taking it once a day (1 heaping TB of the orange sugarless mixed in water) for the past several years on the recommendation of one of my first docs, and it helped a lot.
I also went back to playing racquetball just shy of the one-month anniversary. My doc cleared me after 2 weeks, but I was still too achy and just not ready. On my first day back to work, there was some pain from the BM (minor) and I was concerned that t would get worse when I played. I took a couple of Tylenol before playing and the pain was non existent. I was tired from not exercising for a month, but it was a good tired and, most importantly, no pain afterwards for the first time in years.
I should also mention that the hemorrhoid pain was gone after 3-4 weeks. It was hard to tell for the first 2-3 weeks, as there was pain form the surgery, but as it started to fade, I noticed that the old pain was no longer present after exercise of BMs. Yes! After all, this was the whole point in the first place, but it's sometimes difficult to remember as you're going through the post-op period.
Things I learned or wish I had known.
Surgery prep I was advised to do an enema 6 hours before surgery which I did (Actually the night before because the surgery was early). But looking back, I wish I had done a more extensive prep similar to a pre-colonoscopy exam, as that would have cleaned out everything and postponed the first BM for a day or two more. Maybe this isn't a viable option for some reason, but Id definitely ask the doc about it if I had to do it over.
Catheter - I was told there'd be a 50% chance of needing one because I'm a man over 50 (58). I wish I had just asked to have it inserted during the surgery, as it was stressful to have it done yet another procedure just 6 hours afterwards. And Id ask for a Xanax or Valium or something.
The recovery time is 6 weeks. Yes, it's possible to be back at work within a few days, but for me, it was really a couple of weeks before I was feeling anywhere near normal enough that I wasn't aware of the surgery, pressure, pain, the pad, etc. After 4 weeks, Id say I was 85-90% recovered. From all outside appearances I was 100%, and most of the time I was unaware of the event. To me, I'll be 100% recovered when I'm thinking/aware of the surgery 0% of the time. Put another way, Id say I was 100% functional 3-1/2 weeks afterwards, but 85% recovered. The 15% difference was that BMs were still an issue I was taking softeners still and there was some pain or achiness, but not much. I stopped taking pain meds for this at about the 3-1/2 to 4 week mark. I should also mention that, due to the softeners, the BMs happened almost first thing in the morning, typically after one cup of coffee. You should have access to a toilet because when I had to go I HAD to go. If I had had to wait more than a minute or two, it would have been a problem.
Because the recovery time is long, I was glad I had no big events or travel planned for a few weeks afterwards. We hosted Thanksgiving at my house exactly 3 weeks afterwards, which I had thought was a no brainer recovery-time-wise. It turned out fine, but I was glad it was at my house as I still wasn't 100%.
Id err on the side of more pain meds and definitely more stool softeners. I was warned that too many softeners could cause diarrhea, but I never experienced that, but I can definitely say that too few cause pain. For the pain meds, Id take them 1 hour before each BM for the first few weeks. Don't wait until afterwards because its too late. Be preemptive. Don't take Advil; take your prescribed meds or Tylenol.
Plan to be in bed for the first 4 days (day one being surgery). Although I was up and around by day three, it was really day 5 when I felt good enough to put away the tray table and resume downstairs life (our bedroom is upstairs).
Recovery clothing The only thing I was comfortable wearing for the first week was sweat pants. Unfortunately I only had two pair and they tend to get soiled easily in the first few days. I recommend having 5-6 pair available. And bring a soft, fluffy pillow to the surgery for the ride home. You'll be very glad to have it.
Was the surgery and pain worth it? Definitely. I knew what was coming more or less, but I really wish I had more details about recovery so I could set expectations, which I why I'm writing this in the hopes that it will help others. While the docs and nurses tell you about recovery, they don't really have the details, the day-to-day stuff. So here they are. Obviously, this surgery could be more or less invasive or extensive. Mine was a little more extensive than planned, but still, I feel like mine was a middle-of-the road case, maybe a 6 or 7 out of ten. A total guess really, but I had 3 internal and one external removed, so maybe you can judge by that.
Ovarian Cyst :: Any Way To Tell After Its Gone?
So for the past 2 weeks I've been dealing with an issue. It came on suddenly and out of nowhere. My first symptom was I had blood when I wiped after I peed. This was alarming bc I am on the shot and don't receive periods so what's up with the blood. It was very light pink and I wiped several times after to see if it there was more and it came out each time. The following day when I wiped there was pink strands of discharge. I'm not pregnant either. The pink discharge lasted a few days. And after that I got intense back pain on the lower left side. I thought I did something to pull out a muscle. Then the pain went into my hip and I had cramping in my lower pelvis. It was very tolerable. It was dull at this point. I thought I had a kidney infection.i've had 1 before so the symptoms resembled one almost to a tee. I had my urine checked and it came back negative. At this point a weem had almost past and the pain wasn't getting worse but it wasn't gone either. I remember having a BM one morning and it disappeared. My belly was bloated and things felt tight but pain wise, it was gone. So I thought I was probably just constipated. Well, 2 days go by and out of nowhere the pain comes back 10 fold. It hurt so badly. I hunched over a few times, grabbed my side and cried out. Thinking something had to be wrong I went to the ER. They did a CT and said it was constipation. Well, needless to say I left the hospital still in pain. It was weird because there'd be times the pain was low. In my hip and pelvis. Then there'd be times it was strictly in my back. It was all on the left side. My right side would occasionally get tingly or crampy but it didn't last long. I started getting loose stools they were wormy, and I don't ever go like that. This started 3 days ago. And my left arm and left leg were throbbing as if I over did it lifting something or walking too much but I didn't do anything of the sort. So just yesterday I had to work (Which I've been off the whole duration of this mess) and I had pain before work, I had pain for an hour while at work. I do a lot of walking at my job and I noticed about mid shift the pain was gone. I thought nah, I'm sure it'll be back. It came back last time I thought it was gone too. But it hasn't. So I'm just wondering if it sounded like a cyst that maybe ruptured or grew. And I have an appointment with an obgyn later this week, will they be able to tell if that's what it was even if I'm feeling better?
View 1 RepliesOvarian Cyst :: Possible At Age 21?
I've been suffering pain in the womb/ovary area for a few months, it's a general aching pain/soreness with stabs of sharp pain, although the sharp pain has been getting more frequent, along with pain at the top of my thighs, to the point where I was in excruciating pain the other day and literally couldn't move because even leaning forward was causing me pure agony. I'd been putting off going to the GP for a while but this made me realise I had to get an appointment.
The GP did a quick pelvic examination and said he would refer me for a pelvic ultrasound. I asked him how long I would have to wait for the appointment, and he said 'two weeks, three at the most'.
Received my referral letter in the post this morning, asking me to call up to arrange the appointment. The receptionist immediately told me they had a very long waiting list and asked if I'd be willing to travel to a clinic a bit further away to get an appointment sooner, to which I said yes, as I'm obviously in pain and worried about what is causing the pain. Anyway, my appointment isn't till nearly the end of JUNE, so in 3 months time as opposed to the maximum 3 weeks time my GP told me.
I've been researching my symptoms, which I know isn't always the wisest, and 'ovarian cyst' seems to be coming up a lot, along with a few other womb/ovary problems. I'm very concerned that whatever might be causing the problem could get more severe within the 3 months I have to wait for an ultrasound. I've looked it up and I understand that sometimes ovarian cysts can be cancerous, although it is rare among my age group (I'm 21), but I'm still very worried that if it is cancerous, surely it could get a lot worse within 3 months?
I'm honestly surprised the waiting times are so long for a diagnostic examination, I knew the waiting times were bad for operations, but I wasn't expecting this. Surely if the waiting times are so long this could be very detrimental to the health of some patients, for example those who turn out to have cancer, when early treatment is very important?
Can anyone tell me if they have experienced similar, in terms of waiting times, or of symptoms? Those of you who have been for ultrasounds, is 3 months a normal waiting time, or am I right to be surprised? Has anyone ended up going for a private scan instead?
Also, in the 3 months that I have to wait, if there anything that will help to control my pain? My GP advised me paracetamol, hot water bottle, and drinking lots of water, all of which I've been doing anyway, but have you got any other tips? For someone who is used to leading a very active life, this pain is really interfering with it, plus it's also having a bit of a detrimental effect on my sex life, as I'm sometimes in too much pain to have sex, or after I have sex the pain will get worse, which is very frustrating for me and my boyfriend.
Ovarian Cyst NOS?
I had flank pain, went to the ER and had a Cat scan done, they found a cyst on my left ovary. The printout says "ovary cyst NOS". Anyone know what NOS means, could it be cancer? I am 46.
View 3 RepliesLarge Ovarian Cyst And DVT
I was diagnosed with a large ovarian cyst at the end of March this year (17cm), eventually being given an operation date of 26th July. Unfortunately, this had to be cancelled due to staff shortages - much to my frustration and worry. I let my doctors know of my anxiety as I felt the cyst had grown much bigger and I'd also got new strange symptoms where my legs were very swollen and painful when I walked up hills.
Anyway, a couple of weeks before my rescheduled op one of my legs really swelled up, and started to go a purple colour. Luckily I made the swift decision to go to A&E as I was concerned it could be a blood clot (you're at increased risk on the pill/pregnant and I currently looked 5 months pregnant).
I was admitted with a massive DVT - up to the top of my hip - and at risk of a pulmonary embolism. The cyst had grown so big (20 by 30cm) it was cutting off the blood flow to both my legs.
After 10 days in hospital, 4 in intensive care, I've had the cyst drained of 3 litres of fluid, a catheter inserted into the blood clot to diffuse it and now need to be on blood thinners for the next 6 months. This all could have been avoided if the operation was a bit sooner - or if I was monitored more closely. And I still need to have the actual cyst removed.
Once in hospital the nurses and doctors were wonderful - but the whole experience has been at a huge cost to both myself and the NHS. I just wanted to let people know that if you feel something is wrong, or a cyst is growing at a fast rate - demand to be seen - it would be far better for everyone if these things are prevented!
Ovarian Cyst :: Just Had One Removed, Can Another One Come Back
I had large cyst that was attached to my left fallopian tube and the surgeon removed the left fallopian tube with the large cyst that was 18 cm and 2L of fluid. And I took an MRI scan that was recommended by my gynecologist and the result came back as another cyst that is growing on the ovary. I was pretty shocked though. I thought it can only come once. I am going to see my gynecologist on Thursday. But Is it possible for a cyst to grow or come back in/on the same ovary?
View 1 RepliesOvarian Cyst :: Gone But Now Getting Similar Pain
Just over 2 months ago had ovary and tube removed and recovered well. However, this last week been getting the same kind of pain that I had way back when I had my ovarian cyst and in the place where the ovary was??? When upright the pain is more in my tummy but when lying or sitting down the pain seems to gravitate to my groin area. it is not there all the time but comes on now and again and once or twice has been really acute and very painful for a few seconds, then goes. It's like somebody squeezing the ovary - only there isn't one. Somebody said could be infection but I have no other signs, somebody else mentioned scar tissue. Any help/advice at all gratefully received and has anybody had similar?
View 1 RepliesOvarian Cyst :: Could Lead To Cancer?
I've had an ovarian cyst for 2 months now, nothing was done about it, the pain went off after a few days until last monday where i had an ambulance to hospital, i stayed there for 5 days, the doctors did an ultrasound and my cyst has ruptured yet pain is so bad i cant walk! they sent me home with 3 day open access, i went back the next day in awful pain and after 6 hours of waiting the gynaecologists refused to see me and sent me home!!
View 1 RepliesComplex Ovarian Cyst During Pregnancy
At my 12 week scan I was told I had a large cyst on an ovary and would be seen at 16 weeks to check it. After having to chase I finally saw a consultant last week who said that the solid bit was atypical. They don't want to operate and biopsy straight away cos of risk to baby, but have had ca-125 blood test and MRI yesterday. The scanner came out to tell me my scan had to go to a particular radiologist and they were sent immediately. There is a multidisciplinary meeting today where hopefully all my results will be looked at, but my next consultant appointment isn't until Thursday.
View 1 Replies8.5cm Complex, Separated Ovarian Cyst
I guess I am writing this more for reassurance and comfort, as sometimes it helps to get things out. I'm just under 27 years old, and here's my experience so far with a complex ovarian cyst.
Two weeks ago I went to the ER after suffering from severe pain on my right side. Blood work was normal, but a CT scan revealed a 7cm cyst on my right ovary. The ER doctor and nurse told me to follow up with my regular gyn, who would most likely monitor it and complete ultrasounds every 6-8 weeks to check for growth. They said it was not an emergency unless I suddenly developed major, excruciating pain. They both said that ovarian cysts sometimes have to be removed, but ones like mine (the said the shading on the CT scan looked like a normal cyst) should be fine and probably go away with my cycle. (I've never had any issues previously. In fact, just two weeks prior to this happening, I had my annual appointment with my gyn, and all of my tests came back normal.)
Three days later I met with my gyn, who promptly scheduled me for an ultrasound. She seemed concerned about the cyst due to its size and said she thought it'd definitely have to be removed, since it was already so large and because of the fact that I I have it while being on birth control (birth control, she said, is often prescribed to lessen the change of developing cysts. Go figure...) I became nervous after this, because the ER doctor and nurses didn't seem concerned at all, but my gyn did.
The next day I went for both my regular and transvaginal ultrasound, which returned the following results:
"8.5cm Complex cystic lesion with septations and what may represent a small papillary excrescence. No flow is noted to the solid component of the cystic portion. The appearance is nonspecific and both benign & malignant etiologies could give this appearance. Its size however is concerning."
Upon receiving those results, my gyn referred me to a gynecological oncologist; my gyn said that due to the fact that they cannot tell whether its benign or malignant, a gyn onc. must be the person to handle it.
My consultation with the gyn onc is on Tuesday, and while I'm trying to stay calm and optimistic, I've been a wreck at the thought of cancer. Of course, I Googled...and I read about so many characteristics of complex malignant cysts that seem to match up with mine, which scared me. The fact that the cyst seemed to grow so much in just three days between tests (1.5 cm) is frightening too...although, I'm wondering if there could be a discrepancy between a CT scan and an ultrasound? I am nervous to see how much it will have grown when I meet with the gyn onc.
The hardest part has been the waiting - I just want to know what it is. It's been a long couple of weeks. At times, I had myself worked up into a frenzy of worry, which only made the pain worse. My gyn has been fantastic through this, reassuring me to just take it easy and try not to worry too much...but it's easier said than done. Meeting with a doctor who specializes in cancer treatment and practices in a cancer hospital is just a scary thought (but also comforting, since God forbid it is cancer, I know I'll be in good hands...) It doesn't help that I've also always been a hypochondriac.
Ovarian Cysts :: Growing 6cm Cyst
I have had this cyst on my left ovary now for about 3 years and it is slowly growing (Ultrasounds every 6 months). I moved out of state and my new doctor is trying all the meds I've tried before and nothing has shrunk it and it has continued to grow - slowly. He said if I want it to be taken out I can. Would you take it out or leave it?
View 2 RepliesOvarian Cyst :: Depo-provera?
how can you get an ovarian cyst if you are on the depo injection
View 2 RepliesDoes Complex Ovarian Cyst Affect Fertility?
I am 31 years old and my husband is 46. We have been ttc for 2 years and then 8 months ago I had an ectopic pregnancy. They managed to save my tube. I never had any issues with ovarian cysts but after my ectopic I started getting a vaginal pain. It felt like a deep pain and sometimes it burned when we were intimate. Initially I thought it could be a yeast infection. I have never had a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis but all the symptoms of a YI was a bit like the pain I was experiencing. I spent a lot of money on otc stuff but they seemed to aggravate the pain. The pain was affecting me daily and at night I could barely sleep. The only thing that would help a bit was when I lay in a hot bath. I started getting spotting mid cycle which was something I have never had. I started seeing a new doctor which is a specialist gynaecologist. On the ultrasound she picked up a 35mm cyst on the opposite ovary as the one where the ectopic was. It looked like a functional cyst but she said she would like to remove it surgically as she could then check my tubes to make sure they were open so we can try and prevent a repeat ectopic. So I had the cyst removed via laparoscopy and it also showed my tubes were open. After surgery the pathology reports showed that they cyst was actually a complex cyst. My doctor was surprised and said it showed all the features of a functional cyst. She said it was a mucinous cystadenoma. On my follow up appointment she found that there was still some of the cyst remaining of 10mm. She said that these cysts has the potential to turn to ovarian cancer but she didn't want to rush back to surgery because she was scared of damaging the ovarian tissue with more surgery. I was then monitored with CA 125 blood testing. Right after surgery the blood test was 40 then it gradually came down to 24 and lastly 14. I believe its supposed to be below 30. The cyst was benign though but could turn malignant. Yesterday I went back for a checkup and the cyst was now at 20mm. My doctor wants to go back into surgery because she said the ovary is playing up and the cyst will just grow again to the size it was. Im still having some pain but its basically 100% better than it was before the 1st surgery. My doctor was against removing the ovary but now she asked me if she could remove the ovary if she goes in and the ovary is damaged. She will however try her best to save it so that my fertility doesn't take a knock....
Does this sound about right in the situation? How will it affect me having one ovary only? Can this type of cyst affect your fertility and does it affect your hormones as I'm having very sore boobs for a few weeks now?
Ovarian Cyst :: Laparoscopy And Ruptured Removal?
I have been very ill and in a lot of pain since August, going backwards and forwards to my doctors, even got admitted to hospital in August with suspected appendicitis but got sent home.
However last weekend I got rushed into hospital with awful sharp pains in my right side of pelvis and ended up having a laparoscopy where they found a cyst that had ruptured and leaked fluid all around my ovary so they had to cut me lower down to clean it all out and remove the sack! I was in hospital for 2 nights being sick and in pain.
I came home last Tuesday night and have had horrific shoulder pain from the gas and I can't manage to walk more than a couple of mins without getting shooting pains where I've been cut and being exhausted after.
I've been signed off work for 2 weeks, I'm a nursery nurse so a lot of lifting, sitting on the floor and getting up and down is involved! I'm worried I won't be better by next week and will need more time off, how long was you off work for with this or similar procedure? Any tips to speed up my recovery?