Ovarian cysts...experience?

[zoom-zoom]

Anyone else BTDT in terms of ginormous ovarian cysts? What was the outcome? I have a hard time believing that it could be anything too scary, since I feel great and I have endometriosis, which can contribute to ovarian cyst issues.

But still...until I know for certain, yeah, my brain keeps going to worst-case scenarios. And since the blood test they do to try to narrow things down can throw false positives when a woman has endo, there's some probability that I won't know anything for sure without removal and biopsy. The waiting is gonna suck. I have an appt. with an OB/gyn on 11/4...I'm guessing if the bloodwork comes back sketchy that we'll be scheduling surgery. That may be the case either way (I may just opt to have this ovary and my uterus out now. I'm 40 and will be starting 10 days/cycle of Prometrium/progesterone, as is). Looks like I might be missing the last CX race (or two) of the season for the 2nd year running. If it doesn't appear to be cancerous I'll likely schedule surgery as soon as CX season is done.

[Crankin]

Well, I had one when I was 23 or 24. My ob-gyn felt it during an exam. It hurt like hell a few weeks later, my parents took me to the ER, where they promptly misdiagnosed an ectopic pregnancy. That was a false positive from a UTI. They saw the cyst and let it be. It eventually went away. Of course, this was before ultra sound, or at least ultra sound for single, supposedly pregnant women!
The waiting sucks. Have you had a trans-vaginal ultra sound?

[zoom-zoom]

Have you had a trans-vaginal ultra sound?

Yeah, I had "dildo cam" done 2 days ago. I think that's when it was noticed. I had a pelvic early last week, but the PA who saw me sent me for the TVU more to check out my endometriosis and small fibroid situation before making a decision to do a hyst. Prior to the TVU she had prescribed 10 days of Prometrium each cycle to help stretch my cycles back out (right now I'm bleeding every 21-23 days and for 8-13 days long...so I'm on my period about half of the time, which stinks).

[ny biker]

I have no advice for you but I just wanted to say that I feel for you and I hope all the tests/treatment/surgery goes well.

[zoom-zoom]

Thanks! I am optimistic that this is NBD.

[Grits]

I used to get them fairly frequently, including at the beginning of my first pregnancy when my so helpful OB made the comment: "It will probably go away by the end of the first trimester, but if not then it could be malignant." Gee, wasn't that nice to have to worry about along with everything else for a couple of months.

With all of mine I was told to wait for a cycle then come back in for another ultrasound. It had always disappeared by that time.

[snapdragen]

I had one last year that was spotted when I had a scan of my hip. Got the lovely "dildo cam" (love that description!), my doc decided to just keep an eye on it. Went back every three months to verify it wasn't growing. It's not, so we're ignoring it. AFIK, it's disappeared on it's own.

Now, my mom, and a friend I used to work with, had massive cysts. Mom's was grapefruit sized, V's was huge, went up into her ribcage and weighed 8 pounds. :eek:

[zoom-zoom]

Now, my mom, and a friend I used to work with, had massive cysts. Mom's was grapefruit sized, V's was huge, went up into her ribcage and weighed 8 pounds. :eek:

HOLY crap!!! I've read about them that size. Did they have symptoms prior to diagnosis? I haven't had anything that stands out (aside from relatively minor bladder and bowel symptoms, which could be as much from endometriosis as the cyst -- the endo is likely responsible for that, too). I'm still nervous to hear the result of the blood work I had yesterday, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that no news is good news. At 40 I am not at much risk of it being cancer...especially after having had a child, lactation for a year, years on BCPs, etc. Part of me thinks I may take this opportunity to push for removal of that ovary and my uterus. I don't need them anymore and if I'm gonna continue to have issues like this it makes sense to remove them.

[snapdragen]

HOLY crap!!! I've read about them that size. Did they have symptoms prior to diagnosis? I haven't had anything that stands out (aside from relatively minor bladder and bowel symptoms, which could be as much from endometriosis as the cyst -- the endo is likely responsible for that, too). I'm still nervous to hear the result of the blood work I had yesterday, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that no news is good news. At 40 I am not at much risk of it being cancer...especially after having had a child, lactation for a year, years on BCPs, etc. Part of me thinks I may take this opportunity to push for removal of that ovary and my uterus. I don't need them anymore and if I'm gonna continue to have issues like this it makes sense to remove them.

Mom had said for a while that it felt like there was "something" not right. It wasn't until the doctor could feel it that she was believed. (Grrr to male doc's that don't listen) My friend felt nothing until she ended up in the ER in extreme pain.

[Melalvai]

Mine always always rupture. The first one was misdiagnosed as pelvic inflammatory disease. Apparently they are hard to diagnose. My mother-in-law also had hers misdiagnosed and I know someone else who was told it was her appendix. So if you have severe abdominal pain, be sure to mention your cyst. It might have ruptured. It will confuse you because the pain doesn't necessarily localize to where you think it ought to. It might hurt around your bladder instead of where your ovary is.

If it ruptures, it hurts like the dickens (I nearly passed out from the pain) but you are right, even if it ruptures it's not causing any damage.

It sounds like you are going to keep 1 ovary if you can, that is a good idea. Keep your own hormones for as long as you can. I was 31 when I had my ovary & uterus out. My doc tried to talk me into getting rid of the other non-diseased ovary but I said "if it lasts me even one year, that's one year where I'm not losing bone density (through lack of hormone) or increasing my breast cancer risk (through HRT)." It's been 8 years and it's served me well.

Be sure to send this link to your loved ones as a hint: http://iheartguts.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=237

[zoom-zoom]

Ha, a plush uterus!!!

Yeah, I would love to avoid HRT for as long as possible, for the reasons you mention. My BFF had everything out at 25 due to stage 4 endometriosis and ovarian cysts. Scares me that she was on HRT for a decade (she's now in her late 30s and no longer on anything and doing well).

[thekarens]

Hey Zoom, just wondering how things were going regarding your cysts?

[zoom-zoom]

Surgery on Weds! Taking out right ovary and its silly sidecar! :p

[thekarens]

Let me know how it goes. I'll be thinking about you. I have one that I was supposed to have rechecked in July, but my doc went on paternity leave.

[zoom-zoom]

Will do. I hope I recover as well/fast as I have from other surgical procedures. This is the first one done since I've been so active. My biggest dread is that I won't be cleared to resume light running/nowhere biking in 2 weeks. I'm gonna go stir crazy!!

[thekarens]

I bet you will. Being active can't but help you in your recovery. I assume you're having it done laproscopically (sp)? Should be a quick recovery, just don't do more than they tell you and injure yourself :)

[zoom-zoom]

Yup, lap. Anywhere from 2-4 tiny incisions. And I will definitely not attempt anything without doctor's permission. They went to college longer than I did! ;)

[thekarens]

Good!!

[thekarens]

Hey hope everything went as planned and that you're up and around quickly.

[zoom-zoom]

Thanks! I feel much better than I probably should. I want to go go go tomorrow!!

[thekarens]

From what I've read that's part of the problem, you feel better than you actually are and some people end up over doing it. That's great though that you do feel so well!

[zoom-zoom]

Yup. I'm going to start watching Breaking Bad so that I'll be too occupied!

[ny biker]

I'm glad the procedure went well. Good luck with the recovery.

[Owlie]

I'm glad it went well. Now, go watch TV for the next few days and heal!

[limewave]

Glad your surgery went well! Sending healing thoughts your way!

[OakLeaf]

Rest up and heal quick!

[zoom-zoom]

I'm feeling way better than expected, though having the same sort of #2 issues limewave did after her recent surgeries. Really wish the MOM would work faster!!

[snapdragen]

That can be the most uncomfortable part. I used Miralax, a nurse friend recommended it.

[zoom-zoom]

As soon as I can discontinue narcotics I will. I had this issue after fracturing my wrist, too. I was on a much stronger dose, then.

[TrekDianna]

I feel for you. I knew about the bathroom issue with me and narcotics too. I had a hysterectomy a couple of years ago and made them take out the pain meds when I woke up after surgery. After finally getting all that out of my system I made it just fine with motrin/tylenol over the next few days. I was surprised how they worked.

[zoom-zoom]

Yeah, I have a freaky high tolerance for pain, too, so the narcotics are likely overkill. I think after tonight I will get some extended release acetominophen and be done with the narcotic yuck.

[TrekDianna]

Yeah, I have a freaky high tolerance for pain, too, so the narcotics are likely overkill. I think after tonight I will get some extended release acetominophen and be done with the narcotic yuck.

I would try it and see, you can always take a half dose if you need it. Check with your doctor first, of course, by mine told me that I could if I needed it. I never filled the prescription though. I figured if I needed it, I could send someone to do it.

I'm glad you are feeling good. Just don't jump on the bike yet.

[Owlie]

Yeah, I have a freaky high tolerance for pain, too, so the narcotics are likely overkill. I think after tonight I will get some extended release acetominophen and be done with the narcotic yuck.

When I had my wisdom teeth out (different thing all together, I realize!), I took one dose of the generic Vicodin they gave me and just took acetaminophen for the next three days. Just be careful with that. You can always take a smaller dose or less often.

I'm glad you're feeling good, but remember to take it easy!

[OakLeaf]

After my faceplant, I actually got much more pain relief from Naproxen than I did from the Hydrocodone, though it was probably the combination that helped the most. But I would ask your doc before taking any NSAIDS after surgery. Acetaminophen does nothing for me for any kind of pain except headaches.

I can't take any stimulant laxatives at all (senna, etc) - they make me just unbelievably sick, worse than the constipation. I've done fine with MoM when I need it. And stay hydrated. For me, it's really hard to drink enough water when I'm inactive, and that really contributes to constipation.

[Melalvai]

I have a pretty high pain threshold too, and the pain drugs made me dizzy and nauseous, so I didn't take them after the first day. I had a nice big incision too!

Walking is your friend. (The pain drugs made me too dizzy to walk, so that was another good thing about not using them.) The only thing to watch for is that you don't get yourself out too far and then over-do it trying to get back. In the house it's usually all right because there's always somewhere to sit down for a few minutes.

[zoom-zoom]

After my faceplant, I actually got much more pain relief from Naproxen than I did from the Hydrocodone, though it was probably the combination that helped the most. But I would ask your doc before taking any NSAIDS after surgery. Acetaminophen does nothing for me for any kind of pain except headaches.

I can't take any stimulant laxatives at all (senna, etc) - they make me just unbelievably sick, worse than the constipation. I've done fine with MoM when I need it. And stay hydrated. For me, it's really hard to drink enough water when I'm inactive, and that really contributes to constipation.

The Norco I was prescribed also contains acetominophen (plus hydrocodone), so there shouldn't be an issue switching to strictly OTC Tylenol. I was also prescribed 600mg ibuprofen, but that's also just a 4 hour formula. Getting up 2x/night is stupid! :p I'm not having any significant pain, which is nice. I've had a bit of menstrual crampy feeling, but nothing even severe on the scale of what I've had there over the years.

MOM was the only thing I was cleared to take for constipation. It finally did the trick within the past 12 hours and I feel like a new woman! I was literally full of sh!t! ;)

I'm still several pounds heavier than when I weighed the AM of surgery and have been peeing a lot. It's amazing the way I bloat when I've had any sort of surgical procedure. Plus AF/TOM will be starting any day now, so that's likely a contributing factor.

[Owlie]

If you stick to Tylenol, I think you should be ok. The rest of them inhibit blood clotting, hence the caution. :D

[zoom-zoom]

If you stick to Tylenol, I think you should be ok. The rest of them inhibit blood clotting, hence the caution. :D

Yeah, I'm not sure why the script for 600mg Ibuprofen…especially since I tend to bleed like a stuck pig.

[Owlie]

For many people (me included), ibuprofen or naproxen tend to provide better pain relief. It also isn't as likely to cause liver problems at high doses, though it's not easy on your kidneys.

(Tylenol does nothing for me.)

[zoom-zoom]

For many people (me included), ibuprofen or naproxen tend to provide better pain relief. It also isn't as likely to cause liver problems at high doses, though it's not easy on your kidneys.

(Tylenol does nothing for me.)

Hmmm…it does seem like when I was younger and had REALLY bad endometriosis cramping that I reached for Advil, first. Naproxen is the thing that does nothing for me…and then I'm stuck and can't take anything for hours! :p

[TrekDianna]

Yeah, I'm not sure why the script for 600mg Ibuprofen…especially since I tend to bleed like a stuck pig.

I was given 800mg Motrin - anti-inflammatory. Sometimes it's the swelling that contributes to pain - lessen the swelling, lessen the pain.

[zoom-zoom]

I was given 800mg Motrin - anti-inflammatory. Sometimes it's the swelling that contributes to pain - lessen the swelling, lessen the pain.

That's kind of what I was guessing. Seems like every time I've had surgery I've been given some sort of acetominophen + narcotic and ibuprofen. Same with my broken wrist.