Ovarian Cysts
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion Archive: Archive April 2005:
Ovarian Cysts
Some of you may remember me posting about a month ago that I thought that I had a kidney infection. Well I have still been having trouble, fast forward to today. I had a pelvic ultasound on Mon. and they said that I have ovarian cysts. Which explains the continued pain. I have read some on the internet and feel a little better about it. Any expierence? I am having quite a bit of discomfort today. My doc referred me to my Ob-gyn who I don't see unitl Tues. GRRRR! I just hope its all okay.
Do a "Keyword Search" on "Ovarian Cysts" and you'll find several posts here on the topic. 
I did that and I was feeling better then I did a search on google for complex cysts, which is what he said one was. That was a little more worrisome but then I saw something about fluid in the pelvic region being a bad sign for surgery. Which he also said I had. So I am kinda freaked out now. I think I will call and see if they can get me in before Tuesday. Wish me luck.
Info on the internet can really scare a person. I am having a mammogram tomorrow for a breast lump. I did a google search, and now I'm completely freaked out. I decided I won't be doing any more google searches.
((((((hugs)))))) Don't read TOO much before you actually have your appointment.
Don't read too much, and when you look for medical information on the internet, only go to places that say .edu - i.e., universities, teaching hospitals, etc.
Now, on that, I had a complex ovarian cyst removed way, way back in about l978, age 20. Because the ovary was involved, they removed the right ovary also (and my appendix, while they were there - this was incision surgery, not the neat little high tech stuff they do now). I had four pregnancies and three healthy sons after that surgery. And it totally, totally ended my pre-menstrual and menstrual pain; after a couple of months my periods were regular. I have a nifty railroad track type scar from just below my navel almost all the way down, but that was then, not now.
Talk to your gyne. Some of the questions you ask are: how often do you do this surgery and how often in the past year? What are some of the complications that are likely (they'll tell you this anyhow - you have to be fully informed). How do you handle such complications? Is this one-day surgery or will I have an extra day in the hospital, particularly if I am having a lot of pain? And if you get to the surgery point, when you sign the consent form, watch out. Often the form says "Dr. so and so or anyone s/he appoints. Cross that out and say Dr. so and so ONLY, and initial the change. Also, the consent is often fairly general, and you want it to be specific, that the doctor is only going to such and such a procedure, such additional detailed procedures as become necessary after they get a look arouond, and any emergency procedures that arise during the course of the surgery, BUT, any additional stuff that is not an emergency - they have to consult your dh or whoever is out in the waiting room before doing it, and talk such things over with your dh or whoever first.
And, no one should ever, ever be alone in the hospital if they are having surgery. You want someone there from the time they roll you down the hall until you are able to sit up, drink water, and find the push button for the nurse and the telephone by yourself.
Thank you that is great info Ginny. By the way Breann I had the mammogram also about a year ago for a lump it turned out to be nothing. For some reason I have really lumpy tissue which when talking to my mom today about this other she said she has to. Anyway it was still nervewracking but not to painful. I guess I am just one big gyne nightmare! AAAGH!LOl!
Breann - and Beth. I also have "lumpy" breasts, and several years ago had a fatty cell lump removed from my left breast. I remember, vividly, the anxiety I felt while waiting for the biopsy results, even though the surgeon told me before I left the hospital that he was 99% certain it was a fatty cell lump and nothing to worry about.
I read somewhere that if you have lumpy breasts - and my family runs to lipomas (fatty cell lumps and occasional cysts), to cut out or at least way down on caffiene, as caffiene seems to increase the growth of these lumps. I have had to have a couple of others surgically removed, and have had a few checked with MRI and even needle biopsy but no surgery. Still, no matter how much the doctor reassures you, until you get the final, biopsy report, nothing really helps. And strangely enough, this kind of lump doesn't (or at least didn't then) show up on a mammogram, even though you and the doctor can feel it and palpate it.
Breann, I've had abnormal mammos for the past 2 years. The first time they told me that, I freaked out. You could feel the lump, it hurt and with my mom having cancer at the time, I assumed the worst.
It is probably fibrocystic breast tissue, which is actually very common - AND it tends to run in family lines. My sister and I both have what they term *fibrocystic breast disease* - which is basically *dense*, lumpy tissue, it does cause pain, depending on the number of *lumps*.
What happens then is your gyn usually stops ordering screening mammos, and starts ordering diagnostic mammos, often with breast ultrasound annually.
Once I got past that first abnormal one and found out it was nothing *serious*, I was OK the next year and expected to hear those results. I am not saying, by any means, that all breast lumps are benign or nothing to worry about, but so many of them are.
And Ginny is correct about the caffeine - it DOES make it worse. I also had a lipoma removed from under my arm in 1996. I was totally freaked out then too, convinced I had cancer, and once it was removed, I've had NO trouble since then.
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