Mass on vaginal cuff??

Hi Everyone! I am 15 days post op (total vaginal kept ovaries) and for the past 7 to 8 days have had severe drop me to my knees sharp shooting pain in my rectum area - particularly when I have a bm or pass gas. I also feel like there is a lot pressure on my bum like and elephant sitting on it - I went to the dr. and he did a CT scan which showed some type of mass on top of the vagina. He said he my options were wait it out and see if it improved since I was the one in pain or go back in for exploratory surgery - opening up stitches etc. Has anyone ever experienced this before? He thinks it might be blood or fluid collecting or a protuberance on the vaginal cuff? I feel totally fine except for this issue and am really bummed out - I was starting to think about going back to work. HELP?? I am not sure if I want to go back in for surgery but this stinks!

Please consider getting a second opinion. Maybe there's an alternative to waiting it out and seeing--if you are having severe pain maybe you can be given something for it rather than just sucking it up and waiting. As for surgery, I think it's always best to get second and third opinions. If your present doctor doesn't know what's going on, why put you through surgery--maybe to cover up something he did wrong? Sorry if I sound paranoid, maybe I am, but please consider getting a second opinion whether it's about the pain or about the surgery, or both.

It sounds like your doctor may think that you have either a hematoma (collection of blood) or seroma (collection of other fluid which may or may not also include some blood). I had one, and I can attest that they are absolutely 100% NO FUN.

First, be assured that if this is what you have, it is not likely that it occurred either because of anything you did or because of anything the doctor did. It's kind of like having a bruise -- sometimes when you bang your leg on something you get a bruise, and other times you can bang your leg on something and nothing happens. It's just another reaction to trauma in the body, and everyone reacts differently in different situations.

That being said, there are many different treatments for a hematoma or seroma. If you have an infection (and you should watch yourself like a hawk for the symptoms of fever, nausea, and general "rotten" feelings -- not always pain), they will probably want to intervene surgically a little faster to get the infected fluid out of your body. Sometimes they will drain the fluid, and sometimes they will go in and surgically remove the entire capsule (if one has developed).

However (and this can be the difficult part) docs often want to try the wait-and-see approach first because it's really best if the fluid just reabsorbs in the body...and it usually does just that. It can take a week, a month, or several months for this to happen -- it depends on the size and complexity of the collection.

If it is proven to be a hematoma (which they should be able to confirm with an ultrasound or CT scan depending on the location), you will probably be told to scale back your activities. Also, this is no time to be a hero: if you're in pain, don't be afraid to ask for some good pain control. My doctor went from being skeptical that I was in any pain at all to asking me if Percoset was strong enough after she saw what was causing my pain!

In my case, my hematoma wasn't diagnosed until I was 7 months post-op. My belly had been numb and it wasn't until the numb feeling wore off that I felt anything at all -- and it was stabbing pain. They were shocked to find a 19x9x4 cm. hematoma in front of my abdominal wall, right behind the incision.

They tried the wait-and-see approach, then attempted to drain it three times (but it kept filling up again). So finally they removed the capsule surgically.

I was very frightened but I did learn that usually, unless hematomas are infected, they can resolve on their own and they are not serious. I just happened to be one of the ones where the hematoma was either too big or it just got all cozy and comfortable and decided not to go anywhere.

Thanks so much for the info. I talked to the dr. today again and he is pretty sure it is a hematoma about 7 cm. a "shot glass full" he said. It is just in a rotten spot causing me alot of pain. We are taking the wait and see approach since I really do not want more surgery. It is very reassuring to hear that someone else has lived through this and I am not crazy. Once again - thank you so much for sharing - I feel better

On another note - we have been cable/tv free by choice for over a year now and I had the cable reinstalled to day. That should make it easier for me to stick with the take it easy part.

gmmtngurl, glad you spoke to the doctor, and glad you got the cable back....I know I would have been lost without my internet access during recovery!

Hi!!! In Aug 2006 I Had A Tah/bso. A Week Later I Went Back To My Doc With Pain And Fever. After An Ultrasound. I Too Had A 7cm Vaginal Cuff Hematoma. Because Of The Infection They Tried To Drain It. Not Successful. The Antibiotics Took Care Of The Infection But The Hematoma Still Persisted. One Year Later...20 Unltrasounds Later...another Surgery To Remove It... It Is Finally Gone!!!!! Most Will Reabsorb Into The Body. Mine Was Just Stubborn And Wanted To Stay There. I Am Fine Now And 6 Wks Post Op From My Evacuation Of My Hematoma. I Emphasize With What U R Going Thru. Hang In There.. There Is Light At The End Of The Tunnel.....tl