5 wks post-op, now ovarian cyst! Help!

I'm happy to have found this site! I just turned 33 and had my hysterectomy on December 6, 2004 due to bleeding problems. I did not have my ovaries removed. I now find out that a cyst on my right ovary (which is causing a lot of pain) has doubled in size over the past month. My ovaries have both dropped also. Doc wants to treat with birth control pills (which I've had problems with increased breast lumps with in the past).

He said we could remove the cyst, but it would come back. Or remove the ovaries and maybe face HRT. Has anyone had this experience? I'm so upset that I did not have them removed during my hysterectomy. I'm tired and don't want more surgery, but don't want to face months or more of waiting to see if the pain will go away and paying more and more for retesting.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Does anyone have any advice for me in regard to what you might do given a similar situation? I know no med advice is given here, just wanted your honest opinions as folks that have had similar experiences.

It is nice to meet you all. Thank you for reading my missive.

Take care.

Jen

I had ovarian cysts for over a year. During the last 6 months before surgery, they became quite painful. Sometimes I would double over with the pain. I read that Black Cohosh is a very good natural supplement for ovarian cysts, so I tried it. The pain lessened a lot, but the Black Cohosh caused me to have miserable nausea, so I had to stop taking it. The pain returned right afterward. Not everyone experiences this nausea. You might want to read up on it, and discuss it with your doc.

Hi Jen,

This question about the ovaries is a tough one that many of us have wrestled with. I am much older than you but also decided to keep my ovaries. When I went in for my surgery there were no indications anything was wrong. When he looked there was a large cyst on my right ovary, which he removed, but left the ovaries as I had requested.
I, personally am glad to still have the ovaries, even though there is a risk the cyst will come back. I feel the benefit I have from the hormones they produce out weighs the risks of the cysts.
This is my thinking and you will have to decide for yourself the pros and cons of your choices.

http://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/link.php

I did a search in resources for you on ovarian cysts and this is what I came up with. I hope something here will help.

Blessings, Rita

Jen,

I too suffered from recurring ovarian cysts. I'm so sorry that you are going through this. It is such a confusing situation to be in. Just wanted to let you know that a sister is thinking of you.

Tarheel

I guess I should pipe up here too. I had my hysterectomy in Aug 2003 with what I now know was a LOUSY doctor. I had my share of uterine fibroids, abnormal periods, etc so we did the surgery. I was 35 at the time and before I went into the OR, the Dr. came to me and said "if the ovaries are okay when I get in there, then we should keep them due to various reasons..." so I agreed as I had done some homework beforehand. Well apparently mine looked pretty good as he left them in. All was fine and well until Nov. when another Dr. was looking for another problem I was having and had ordered CT scans of my chest, abdomen and pelvis. Well lo and behold, what had developed but a baseball sized cyst on my left ovary. Oh goody! I went for a pelvic ultrasound, then to a new GYN Dr. who said she thought it might be okay but did a CA125 (which thankfully was perfectly normal) and ordered a second ultrasound a month later to compare the size. I chickened out on getting the ultrasound because I'm so fearful of bad results (as this past year hasn't been my year). I have since rescheduled the ultrasound, which is Friday, 1/14. I'm terrified of the results because as she seems to think that if it's grown "any" at all, it will have to come out (both ovaries I imagine at this point).

Does anyone know if this is common, ovaries having to be removed after you've been through one major surgery already for that area? Or is the removal a major surgery? She told me mine was too large to come out laprascopically (sure that spelling is off).

Anyone who has suffered anything like this or just had to go back and have their ovaries removed, please let me know what it's like...
Sorry for being so long and drawn out here, my mind starts over loading with thoughts and here I go!

Thanks for listening,
Susan

I got the pictures from my doc of my ovaries and they were "clean" she said. Can cysts form that quickly, or did you already have small ones that they were watching?

Marla,

According to my Dr, my 35 year old ovaries looked like 25 year old ovaries.

I even had a check up/pelvic exam this past Sept. and this dr. didn't feel anything abnormal. The new Dr. said it is very far up on the ovary so hard to feel if you aren't looking for anything. I'm on a blood thinner now due to a blood clot in my arm so they said they may not even be able to give me anything to try to shrink it because of the Coumadin.

Her words were "if it's gotten any larger, then we'll have to go in"...I take this to mean remove the ovaries? I don't care at this point, that's just 2 less body parts I'll have to worry about!

Thanks,
Susan

When I did my consult about the hyst, I wanted to remove both ovaries. I've had surgery to remove cysts on the right ovary, and the pelvic psonogram showed the right ovary was basically a cyst. I was talked into leaving the left ovary for hormones. Then they found a tumor in the uterus. I now have to have the left ovary/tube and pelvic lymph nodes removed.

Advice: Do your homework. Trust your instincts. If ANYONE in your family has issues/or has had issues like yours, be proactive and not reactive. I would rather deal with taking a pill daily than going in for chemo.

Just my way of thinking. The decision is up to you and your doctor. Either way you decide, good luck. Please keep us posted.

Anne

Lots of women get ovarian cysts, i was told it was an inbalance of hormones to what they should be in the body.Obviously the hyst can and often does affect the bodys karma.
I was lucky that the cyst I had,prior to my hyst,went of its own accord within about 6 months.During that time I had extreme pain on one side alongwith pain everytime I ovulated.
It may be worth you looking at alternative herbals to balance the hormones out and give your body the best chance of elimiating the cysts. Agnes Castus is the herb I was told about, no idea if this is the best one, best to go to a health shop and inquire.
Keep positive, keep smiling!

Hello
I too had ovarian cysts (2) + 4 fibromas in the uterus. Initially the doctor thought the cysts were paratubal (coming from the fallopian tubes) turns out that the lab defined them as "plurilocular cystadenomas" which are basically benign ovarian tumors. I also kept the ovaries.

You can find info about ovarian cysts and tumors on the Cleveland Clinic website.

Hope you are well, don't wait too long with a large cyst on the ovaries, it's better if it's out.

kind regards
smiles & dreams