4 months out-left side pain, cyst?

Hi sisters!

I am four months post op. I have a constant ache in my lower left side that has been there for about two weeks now. It is never "severe" pain, but it is always there and it definitely hurts. It is a throbbing, sometimes burning pain. It is worse when I stand or walk, but it's always there.

When I push on my stomach on my left side, I can feel a small lump where I think my ovaries are. I went to the doctor and he wants to see me in another two weeks to see if it will go away on its own. He mentioned a possible ovarian cyst or a pulled muscle?

Has anyone else had this experience? Could it be a pulled muscle? (and which one?) If it is a cyst, wouldn't they have seen it during the operation? Would I feel it under the skin if it was a cyst? Would it be painful like that?

Any advice is appreciated. I am in constant pain again. I thought I would be past this by now.

Anne s to you all

Hi Anne,

I know how your feel, I had a TAH Jan 2004 kept both ovaries. Seven weeks after surgery I started to get a pain on my right side. I had had this pain before off and on but during surgery both ovaries were smiling up at the doc and no cysts so the doc decided to leave them in.

So after a doc visit he couldnt feel the cyst but I had a transvag ultrasound which did show a small one on my right ovary. It stayed with me about a month I then had another ultrasound about two months later and all was clear. In the past year I have had painful ovulation, sometimes not too bad and others misery. I kinda know that I eventually will have them out but I was at first very discouraged after surgery because I had been in so much pain before that I thought I was over all of that.

I hope this helps, I have noticed that since I stared using progresterone cream things have improved a lot. I will keep good thoughts for your and hope everything works out.

Take care and let us know how it goes.

Cynthia

I am 3 months out from a LAVH and have similar pain on my left side. A CT scan revealed that a large cyst has developed on my RIGHT ovary. Go figure. When I asked the doc how a cyst could have developed when he was just in there operating 3 months ago, he indicated that a cyst can develop in a matter of several weeks. So, to answer your question, they can apparently develop quite rapidly. I'm not sure this explain my pain, but it may account for yours given that the pain and the cyst are on the same side. I learned that I may have a small hernia on my left side and this would be something to explore as well if you feel a lump. Best of luck to you!

Hi all
I am nearly 5 months after a TAH (kept both ovaries) I have developed swelling and pain on my left side. An ultrasound has revealed a cyst on my left ovary. I too asked how it could be there when they were just in there??? Now they want to go in and check things out with laprascopy. they will remove it if need be. It is very painful, but I am still debating whether to go for more surgery. I hear that hormone treatment can shrink them and reduce the pain. Not sure what to do. The thought of any more surgery is daunting!

Hi everyone

Thank you all for your replies. I can't tell you how good it makes me feel to have you all to talk to about these things. It's nice to know that I am not alone.

I am still wondering if I would be able to feel a cyst on my ovary from the outside? This little lump (and mild swelling around it) is definitely internal, but I don't know exactly what it is. I am embarrassed to say that even after my hysterectomy I am not exactly sure WHERE my ovaries are. (I have the general location down...lol...but I have no idea if this lump is sitting on top of an ovary.)

Can anyone else describe the pain that you are feeling? This spot is tender to the touch and the general area is painful, but not ever very, very severe. (doubling over kind of pain) It even radiates into the crease of my leg a little? Does it hurt anyone more when you sit, stand, walk, etc.?

I wish I knew what it is...I freak myself out pretty easily.

Thank you ladies! You keep my sane sometimes.

Anne

Hi Atfishs4t. My pain is a constant dull ache with bouts of pulsating pain. I also think it's where my left ovary used to be, however, I also have to confess that I don't really have the faintest idea where the ovaries are located. My pain seems to get worse with movement. There is one area that seems sore to the touch but at other times I have a hard time identifying the trigger point. The pain also radiates down my leg. You're definitely not alone with your situation. Hope we can get ourselves back in shape soon!

My pain on my left ovary is a constant pinching feeling. It sometimes radiates down toward my urethra. I am wondering if it is an endo that has attached itself to other organs. I wish I new whether to do the lap or not. They say that they may have to open me up again if they see problems. I am not sure i can bear that.

I just want to know what is going on in there??!

My family thinks my doctor made a mistake by not seeing this cyst 5 months ago and think he is rushing to do lap to fix mistake. It is good to know from this post that these ovarian cysts can grow quickly and may not even be there when initial surgery is done.

What to do??

I am dealing with what appears to be ( by ultrasound) a complex cyst on my left and only remaining ovary. They say to wait 6 weeks and see what it looks like again thru ultrasound. I cannot believe there might be a problem 13 months post op necessitating more surgery..Geez why didn't she just take it as well as everything else?
Madder than a hornet now!

Interesting topic. I am 3.5 months post op (TAH, kept right ovary), and I have been having right side pain since Thursday. It has been so bad that was took pain killers on Friday, Saturday, and this evening to be able to sleep comfortably. It is similar to the pain that I had prior to surgery but not as intense. The pain has been radiating down by right leg as well. In Sep 2003, I had cyst on my right ovary and my left ovary looked normal on ultrasound. In Nov 2004, a cyst was on my left ovary and my right ovary was not visualized. I did not expect to come out of surgery with either ovary. So, I guess another cyst has developed on the right ovary. I understand why my DR left the ovary, and I am thankful not to have surgically forced menopause, but I was expecting to be painless after my TAH.

It is frustrating to still experience some of the pains that factored into my decision to have TAH. Not complaining since I do feel 100% better 80% of the time. Such is life.

Dear Anne:

I had my TAH on 3/7/05. Last week I had very low right sided
groin pain-sharp,stabbing which increased with movement.
I let it go for a day or two, but it got worse. When I pressed
on the area the pain was worse, I think it felt like a lump also.
Long story short, I went to my Gyn who gave me internal exam and ordered a blood test to check my white count(for infection) and sent me for a pelvic ultrasound. He thought I had
an appendicitis!. Turns out it was a hemmorhagic ovarian cyst that burst. These are fluid filled cysts which form on an ovary during ovulation. Usually they cause no problems, but if they get too large, they can burst and/or leak into the abdomen- causing severe pain. I was told it would desolve on it's own but to return for another ultrasound in 2 weeks to check. I was also told pain would subside in 3-4 days which it did. Just hoping it doesn't happen next month. If I were you I would call your Gyn and get checked out. Hopefully they will order an ultrasound which is quite helpful in diagnosing if a cyst is present and therefore causing your pain. I also had leg pain especially with walking and doc said this was because location of ovarian cyst is right near hip joint/nerves. Like you I also was doing great and was certainly not expecting this type of issue to come up. But I feel better in knowing what
was causing all the pain. Please call you doc and let us know how you do. It may be nothing but a pulled muscle, but better to get
an answer than guess and continue to worry.!

Judith