Scheduled 8/10 and confused about TLH and safe cyst removal

I'm scheduled for a TLH on 8/10 with a removal of the left ovary as well as the cyst which is on it. I've been told that the ovary is abnormal and is about the size of a tennis ball and the cyst is slightly larger than a golf ball.

With regards to it possibly being cancer, my Dr. put it to me this way, "Your age definitely works in your favor, but if I saw this same cyst on a 70 year old woman, all kinds of red cancer flags would be going up for me."

So obviously, it will be biopsied.

However...my question is this...and I didn't think about this when I was sitting down with my doctor. If the cyst is possibly cancerous....even a slight chance.... can they remove it intact during laprascopic surgery without rupturing it and sending possibly cancerous cells into my abdominal cavity?

I mean, I know they can do amazing things with tiny incisions, but sheer mathematics would seem to make that impossible, right?

I trust my doctor and I don't want to be calling her and questioning her on something she's probably already thought of, but on the chance that it IS cancerous, I really don't want that crap in my body either, right?

Any advice from someone who knows more than me about this!?

Also, am I nuts if I plan on spending one week recuperating at home and the second week after surgery I'm going to be at the beach with my family? I mean, I can take it easy there, but am I pushing it with a 2 1/2 hour car trip?

My surgery was a little different and with my age I opted to have a tah/bso. I had a large cyst on my right ovary weighed about 15 pounds, they said if it was cancerous they would have to operate again and remove everything. I am not saying that to scare you, but definitely worth checking into. I am 49 and also have very heavy periods. I shoud say had heavy periods. I also had a cyst starting on my left ovary that wasn't discovered until surgery. I haven't got the results back yet but for me, it was the right decision.
The car ride will be tough when you go to the beach as well as you need to keep the incision clean. I woud ask your doc what he thinks.

your doctor should NOT think this is a silly question (and after sitting here thinking about it, I certainly would want the answer if it were ME!!!) and will most likely welcome your call. Expect to have to wait for a call back though Please don't feel bad for thinking of a question after your appointment. There are so many things you have to process going forward with surgery, I can't imagine any of us having ALL of our questions answered at one sitting. Although we have different reasons for our respective surgeries, you and I are having ours on the same day. I will be thinking of you and pray that you are cancer free!!

I'm curious about the answer to your question too. I have an ovarian cyst also and my dr. said he didn't think he could remove it intact vaginally. Laprascopic never even came up. I have a family hx of ovarian/breast cancer, so I'm higher risk, but I had the CA 125 and it was low. I think my dr. just wants to use an abundance of caution and that's fine with me. I would definitely ask your dr. though.

Well, I did call my Dr's office and got a call back in 30 minutes (did I mention I love my dr?).

She said that she is confident she can remove it intact, but there is always a risk, however small that it will burst, either during removal or during the insertion of the scopes for the surgery.

She emphasized that it's a very small chance, but the only way to totally avoid that is to go with an abdominal hysterectomy, and that's a whole different ballgame with recovery time, etc.

She feels that laprascopic surgery is definitely the best route for me and given my age, even if the worst case scenario did occur and the cyst burst, the chances of it being malignant are still reduced due to my age and no significant family history of cancer.

Ultimately, it's my choice, but I'm comfortable going ahead with the laprascopic method and hoping for intact cyst removal.