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Does having an ovarian cyst affect your bowels? Please help!!!

Posted , 41 users are following.

Susie27
Susie27

Hi everyone!

Since having my first ovarian cyst my bowels have been all over the place. Is this normal. I never know what my bowel movements are going to be like from one day to the next.

When I spoke to my gynae he said that it shouldnt affect my bowels but these changes only started at time I had this cyst.

I also have abdominal pain around and below my tummy button as if someone is poking inside in it. Does anyone else experience this?. 

I havent listed all my symptoms but they are so scary and uncomfortable. Having a blood test tomorrow morning to check my ca-125. Petrified!

If anyone has any problems with their bowels please do share as feel as though I'm on my own with it all. Thank you x

1 like, 47 replies

47 Replies

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  • Bexp66
    Bexp66 Susie27

    Posted

    Hi, I have to say my bowels have been affected ... but my cyst is quite huge so I had put it down to that. Apologies if this is TMI but one day constipated and then days of incredibly soft. The pain sounds very similar to mine - I also have some very strange contraction like ripple pains. I know some people describe it like a hot poker but I have been lucky in that mine has never been like that.

    Try to remember that most cysts are benign, even though they cause just the same sorts of symptoms.

  • Bexp66
    Bexp66 Susie27

    Posted

    I meant to say as well, it is completely understandable to be worried and it really is a horrible experience but try to stay calm until you are given a real reason to panic ... that is my goal!!
    • Susie27
      Susie27 Bexp66

      Posted

      Aww thanks Bexp66,

      Yeah my bowels are a complete mess right now. This morning it was quite soft and then this afternoon I had diarrhea and then yesterday it was more like rabbit droppings. Nightmare!

      My last cyst was 7cm which my gynae thought had disappeared after an internal examination. The day after seeing him my pains are back again and so wonder if its the same cyst or a different one. 

      How big is your cyst?

      I also have back ache and my thighs and pelvic area aches too. I hate all this discomfort. 

      I'll try and keep a level head on and as you say 'stay calm'. 

      Thanks again Bex x

    • Bexp66
      Bexp66 Susie27

      Posted

      Yep, sounds familiar! My cyst was 15.5cm 6 weeks ago but has definately grown. I am having the op tomorrow to have it removed plus a lot of bits and bobs ... very uncomfortable and will be glad to loose it all! x
    • Susie27
      Susie27 Bexp66

      Posted

      Oh my goodness, that's huge and I thought mine was big lol. All the very best with the op tomorrow. I am sure the relief will be amazing after its all over, though you may be a little sore from the incision/s. x
    • jane68713
      jane68713 Bexp66

      Posted

      Hi Bex, good luck honey for tomorrow, you must be very nervous! Just to let you know I'm 8 days post opp now. Cyst was huge to, apparently a contender for the biggest they've ever removed at Christies! Took all the other bits and bobs as are with you. Get histology results 9/04. I'm uncomfortable but relieved. Sure yours will be fine! Thinking of you x
    • chica
      chica Bexp66

      Posted

      hi bex,

      hope you are ok after your op.

      i know its all very scararey but how glad you must be to have been seen to.

      thinking of you and still waiting for my post polypectomy appointment to come through.

      cant believe nout has been found in my lady gizzards after 3 years.

      and numerous tests not finding anything wrong in my gut.

      my latest theory is to get a blood test for all my hormones.

      i also have been getting a very sloppy bm but in the last few days have started taking b complex vits which has made a difference but i still have gas and pelvic pain.

      why cant i get a diagnosis of whats gone wrong.

      3 years 3months of tests is just about taking the p...

      lets know how you are bex   x

    • kim81521
      kim81521 Susie27

      Posted

      I had small pea size found on scan in summer, with minimum symptoms. But i got one again now but this time my symptoms are bad basically like same as u. Doctor needs to book for scan to see size of it . Im getting nerve pain on my top thigh too in the right area where it is , and the on and off nausea and not to mention headache like thunder and peeing all time. I too hate it all. Its like my body hates me 😳 But im trying to stay calm.

  • nuramedia
    nuramedia Susie27

    Posted

    Hi Susie,

    I hope this helps, my story sounds similar to yours regarding your bowels. My endometriosis, adhesions/scarring really made bowel and gas passing through my bowels extremely painful. Here's my story. If you have any questions about anything I didn't elaborate on, don't hesitate to ask. I'll be following this post.

    I'm 39 and have been trying to get pregnant.

    I had my right ovary removed in 2004 because it was engulfed in scar tissue. This was because ten years earlier, I had a cyst with a fertilized egg in it, in the wall of my ovary and it blew up like a grenade. I had two kids after that, though. After my second baby in 2000, I had my tubes tied.

    In 2013 I had major surgery to repair my one remaining fallopian tube so I can get pregnant again. It's been about a year and a half and my belly is still numb in a large area surrounding the incision. This is because they cut through a nerve. I highly doubt it'll ever stop being numb.

    In December of 2014, on ovulation day, I started having excruciatingly sharp pain in the area of my only ovary. The pain shot into the tip of my hip bone and radiated along the top of my pelvic bone, down the back and ended at my tail bone area. It also shot down my thigh on the same side. I went to the ER many times and all they saw were two small ovarian cysts.

    About two months later, a horrible burning pain started and this was in addition to the already severely sharp pain I was experiencing. This burning pain caused the hip bone pain to radiate down the front if my pelvic bone and ended in my pubic bone.

    After being pawned off from Dr to Dr, I finally found the most wonderful OBGYN surgeon. She was worried and did another ultrasound. One of my cysts had all of a sudden gone from being one inch to the size of a lemon. In the ultrasound, it looked like it was a hemorrhagic cysts. But, with the severity of my pain, my surgeon was worried my ovary was possibly twisted and dying. So, she got me into surgery the very next day. This was now three months after the pain started.

    She went in laparoscopically and found a little bit of a lot of things. The cyst was fibrous, caused by endometriosis. My fallopian tube was suck with adhesions to my bowel. There was a bit of endometriosis on the right and left side of my uterus, but luckily not inside it. My bowel had some scarring and a little endometriosis. Along with all that, my one remaining tube that was repaired in 2013, had been blocked by scar tissue.

    My amazing surgeon removed the cyst, scar tissue/adhesions, endometriosis, and unblocked my tube. She cured my pain, she's my hero!

    One reason why I wanted to post all of this is to let you know that it's possible to actually get rid of the pain and save your reproductive organs so you can still get pregnant. If course, there are different circumstances for some, but not for all.

    My surgeon was specially trained to remove ovarian cysts THE CORRECT WAY, with little to no damage to the ovary. Apparently, in medical school they're taught to just rip the cyst from the ovary wall, which will cause damage. My surgeon was trained to gently tease it away from the ovarian wall and stay away from the egg reserve as much as possible. It takes a long time to do such delicate work, but if you still want kids it's definitely worth it!

    One other thing I want to mention is, each month when an egg is developing in the ovary, it develops inside a cyst. But, at that point it's called a follicle. Once you've ovulated, the follicle is then called a cyst. They typically go away on their own. I've had them linger a little, sometimes for months, since I started puberty.

    Anyway, my first period since my surgery started a couple days ago. For the first time, I'm feeling cramps the way normal women do. I am having ovary pain, but that's normal this soon after surgery. Also, my period is heavier than I've ever had, insanely heavy. But, that's normal after this surgery as well.

    I hope this info helps any of you put your mind at ease and educates you a little about what you may be going through. There's hope! I personally recommend the laparoscopic surgery, but only if you find a surgeon who specializes in this sort of thing, one who's had additional training in making sure they're as careful and gentle as humanly possible

    Tracy

    • Susie27
      Susie27 nuramedia

      Posted

      Hi Tracy,

      Gosh you certainly have been through it. Thank you for taking the time to explain everything. I hope things are settling down a bit more for you now Tracy. I'm glad you were looked after properly and the relief must be amazing.

      It's such a stressful time and the waiting is the worse part. My bowels are still a mess and pretty loose at the moment compared to last week when I was more constipated. My left hip (which feels bruised) down to my groin are sore and there is a constant sharp pain where my left ovary is.

      If this is a second cyst in two months then I may need surgery as I don't want this to keep happening. My ultrasound is in two weeks and so that should confirm it. It's wierd as it seems to have happened twice - middle to end of my last two periods.

      One query I do have is on how quickly cysts can grow. The reason I ask is because I went to see my gynae last Tuesday and he couldnt feel anything nor was there any tenderness. My symptoms were a lot better and so he believed that it had probably disappeared.  The day after seeing him I start getting these pains back and so just wondering if it's the same cyst or a new one (surely he couldn't have missed something like that on examination).  Feel like I'm going mad!

      Susie x

       

    • nuramedia
      nuramedia Susie27

      Posted

      Hey Susie,

      My cyst grew from one inch to lemon sized in less than 24 hours. I had an ultrasound in the ER one evening, saw my surgeon the next day and it was huge. I had my surgery the day after that.

      You should really look up endometriosis. One of the symptoms is going from constipated to diarrhea and back. A lot of people are misdiagnosed with irritable bowel, when they have endometriosis. I've learned that people with a small amount of endometriosis tend to have a lot of pain, while people with a lot of endometriosis don't have as much pain. My surgeon said they really don't know what causes it and they don't know all that much about it. I didn't have it on my cervix or inside my uterus, but my menstrual cramps had always been fairly strong.

      Your hip pain could be endometriosis on your ovary. Regardless, I feel very strongly that your hip pain is from something going on with your ovary because it's exactly like my hip pain. After surgery, my hip pain is what lasted the longest. It felt bruised and would hurt if my sheet had a fold under me or if my underwear's seam was on my hip bone. It sucked. Then a few days ago I realized it didn't hurt at all anymore.

      I'm not a doctor, of course, but my gut tells me you should at least have laparoscopy for diagnostic purposes. That way you'd know for sure what was going on.

      My Dr was worried my ovary was twisted and when that happens, the blood supply is cut off and the ovary slowly dies. If it dies and is left in there, it'll become toxic.

      I'm really sorry if I'm scaring you, I don't want to. But, that's an obviously scary possibility and there's really no way to see for sure without going inside to look, surgically.

    • daisy07057
      daisy07057 nuramedia

      Posted

      Can you give me the name and adress of your Dr. I really need to find a good one. I have been through 2 surgeries and have a new cyst. I would really like to find a much more delicate Dr tgan the ones I've had. Thank you

    • audriel
      audriel nuramedia

      Posted

      Your story was very helpful. Thank you for sharing. I’ve been in daily pain for over 2 months. A surgeon is going to do a laparoscopic procedure to see all of what’s going on. I had an ablation on my uterus in 2009 and I guess it’s making it a lot more difficult for them to determine exactly what the problem is. My left ovary is possibly twisting back and forth, the right tube is blocked and I have fibroids. I feel like I’m in labor every day. My surgeon delivered both my children via C-section so I trust him and he’s been the only one to be straight forward with me and sound sure of himself even though he says he’s not sure all of what’s going on until he gets in there. I’ve had 3 ultrasounds, a CT and a pelvic MRI and they all conflict. So frustrating. Can’t wait not to be in pain and know exactly what is going on in there. 
  • mary94238
    mary94238 Susie27

    Posted

    I'm glad I found this forum. I had the mirena inserted in late April 3 weeks after I was in severe pain on my right side. Went to my gyn and he did a scan and there was a large cyst. He was worried it was twisting my ovary so scheduled surgery the day after to remove it. I recovered from that fairly easy. But 3 weeks later I felt the same pain went back and there was another. It resolved itself. But every month after I had large cysts in my right side 5 in months. My Dr decided to remove that ovary. Had that removed in late Oct 2015. All of that time I had very hard bowels and painful. He also found endometriosis the 2nd surgery. But doesn't think it was there the 1st surgery 5 months before. The recovery there was more difficult. I am also feeling the hip pain you guys are describing. Have also had the belly button pain as well. So my checkup after the right ovary removal showed that I had 2 large cysts in my left ovary now. I'm only 30. I'm in pretty much constant pain and nothing to help it. But now my bowels are super soft which is very abnormal. I haven't had my CA-125 test done. But I am getting the mirena removed tomorrow thinking that is the cause of this maybe. Should I ask to have that blood test done?
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