Advice/support/experiences please-ovarian cysts?

Hi Maryvee,

How are you feeling today?haven't you had a date through yet for surgery?It's dragging on too long for you now.I have weird dizzy spells but never fainted!you poor thing it sounds horrible

Try not to worry about what the report says,exactly what the Cysts contain won't be known fully until a week or so after surgery.At my last scan they said mine didn't look like a Dermoid and had other structures to it,I know it has blood,hair and bone and was picked up on an MRI but still she wasn't convinced it's a straightforward one!

I refuse to worry until surgery.Im.fortunate that I'm not feeling too bad at the mo,apart from dizzy spells.

You really need to get dates through,the size and amount you have would make anyone very unwell.

Take care x x

Hello dear, thank you for the reply. How are you feeling?

No I don't have an appointment yet the schedulers at the hospital said it could take months

I was doing a little gardening today, nothing too much, just some wedding, dead heading etc and then went to have a shower and while in the shower got the worst cramp ever, in my right hand side over the cyst. I was stretching backwards to try to stretch out my body to make the cramp stop. It was so much pain, I couldn't do anything but writhe in agony, it was scary. I can feel it now just low grade throbbing. It has happened before, but (TMI) when hubby and I are being intimate but nowhere near as painful as today. 

I have a GP appointment tomorrow, would it be worth me mentioning it do you think? I doubt anything will change their scheduling, but this is awful. 

Sorry I am dashing out the door.I am on holiday

Mention everything to the doc, things could twist and rupture and is not normal.

Good luck tomorrow, I really feel for you x x

Hi there hon. Nothing much has altered here. I am still waiting for an appointment I haven't heard a thing. I guess The Royal London is really slow with this. We are just juggling work and the summer hols with our two youngest. We have outings and activities planned for every week during August for them. 

I did get my first period since March yesterday and it is super duper heavy. 

I remember your surgery is soon now isn't it?

Oh bless you,you're still hanging on in there.Hope the activities go well and you may feel a bit better fer your awful period.

I've only recently been referred to Oncologist as my Cyst was discovered by my Ruematoligist it's been alot of waiting to be officially seen.

I got a call on Tuesday from onc saying I've just been referred and they want to see me ASAP so I went yesterday.They are now saying it's not a Dermoid and they are "Concerned" The 3 scans I had said they're not 100% sure what it is!! I got a good look yesterday at my scan and it is the weirdest thing ever,like a ball of wool with bits unravelling in the middle of a large fluid/blood ball.I found it facinating.Anyway they want to Operate ASAP but I said I'm not free until after 27th August so I'm booked in for 29th!!! I shall be stressing nearer the time as the last one took some getting over bit at least I can never grow one of these beasts ever again!!I think because of my age and type of Growths I've had they have to be dealt with by Oncologist/ Gyn and get sorted quickly.

I hope you get sorted soon and take strange comfort in the fact that they are not too concerned about your Cysts (even though I know living with the monsters is unbearable)

Enjoy you family time.

Take care x

I am glad you are booked in now... I think its best to have it done quickly but you must be worried about it all. I know I would be stressing. yes it's good you can never grow another!! What will they remove/leave behind? Let me know how you are doing x

Thanks Maryvee,

Life's been so busy and I'm away again helping my Mum in uk now for 2 weeks then my brother and family of 5 are coming to mine to stay! I like to stay busy when my body allows it.But I know the time will come round and I will be dreading it They will remove that Ovary and it's growth,leaving me with no Ovaries or Fallopian tubes as the rest had to be taken last time.So no more periods for me but proper Menopause!!!

Hope you're ok x

I am filling in email after email at work so I am glad to break  

Surgical menopause always hits women harder than natural so make sure the people around you know what to expect. 

I am glad you are able to distract yourself with family. It's nice to have others to think about, it eases our difficult feelings when we are thinking of others I find

I know what you mean about dreading it... I wish they would hurry up and give me a surgery date!!!

I do feel more comfortable inside after having this period as you said. It has been super duper heavy though and I didn't even dare go out over the weekend in case I flooded everywhere!

I'm glad I was able to give you a break from Email's Also good to hear you're feeling a bit better after the awful period. We really are ruled by them but I do feel my Ovary isn't as painful after its over with.

I have hot flushes most of the day now anyway as my only Ovary is malfunctioning so I'm hoping I won't feel too much worse than I already do.My hubby and son know by one of my looks to keep clear so they'll be fine If i have to go on HRT then I'll consider it.

I really do find being "busy" and distracting my mind makes a huge difference with pain and worries.

Take care and hope you get some dates soon x

My assessment is the day after your op!! 

I hope all is going well for you and you are enjoying the time before you have to settle down to it all. Do let me know what they intend to do after the surgery and how everything goes x

Oh that's great news!!!! I have been thinking of you and hoping you'd heard something.The end is insight for you ?? x

Well my countdown is over and my Surgery is tomorrow.Ive had a great last 6 weeks and managed to see most of my family,who are all overseas from me,and my beautiful daughter her who also moved to uk a few months ago.I am also going to be a Grandma in January I'm so happy and it's wonderful to have something so possitive to look forward to.Also for my Mum whose Cancer battle has been horrendous but she's doing well and recovering from her recent hip replacement.

I feel I've got things in order and a fabulous new bedroom that my husband did for me (he never does decorating as he works long hours) He did it when I was in the UK helping my parents.

I won't lie,nerves are setting in and to top it off I got my awful,heavy period today!So by tomorrow's surgery it's going to be in full swing!!! At least it's my last one ever!!

Hope you get on well at your appointment Maryvee and that you get a date.How are you feeling now?Did you get your room done?

It's a beautiful day here and I'm going to make the most of it before my tough few days ahead.

Thinking of you and feeling very sorry for myself today,it's come round too quickly 😷

Hello hon, I was just thinking of you and your upcoming surgery and I was glad to get the email to say you had written

Wishing all goes smoothly tomorrow and you will wake up to an easy and enjoyable recovery. Just think...everything after tomorrow will hopefully get easier! Do let me know when you are able to type again, how everything goes and how you are feeling. 

I am so glad you were able to have such a nice 6 weeks, visiting everyone and oh my, congratulations on soon to be becoming a Grandmother!!! By the time baby is here you will be up to travelling again and helping out with baby! 

I am glad you have a lovely new bedroom to recuperate in. What a lovely husband to get that done for you while you have been away! We haven't done any decorating at all, but the garden has been well tended and we have removed some trees that needed to be gone for quite a while now. I must start nagging about the bedroom!!

My pre-surgical assessment at the hospital is on Tuesday. We have been holidaying for several weeks now, and are near Canterbury at the moment. I will travel back to London by myself Tuesday to get it all sorted. I wonder what they will do at that meeting, it would be lovely to get a date for surgery!

I am meant to be back at work on the 5th September....knowing my luck it will all collide and I will struggle to manage everything, but I am still eager to get it over with.

So sorry you have your period, that is a bittersweet goodbye isn't it I have mine too....didn't have one for months and then had 2 with a nice 28 day cycle in there, It is too light to be an entirely 'normal' period though. 

I will be thinking of you tomorrow and sending you lots of love and prayers and positivity for strength and resilience to get through your day. Just put your faith in the doctors.....keep reminding yourself it is nearly over now and soon you'll be waking up to a nice cup of tea and the little alien cyst inside you removed at last! x

Let me know how it goes, thinking of you... Mary x

Thankyou so much for your kind thoughts and wishes Mary.I will be fine and it will be good to get this over with and hopefully get the all clear.At least it can NEVER happen again

I hope your pre surgical meeting goes well.Usually those appointments are possibly a scan,blood test and some hospitals do an ECG and chest x-ray (all routine to make sure you're fit for surgery) height and dreaded weigh in My 2 consultants for this and my last surgery then opened a diary and asked when it would be convenient for me.So hopefully you'll have something similar.

You will probably have to schedule time off work,surely work will accommodate you.

I hope you're not feeling too bad in yourself.I think we almost get used to living in discomfort and adapt to it.

I'm glad you have had a nice time away it dies us so good.

must dash,I've so much to organise.Ill message with an update in a few days when I'm up to it.

Take care and good luck for Tuesday

Love Deb 💖

Thinking of you Deb, I hope you are safely home and comfortable and starting to mend now...let me know how you are doing when you can x

Hello Mary,thankyou so much for thinking of me.My surgery went ahead as scheduled on Monday afternoon.The Cyst,they now call it a Teratoma /Germ Cell Tumour,since removal,was successfully removed and wasn't stuck to anything else internally.They tidied up Adhesions from my 2 previous abdominal Ops.My Uterus looked fine and wasn't removed.So I now have no Ovaries or Fallopian Tubes and best of all no more Weird Tumours can grow there again.

I have an incision through my Navel and 2 inch long incisions on my left side.They avoided going in through the right side (even though the Cyst was on my right Ovary) to avoid more Adhesions forming.I have good pain medication and I am taking the full dosage so overall I am not too uncomfortable.All the hospital staff and my Oncologist / Gyn were so nice and I was treated so kindly that I was put at ease before the Op.All the other patients also having surgery that day were Cancer patients that had already been diagnosed with various Cancers or its suspected that they could possibly have Cancer.That did put the dreaded thoughts in my head about the possibility of my Tumour being Malignant even though I already knew there is a chance.Anyhow it's out now and I will find out in a week or 2.Im sore and very swollen but can move about slowly and managed to shower and change my dressings.I would recommend having real loose clothing and underwear to put on post Op. Being comfortable is so important

It's a shame you didn't get a date,but it's a step closer with your pre Op things done.I still can't believe how long they are taking to give you a date!

Thankyou re my Grandchild.We are over the moon.My daughter has her 20 week scan next Monday and they want to know if they are having a boy or girl,so all will be revealed and I can look forward to gathering lovely baby things. Plus it's something so wonderful and positive to look forward to after all this.

Lots of love to you and thanks again for thinking of me.Im a bit sorry for myself,I'm quite isolated and no one has popped in to visit me, my hubby works long hours so I get a bit stir crazy 😨

Take care x

Hi Deb, good to hear from you! I am not surprised you are feeling a bit down, you've been through so much. Hopefully now all is just onwards and upwards!

Germ cell tumour sounds scary but its great news it all seems to have been in one place and all removed. The incisions sound great!  I hope you get good news really soon and no more treatments are needed. I am so glad you were able to keep your uterus also....it sounds as if all has gone well so far. Do keep in touch, I am here to chat with you as much as possible. Keep that chin up! x