I have been diagnosed with a large pelvic/abdominal mass

Hi there, you're not alone! I too had a large pelvic mass, this is what happened with me...

Almost 3 months ago I went in for a regular check up at the doctor, where my GP claimed to feel something enlarged within my abdomen. I was told to come back in the morning for an ultrasound, which then revealed I had a pelvic mass that was AT LEAST 24cm long. I was shocked. They took some blood to make sure my kidney levels were okay for the CT scan my GP recomended. They sent me for a CT scan the same day, which I had to wait over the weekend for the results to get back. My mind was racing of course, and I spent all weekend crying because I thought I was terminally ill.

Well, got the results back on Monday which revealed I had a 26cm cystic mass likely arising from my right ovary. It was fluid-filled. Due to my age (I'm 25, was 24 at the time) and the type of cyst, it was more likely than not going to be benign. I asked to be referred to one of the top Gyno Oncologists in the state, and had an appointment 3 days later. She did a pelvic exam and said that I would have to have open-surgery aka a laporotamy to remove the mass. I was told I could possibly lose my right ovary and fallopian tube if they were destroyed by the mass. She advised that she would try to make the icision as small as possible, but that due to the size of my mass, there would be no room for a camera in my abdomen and therefore I was not a good fit for keyhole surgery aka laproscopic surgery. It depends on the surgeron and the size of the mass for what type of surgery you'll need. We went over everything and the surgery was booked for 12 days later. They sent me to the lab to get some pre-surgery bloodwork done to make sure I was a good candidate for surgery and to look for tumor markers. They ran that CA 125 test as well but as I learned on this forum, a positive result on that test does not always indicate cancer. My bloodwork all came back normal. I had never had surgery before, never been put under, and was extremely anxious for surgery date.

Like you my cyst was so large it was pushing against my diaphram and lungs, making it hard to breathe, but not noticably so that I chalked it up to anything abdormal. My stomach had gotten larger but I thought I had just gained weight.

My surgery was super easy, maybe only lasted an hour total not counting pre op and post op prep. They gave me a sedative through my IV before I went to the OR and if you're nervous, this stuff makes everything seem wonderful. They will put put a catheter in you while you're passed out. When I woke up, and was very drugged up, all I had was a measly 2 and a half inch scar horizontally across my bikkini line. That's it! I went into the surgery expecting to come out with a knarly scar from them opening my up vertically. I was then informed that my cyst was not attached to anything when they got in there, but likely formed off my right fallopian tube and not my right ovary like originally thought. They were able to save all my organs. In the 2 weeks from diagnoses to my surgery date, the cyst had grown 4 inches larger and was a whopping 30 inches by the time they popped it, drained it and pulled out the sac. They drained 6 litres of fluid from my body, and I instantly lost almost 20 pounds in body weight. They sent it off for biopsy and was confirmed to be 100% benign. Had they suspected cancer or had the lood tests indicated cancer, I would have opted for a hysterectomy. I was in the hospital for 2 and a half days before going home. Keyhole surgery you can often go home same or next day, while some people who have full laparotomies can be in the hospital for 3-5 days post op.

My recovery took about 6 weeks but I was back at work after 4 weeks. Every person is different though.

Have they done a CT, MRI or ultrasound to give you an actual diagnoses of the mass? If so, I would opt for surgery and have a biopsy taken after the fact.

Tanya

Hope you're doing good!

I got diagnosed with a large ovarian mass in early October. I had awful abdominal pain and went to the ER thinking it was appendicitis, but CT scan showed the mass. During labwork my CA 125 showed up elevated at 84, so I was referred to a gynecologist oncologist. I just had my surgery on November 30th, I had to have a laparotomy because my cyst was between 17 and 21 cm, not sure what the final measurement was. I have yet to receive my biopsy results, but I'm trying to stay positive. I'm only 21, so really trying to keep all my reproductive organs. I would say to just go through the surgery and try to stay as calm as you can. Hope all goes well, and if you have any questions feel free to ask me.

I just wanted to check in as i know its been 6 years since, but my 20 year old daughter is going through this. They found a mass while she thought she was having appendicitis or gallbladder attack at the ER! They initially scared us to death at the ER then they seemed a little more positive after the ultrasound saying it wasnt attached. She sees an OB oncologist Tuesday and it cant get here soon enough, she was in an awful lot of pain!

I had a pelvic exam and the Dr felt 2 masses ,had a transvaginal ultrasound and i am now waiting for the results,i have a biopsy on the 10th of May ,so worrying , do Ultrasound techs and receptionist have to make you feel like crap,is that in the training ?? heres some tissue im stepping out so you can clean up, umm ok id imagine this is how someone being paid for sex might feel? just horrible,receptionist i asked a question ans she got annoyed ,like have empathy to patients .