very confused and lost

Thank you for replying, I wish you well and lots of courage for the treatment. Mine was not clear at all to me. First of all the manual examination then the scan then the decision for surgery. I hope I make the right decision. I am glad my believes has been confirmed. I wish you too the best of luck 

justfromerica are you sure you want everything removed at your age I wouldnt do it. They can keep a eye on you so that if you get another one they can remove it before it grows to fast and probably a smaller incision. That is something to ask your doctor about. Ask aged to fast any questions. I would really think about this. Its your body and your decision.

I wouldn't be opposed to removing everything but they aren't going to do it unless it was necessary. Just one ovary and one fallopian tube. I'm from Canada and I live in the US so cost it more of an issue for me. I don't want to have to have multiple surgeries while I'm living down here, this one is going to set us back already. We are moving back to Canada in a years time and I would have just gone to Canada to have this one removed for free had it not been so large.

justfromerica read aged to fast post to top00104  I had a aunt that had a hysterectomy at a young age and she said the same thing as aged to fast. I will be thinking about you on your upcoming surgery. 

justfromerica - I was told organ removal was necessary but my medical records prove it was not. The uterus, ovaries and tubes have MANY MORE functions than reproduction. And we need them our whole lives. I will be happy to explain those functions if you'd like.

I cannot imagine a surgeon removing your organs unnecessarily since you're only 24 but it does happen. Only about 10% of hysterectomies are necessary.

I was almost 50 when I had my surgery and was horrified how quickly I aged. People thought I was in my 30's at the time of surgery. By 4 months post-op I looked well over 60. 

I wish I had listened to my inner voice and sought out a different surgeon. Regardless of whom I chose to do the surgery, I wish I had modified the surgical consent form to specify what organs could / could not be removed and under what circumstances (cancer / no cancer). 

What's particularly shocking is that my surgeon waited for the results of the frozen section on the cyst / ovary. And then when it came back benign he proceeded to remove the rest of my organs with the help of gynecology residents.

I mean, I don't want to jump the gun but I also don't want to have constant issues with my ovaries either. I'm hoping this is an isolated incidient. I am young and I don't want to go through a bunch of hormonal changes but I also don't want to deal with this again either. It's no fun. My right ovary and fallopian tube in this case is destroyed by this massive cyst, so that I expect, but the surgeron said my other ovary was perfectly fine and no need to remove it.

Thank you I will ask for the cyst to be removed and if possible save my ovary. I wish you the best of luck with your treatment and quick recovery

The size of my abdomen is not uncomfortable at all. The surgeon did mention that It might be too much or the right thing to do. The last appoinment I had with him I asked for a cyst/ovary  only, but he did not look as happy as he was. Ihad to  cancel the surgery and will be going for a second opinion

 

That's great! So glad you're not uncomfortable. Glad to hear you're pursuing a second opinion. Hope you find a surgeon you feel comfortable with.

Best wishes for speedy and positive resolution!

Thank you for your reply appreciate everthing you are saying, my mum is very much against any operation. and because I am not suffering at all, and I agree with you,  its not broken there's nothing to fix. I have asked for another scan so as to monitor the size but they are questioning to why I wanted the scan. I thank you all for sharring with me I feel so much better. Hows your  mum now hope she s much better. I feel sorry for your friend maybe some home remedy can help her. Lucky your sister did not get the hysterectomy. I am glad for you I should be doing the same.

Mum took ages to heal but that was 36 years ago - she's 89 now and in better health than me!

My friend has so many health problems now (most stemming from that OP) that I wouldn't know where to start advising her.

Keep on at them for a repeat scan. The cyst could well get smaller on it's own. I have them about once a year - just checking.

I will, thank you.

Glad to hear for your mum. We have internet now and you could find practically anything which might help your friend good luck

I'm glad to hear you cancelled the surgery since you were not comfortable with the surgeon's plan. Interesting but not surprising that he was not happy. The red flags were there when I questioned my doctor about the soundness / logic of his recommendation but I dismissed them because I had respected him for 20 years and couldn't imagine that he'd lie to me or remove organs unnecessarily. That was my downfall.

How large was the cyst on your last scan? Are you even sure it's a dermoid? Imaging isn't perfect so they can't always tell the type of cyst. But in my case, my doctor was deceptive in order to rush me into surgery so that makes me question too. 

I went and got my report from the scan. USS Pelvis .Findings : large cyst mass in the right adnexa extending superior to the uterus, mixed solid and cystic component,  Diagnosis - Pelvic mass low risk malignancy (likely dermoid) Treatment plan Surgery  Yes Type TAH BSO Omental biosy washings MMH There are other notes. I will seek second opinion then decide what to do. I did not find any notes on how much it measures. Other notes: Type of diagnostic performed: USS. Key findings: Very limited hard copy documentation of pelvic anatomy (only two images), however a large cyst mass in the right adnexa and extending superior to the uterus was documented, the two images provided show a large cystic component  however in real time the sonographer identified a complex mixed lesion thought to have a solid and cystic components. Examination was abandoned at this point and full interrogation has not been performed. I am trying to understand what this is all about. 

The large cyst has to be removed you just need to find a surgeon that will only removed what is neccesary. If they can save both ovarys then all is well. If there is cancer that is that is a whole different story.You will have to tell them what you want done in both situations.Its probably not cancer but you need to dicuss the possibility anyway. Good luck we  all  are keeping you in our thoughts.

It's good it says it's likely benign (which most cystic lesions are) which would not require TAH (hysterectomy) and BSO (removal of both ovaries and tubes).

My gyn was also evasive and looking back it was clear he was not happy that I was questioning his treatment plan. I had the same thoughts as you - He's sparing me the bad news. But after getting all my medical records and doing some research, I realized that he was "playing me" to train gynecology residents since they have to meet hysterectomy surgical requirements to graduate. Two residents assisted with my surgery and several residents assisted with anesthesiology. The hospital is not even affiliated with any university so I had NO idea they had a residency program. But I believe there was more to the deception than training.

If there is even a remote concern about cancer you would want a gynecologic oncologist. I don't recall if you said this doctor is one or not. But even still, you should not need to lose any organs if the frozen section shows the cystic mass to be benign. Worst case scenario, they may not be able to preserve your ovary or not all of it.

The only way to protect yourself (and even that isn't foolproof) is to state your wishes on the surgical consent form by modifying it as necessary - what can and cannot be removed and under what circumstances - and having the surgeon sign off on all revisions.

You seen very negative towards surgery and a bit of a conspiracy theorist type of person. You never know if it is cancer until the cyst is removed. As long as you are into menopause the ovaries provide very little hormones. Better to get them out then to regret it later if it was in fact cancerous. You should encourage rather than discourage

I cannot in good conscience encourage anyone to undergo a medical treatment that is proven to do more harm than good as is the case for ovary removal in women without a genetic predisposition. And one can still get ovarian cancer without ovaries. I have read of cases.

Although the post-menopausal ovaries produce low levels of estrogen, they produce quite a bit of testosterone which can be converted / aromatized into estrogen as needed by the body. In intact women, testosterone levels drop at menopause but then gradually increase to reach pre-menopausal / reproductive levels in the 70-79 decade with stable levels thereafter. Women without ovaries have 40-50% less testosterone than intact women from ages 50-89. Hysterectomized women who have their ovaries have lower levels than intact women but higher levels than women without ovaries.

negative about surgery? I wont put it that way. I had surgeries before twice and were necessary. They did what had to be done. I thought for 40 years that I was walking around with one ovary but found out just last June that I still have 2. So who knows they probably cause what I have right now.. Because of the uncertainty of what they reckon I have that I am confused about.I I think I should have the surgery but just the affected part.

We are just on very different sides of this issue. I just know that for me and my women friends who have had either full hysterectomy or just removal of their ovaries, none have had amount of complaints that you have mentioned. I am feeling my best, back in the pool swimming a mile three days a week, finally sleeping a full 8 to nine hrs every night, no more bloated belly or pelvic or back pain. Good luck to you and I hope you can find some natural supplements that can help with your symptoms of aging.