Ovarian Cysts

[CatStarESP4]

Christmas of 2005, I became violently ill with what I thought was something I ate that didn't agree with me. My mom thought it was something else, but I told her it couldn't be. More than a month later, I started feeling pain in my right side. I was taken first to urgent care and they sent me to the ER (they were concerned that I could have appendicitis) where I was diagnosed with an ovarian teratoma. After meeting with my gynocologist the next day, she referred me to a gynocological surgeon since the tumor had to come out. Almost two months after the diagnosis, I underwent surgery to have the tumor removed. It turned out they had to remove an entire ovary. Fortunately, it was benign. I still have the other one and I am scared that I will lose that one too.

It took me a few weeks to fully recover from the surgery. I also missed about two and half weeks of class as a result.

[nancyagd86]

Gosh, y'all...it seems like the worst thing in the world when your in the midst of it, but when you realize what others have gone through it becomes somewhat minimized. Mine was 'horrible' at the time, but it's long gone. In spring 1988, I had my first laparoscopy for about 20 cysts. The pain was excruciating & the surgery worked. In 1991, found another 6cm cyst: protocol was to cut at 5cm, but because I'd been there before, they offered the option of trying to shrink it with meds. I chose that route. December 1992 was my second surgery. The wonderful Ob/Gyn said that the way my body was reacting to ovulation meant I'd be there every 4 years until I gave birth. Baby #1 was born in 1996 (after 1994 wedding!). I'm nearly 6 years after baby #3, with no discernable recurrence.
If a doctor isn't reasonably sympathetic, go elsewhere. Even with HMOs and limited choices and distant appt times, you can jump up and down and get in somewhere else. My doc was known for being a little less than marvelous with his bedside manner, but if you ask for his time you'll find he's loving & LISTENS and doesn't take things lightly. Everyone deserves this kind of care.
God Bless those of you in the midst of cyst pain and certainly those who have endured cancer.
And, yes, epidurals make for good memories of childbirth! Every disclaimer they make you sign is SO worth it!