I posted at your most recent site, and would love to see the pics.  K

Hi Kaci

Well i can say that your daughters cyst sounds very similar to mine, especially if she is looking pregnant at the moment cos I had exactly that appearance before surgery. My cyst turned out to be 26cm x 15cm x 19 cm which explained the pregnant look, the Gyn reported that he drained 7ltrs of fluid before being able to remove it and the cyst then weighed in at a further 17lbs so I was very uncomfortable, no appetite and felt very tired all the time. I had to have a laparotomy because of the size of this thing which grew drastically between Christmas to when it was removed 16th Feb.  I'm pleased to say its now gone and instead of looking pregnant I now look anorexic but i've had some post op complications which is why i havent been on here to post, I've felt pretty rotten.  Turns out my diahorrea, nausea and vomiting post op was due to a lactose intolerance which i was unaware i had and i've never even heard of so i've gone from 135lbs to 98lbs since Surgery. I'm now seeing my Gyn on Friday for the biopsy results (fingers crossed it was benign) and the nurse who is calling every day to check my open wound (which is a complete mess but is draining well) has referred me to a dietician who can coach me with what I can and cant eat from now on but the general feeling seems to be that my days of cream cakes and anything dairy are behind me.

I will watch out for your postings Kaci, if it would help I can give you my email address and send you pre and post op pictures of my 'alien' to put your daughters mind at rest. You will also get lots of support and advice on this site.

Glad to see Sonie is back and well :-)

Anne-Marie

Okay, regulars, who was it that just had a 17lb mass removed with lots of fluid??? I bet she can help you, Kaci.   Cindi

My cyst grew from 12cm on ct scan 1/31/06 to 16.5cm when it was removed 2/8/06.  It turned out to be fluid-filled.  I looked and felt about 7 mos pg.

Speaking of Anne Marie, she has her follow-up appointment this week, doesn't she?  She should get her biopsy results.  I hope it is a "clear" report.

I cannot say whether it is "common" but usually cysts are found before they reach this size.  However, if it is a fast-growing cyst, then it may well have grown even more by the time of the surgery.  I can tell you that it is common for a cyst to be larger when it is removed than it was at the time of diagnosis, due to rapid growth.