Not Having A Good Time

I guess I'm going to have to cancel my appointment to Indiana University's MS center. I thought about doing it already, but fate stepped in and made the choice simple. Now I can't go because I have to have surgery the day before my appointment there (July 6).

My symptoms have been out of control for weeks. I've been having new symptoms, right leg involvement, and my old symptoms have been aggravated. Now I know why. For the past several weeks I've been running a low grade fever, off and on. Over the weekend it was clear to me what the problem was. I started to have a familiar pain. It was in my lower right quadrant. I would have pressure/pain when I would urinate and I was also having trouble having bowel movements. When I have the combined symptoms it means only one thing to me..and that's an ovarian cyst.

I lost my right ovary in 2008 to a hemorrhagic cyst. It grew to the size of a grape fruit and caused a DVT in my left leg, by sitting on the arteries that feed the leg, and eventually moved and placed itself where my uterus use to be and the cyst attached itself to my abdominal wall. My symptoms that I'm suffering from now are similar to what I was suffering from then.

I went to the ER over the weekend and got a cocky doctor. I guess I stepped on his toes because I already knew what I had..he asked me how I would know this. Well it's obvious if you've suffered from this before and your having the same symptoms as you did before. When all was said and done, when the test came back..I was right and he was wrong, I had an ovarian cyst.

But I was still mad at his little statement...he asked me about all my female problems and why I had a hysterectomy, I told him I had a prolapsed uterus, he then asked me why I lost the left ovary, I told him about the hemorrhagic cyst..he then said with all the female problems that I've had, maybe you should have been a man. I guess this was his attempt at humor that failed miserably.

I followed up with my OBGYN. She said that since my urogyn just removed a cyst on the right ovary in April and I've made another so big (no one has told me the size) that it would be best to just remove this ovary. She said that they can't keep going in and draining these cyst. This cyst is also moving my newly placed bladder out of place and causing it to prolapse slightly. My urogyn believes that once the cyst is removed, the bladder will fall back into normal position.

My OBGYN said she feels comfortable with placing me on HRT after surgery, even though I've had a blood clot. She said that my ovary puts out 35 units of estrogen, and they will place me on 10. Since my vena cava filter is in place, it gives me a back up, just in case something bad happens because of the HRTs. Of course if I develop a blood clot while on the HRTs, they will have to pull them. At age 50, they said they will drop the dosage to 5.

So this is the game plan. In a way I know it's for the best. I've recently found out that on both sides of my family I have breast and ovarian cancer, and with the ovaries gone, I guess that's one less thing to worry about. I'm a little bummed about it though. I'm worried about the effects on my body. I'm tired of surgeries. I'm hoping too that I can tolerate the pain until then plus the increase in my neuro symptoms.

I did receive some good new the other day. My filter can go a 3T, but nothing any higher. My vascular surgeon checked with the manufacturer.

[rendean]

I'm sorry to hear of your need for yet another surgery and a postponement of your IU appointment.

I hope all goes well with your surgery and that until then you are covered with meds to ease your pain.

Good news on the filter and the 3T!!!!

Sending feel better hugs,
Ren

[essdipity]

Me too. What a rotten turn of events. I hope you're better soon.

Lots of hugs,
ess

[steph74]

Oh, that sounds painful.  I get a much milder version of this every month when I ovulate, but it only lasts for a day or two and is pretty bearable.  I can guess what kind of pain a LARGE cyst that's adhering to your abdominal wall would have.  Ouch!

Not a nice comment by the doctor, BTW!  Most people in the ER aren't in the mood for stupid jokes, I would think.

Some times ER doctors just aren't trained in the intricacies of female development...  When I had severe abdominal pain (hard to dx case of appendicitis) the doctors tried to tell me the pain was from an ovarian cyst.  The cyst was a normal size for ovulation (which I was just about to do when I first had the pain) and then the "cyst" was gone a few days later and the doctors said, "See that was what was causing your pain."  I was like, "Umm, I'm still in severe pain--that's why I'm back at the ER!"  Another time when my daughter was 15 months old and dehydrated from vomiting and diarrhea, the ER doctor told me she must be fine because she was still nursing.  ???  I explained to him that it takes several days for your breasts to catch up to an increase in demand, and since my child was visibly dehydrated (and unable to hold anything down, anyway!), I'd hate to think what would happen in a few days.

Sorry for the long tangent.  I hope your pain is resolved soon, and good news about the 3T!

Stephanie

[RedFlame]

I'm so sorry to hear that your appointment with Indiana was messed up.  And on top of that having surgery.  How awful.

I wll be thinking about you

HUGS,  lois

[Sparkysarah]

Just to say thinking of you and so sorry that you h ave to have surgery. Us women havea  raw deal with all our bits and pieces and apart from being able to give birth which is the most amazing miracle....the rest of the time we spend our lives working round cycles of monthly periods, hormones and many other complications.

So my heart goes out to you and keep strong.

Love and hugs

Sarah x

[Guitar_grrrl]

So sorry for all you're going through!
Big Hugs!

[johnnymutt]

Wow, that doc was really insensitive, or just plain stupid. Sorry to hear of your crazy turn of events, and dealing with ignorant fool doctors.

Feel better.

Johnny

[slightlybroken]

Ren & Ess- It is good news that I can go on a 3T. I was so happy when I found this out. My neuro at CC said that my filter wasn't approved for a 3T but I always wondered..how would he know?..because he didn't have my records from my vascular surgeon or the type of filter they placed in. They gave me Vicodin for the pain of the cyst and it is helping, somewhat, but it's doing nothing for my increase in neuro symptoms. I'm not sure why my neuro symptoms are out of control, except for the increase in temp, but they are sometimes worse then the cyst pain.

Stephanie- I use to have have the milder form too, but something changed. Sometime after my hysterectomy, I started making big cyst that didn't go away and they would continue to grow. I think the left hemorrhagic cyst got so bad because I was on blood thinners at the time and my blood became water thin, otherwise I don't think it would have reeked so much havoc. Don't get me started on ER doctors LOL. For some reason I get stuck with the dumb ones LOL. One almost cost me my life because of that hemorrhagic cyst and water thin blood..he mistook the cyst for a uterus and sent me home with water thin blood and some Vicodin. Fortunately a radiologist caught the mistake and saved my life.

Lois- Thank you so much...Hugs back

Sarah- I was told at a young age that I probably wouldn't be able to conceive on my own. I proved them wrong 3 times. I always wanted 3 children and that's all I wanted. After my last one, that's when all my problems started..I guess it was meant to be. I'm just glad it stuck it out to give me my children. I have to joke about it though..I've lost a lot of body parts over the years. I've always said that when I die, half of my body parts will be missing and I'll be partly bionic.

Guitar_grrl- Thanks..big hugs back

Johnny- I vote for both LOL. I'm use to dealing with crazy turn in events and unfortunately, dealing with ignorant fool doctors. Everything happens for a reason..I always say..so there must be a reason. My husband was with me in the ER and asked me..Why do you always get the stupid ones? I told him it must be my perfume..