Am new here. Would like some insight on ovarian cyst surgery.

[oceanbreeze]

I am 51 yrs. old and have an ovarian cyst the size of a tennis ball with some solid matter on my left ovary. My CA125 was normal. I am scheduled for surgery in 2 weeks and the doctor told me he would remove both ovaries, my appendix, lymph nodes and I forgot what it's called but it's some fat area on the abdomen. Reading through the posts, I didn't come across anyone mentioning this. He says it is as a precaution because you don't need any of these things anyway. Has anybody heard of this or does it sound excessive? Any insight would be appreciated. I'm nervous enough as it is.

[oceanbreeze]

Mary,
It's so funny. I just read your post to me after getting off the phone with my doctor and you are 100% right. I was overwhelmed with all the info initially and only heard the second scenario. After reading everyone's posts I kept thinking how unusual it sounded for the doctor to take everything out from the start. It had me so worried that maybe he knew more and wasn't telling me and if he was removing all those things then he must think it's cancer and my mind was spinning and truly making me panic.
Anyway, today my doctor told me just what you're saying. He will do laparoscopic surgery to remove the ovary and send the frozen section to be tested. He said that he can usually even tell without the results of the frozen section whether things look abnormal but if the results suggest that they are abnormal then phase 2 is removing the appendix and omentum. Phase 3 gets more intense then that. So now that things are a little clearer my anxiety level has dropped considerably. I have 2 weeks before surgery on the 10th and hopefully I can keep myself calm enough to finish up my tennis season and do my usual stuff before then. Up till now I have just been too stunned to function normally. You guys are great!! I can't thank you all enough for the great information posted on this site.
Christina

[Bipp]

birdbath- You mentioned removal of the ovaries would put oceanbreeze into immediate "surgical menopause". Does estrogen help with that? I had my uterus removed and had the option for the ovaries to be removed as well if I wanted to, but was affraid of the emotional roller coaster. If I am in a state now (has you and I wrote earlier) I am wondering if my ovary will need to be removed. It has been said to go ahead and have them both removed if given the option to prevent any further complications. What is your opinion about that?
oceanbreeze- I hope everything goes well with you. You are right about this site, it is amazing the help these wonderful women offer.
Bobbi

[oceanbreeze]

My doctor is a gyn/onc and supposedly a very good one though he looks so young to me. I was referred to him by my gyn. I am scheduled for laparoscopic surgery where he said he would remove all of what I mentioned in the earlier post. I have to do the whole bowel prep the day before. He said if things look difficult because of scarring from a gallbladder removal years ago or if he sees cancer I guess then the surgery will go from laparoscopic to regular surgery. Once birdbath told me it was the omentum I was referring to, I did some research and found that it protects the organs otherwise they're more susceptible to infection. I don't know if this is correct but, if so, I don't know if I would want it gone if there was nothing wrong. And yet Dian made me think that if the doctor does remove it all and it happens to be cancer then it could rule out additional surgery. I am so confused and getting more upset the more I read now actually. I understand so many of you have gone through similar things and I wish I was as strong as some of you sound. God bless you all and thank you for your comments.
Christina

[dian07]

Hello....I am glad you are here discussing your situation and concerns....there are many wise women here....please listen to them.
I had nothing going on until a regular appt with a gyno last April....I had a cyst that turned out to be malignant on my left ovary......however, my CA125 was elevated....yours is not. My appendix had been removed years earlier so that was no issue...the frozen section  during surgery came back benign......the following pathology report was malignant....stage 1C ovarian cancer.....I was very glad everything had been removed so I didn't need another surgery......hopefully my chemo will prevent a recurrence.  I was going through menopause and did not intend to have any more children. I don't know where you are on those issues........I am simply telling you about my experience.
You get one chance to get your treatment right the first time...make certain you have a surgeon who specializes in gyn/oncology......that is the best advice anyone can give you....they know what they are doing.......they are your best bet if cancer is actually found.
I know I am being rather blunt....if too much so, I apologize.
I just don't want to see anymore women go through this....nobody should have to.
I wish only Peace for you.
dian

[oceanbreeze]

Thank you so much! I never imagined I would get responses so quickly and such knowledgable ones at that. Even my level of anxiety has lessened just from being a part of this forum in the company of women who have gone through similar experiences.
I hadn't thought of going for 2nd and 3rd opinions and it is something I will now do.
I have been menopausal for 2 yrs. and the doctor said that since I don't need ovaries or an appendix, it makes sense to just remove them so there are no future problems. That was his reasoning for the lymph nodes too but i was so taken aback that even though I was listening to him I wasn't really grasping the information. It was the first time I had met him so I think I'll make another appointment to see him again, now that I have formulated some questions.
Again, thank you for your help!

[ShellyBelly18]

Hi there and welcome,

I agree with birdbath.  Everyone's situation is very personal and different.  I had a 7cm. cyst that ended up being endometriosis.  You never know what the surgeon is going to find.  The only question I had was about the lymph nodes.  My doctor had to remove everything in me - hysterectomy- but no lymph nodes because nothing else was cancer.  I don't know why they would take nodes unless they were suspicious of that.  Might be a question you want to ask.  Plus, doctors are all so different.  Another opinion is also a good idea.  Plus, ask questions on this site because there are a lot of very knowledgeable people that helped me out a lot.

Good luck.

ShellyBelly18

[birdbath]

Welcome cyst-er!
I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. Was the area your doctor talked about removing called the omentum? This is a lining that covers our abdominal cavity. There are many women on this site who have cysts on their ovaries. The overwhelming majority of them (99%) are benign, so the odds are definitely in your favor. Your cyst sounds like it may be a complex one. There are three types - fluid filled, complex (a mixture of fluid and solid) and solid (a cyst that is at least 50% or more solid). Complex and solid cysts are little more suspicious, but again, they only have a very, very small chance of being cancer. The decision to remove organs is a very important and personal one. Make sure that removing them is something that you want to do. Some women choose to have the doctor remove the cyst only and leave the ovaries intact. Others may have the one ovary removed and leave the healthy one. Are you in menopause? Removal of both ovaries will put you into immediate "surgical menopause". Even after menopause, the ovaries continue to provide various functions. Some women choose to have everything removed, others don't. That's a very personal decision. Have you asked your doctor why he wants to remove everything? You can't go back and put them back in, so you may want to do some real heavy research regarding keeping them or not. Women on this site have done both. Sometimes it is a situation where there is no choice and suspicious organs have to come out for pathology. If there is a choice, though, I strongly urge you to consider all sides of the decision. It should be YOUR decision, not your doctor's, unless there is a strong medical indication. My doctor wants to remove both of my ovaries due to a cyst, but I am getting a second and third opinion this week. I don't want to automatically remove everything unless I know there is a strong indication for it. Every situation is different, but make sure you cover all of your bases first. There are several women on this site who had organs removed (everything turned out benign) and are now regretting the loss of them. During surgery,the doctor can remove a "frozen section" of the cyst and send it to pathology. If pathology comes back malignant, then a total hysterectomy is usually done at that time. If it comes back benign, then that is where the choices come in as to remove them or not. You can tell your doctor beforehand what your wishes are. WE're here for you, you are not alone. Everything is going to be OK. Robin