Can anyone share your initial symptom with me and what your diagnoisis was?

[Thuney]

Can you share your symptoms and diagnosis with me?
Thanks!

[Thuney]

Thank you all for answering my post. I was dling pretty good all day today, but ever since I vacumned I have that dull ache again and it is getting worse even though I took medicine--which is scaring me again since that now makes 3 1/2 days of my 5 days worht of meds.

[wubbie3]

I had none of the common symptoms of cysts, etc. I had normal periods, every 27-28 days and lasted exactly 5 days like clockwork, realize now that I did likely have clots, but always thought it was just tissue sloughing off during peroids. I was so regular and predictable that I could lay out the pads I would use for the entire cycle.
In December I was at my part-time night job, and felt really sick, with pain in my right side that went from ache to stabbing, so they sent me to the ER thinking I had appendicitis. CT scan showed no appendicitis, but a cyst on the ovary with some fluid around it. They figured the cyst had a partial rupture and leaked, causing the pain. So, made the gyn appt. with the gyn, did the watch and wait. Gyn was pretty sure it was a dermoid, since it showed changes month to month on the TVUS (no real size change though, just internal changes in the cyst).
Didn't really have any symptoms except occasional twinges in that side until April, then it was mainly just a low ache with rare sharper pains. Tea and a BM usually relieved that feeling. By May it was constant and very achy, with regular sharper pains, all located in the same area over the right ovary.
Scheduled surgery on 5/17, and discovered an endometrial cyst that had partially ruptured and leaked endo all over the place. They had to remove adhesions and the cyst, and patches of endo.
Now they're wanting me to try Lupron, since I'm only 28 and don't deal well with surgeries and anesthesia. They're hoping that I can supress the endo with the Lupron, and then just go on oral BC's to avoid ovulation.
Apparently the constant ache and sharper pains with it are symptoms of endo and adhesions.
~Marianne

[mosgirl]

brthbbs-  You said you noticed a large lump in your abdomen when lying down?   I have a large lump on the left side that is really noticable when I've eaten and lay down.  It seems like it's right where my stomach might be so I've pretty much decided that it IS my stomach (it's sort of kidney bean shaped and about 5" x 3")and since I'm a thin person it shows up when I lay down after eating.  It's there when I haven't just eaten, but not as noticable.  I have some pain on that side and gastro problems so had a colonoscopy recently that was clean- but do wonder about my lump still.  My husband calls it "fred".  

The problem is that I gave birht to twins two 1/2 years ago and have diastasis- where the abdominal muscles are separated permanently about 2" down the middle-  this has caused an inguinal hernia and my stomach, although I'm thin, is lumpy and weird so I really attribute a lot to that.  I've just worried about ovca since last year when an ultrasound revealed simple cysts.  It's been a year since it's been checked and (as you can see from just me being on this board!) it stays in the back of my mind.  I have 4 little girls and the thought of having something wrong with me that goes unchecked seems to be one of those 'mommy' things that I worry about, not all the time, but when I start to cramp and have gas etc- I get paranoid.  I guess I just need to go to the dr!

thanks again :)

[Tybear]

The only symptoms I had were slight swelling in my abdomen and a pain in my bladder that would come and go - this lasted a couple weeks before I finally went to emerg. My ultrasounds didn't detect anything except that the tube coming out of my kidney (ureter) was swollen. Thinking I had kidney stones, they ordered a CT scan. It was the scan that detected my tumors - I had 3 large tumors and many calcified deposits throughout my abdomen. Oddly enough, I didn't have any tumors on my ovaries! I was diagnosed after surgery with 3c Ovarian Cancer. My CA125 before surgery was 46. I know how easily we can get ourselves panicked about health situations - I just got back from emerg after 7hrs because I thought my cancer was back! After a CT scan showed nothing, I felt immense relief but realized I need to start looking forward instead of back. I want you to know that no matter what this turns out to be, cancer is not a death sentence - many women on this site can vouch for that!

[Gatsby]

I know what you mean! I walked down that path myself.  I didn't have many symptoms.  Lower back ache, irregular & heavy periods and severe acid reflux.  I had two softball sized dermoids (benign) removed 12/21/05.  We are here for you anytime you need us.  Godspeed
~Tascha

[greenThumbs]

I have always had painful periods and painful ovulation.  My periods lasted about 6-7 days.  I am not sure if my bleeding was heavy since I have nothing to compare it to.  Around February of this year I had pressure like I had to have a BM but nothing was there.  I had lower back pain and general discomfort.  I was taking Advil almost like it was candy.  I thought I was just having really bad PMS.  One evening at work after going to the ladies room I had severe pain that doubled me over.  I thought I was going to pass out.  I thought the problem was with my kidneys because of the lower back pain.  I went to my regular physician and he ordered a CT scan.  All organs were fine but they did detect ovarian cysts.  So, I went to my gyn and she sent me for an U/S and TVUS.  I had a several fibroids and a cyst on my left ovary.  My gyn said the fibroids should come out.  My uterus was also enlarged.  So my surgery was scheduled for May 15th and I have been recovering since.  I am glad that I had the surgery since one fibroid was not a fibroid but adenomyosis that had started to envelop my right tube.  I did request a follow up U/S before the surgery and the cyst (which was complex) had resolved.  That may have been excruciating pain I had - the cyst rupturing.

[brthbbs]

I noticed a large lump in my abdomen which I could only feel if I was lying on my back.  After CT they found 10 ovarian cysts, some as big as 5cmx10cm!  No other sx, CA 125 was 125!  Everyone said we caught things early and removal of the offending parts seems to have done the job (even though I did do chemo for the just-in-case).

[nanik]

I too write to my kids and husband before any surgery where I will go under general anesthesia. I lost my own mother when I was 28 years old (Ihad been married exactly one month and my motherwas in the hospital during the wedding...she died of breast cancer exactly 30 days later)....anyway, I felt there was so much that she had yet to tell me etc...Never want to leave mykids that way so I write to them "just in case"....Really glad to hear that someone else on earth does this too!

Best wishes and good thoughts to you.

[Thuney]

Thanks, Michelle.

I have gone from a crying mass to feeling calm--all in just a short while here tonight.

Would you believe I actually wrote my son a four-page post-death letter earlier tonight?  It made me feel better for awhile, too, in some morbid way.  It was like I still had control and could still talk to him and encourage him even if I wasn't here.  He is my world and the very thought of not being here for him was killing me.

But I feel so much calmer now.  In fact, he just called me on his way home from the ballgame and I was happy.

Thanks!

[birdcarver]

I was diagnosed with an ovarian cyst in January 06. It was 3 cm and withing a month doubled in size. Another U/S and Transvaginal U/S showed even more growth. My CA 125 was elevated at 49 but I do have other health problems that can account for that. I had surgery on the 16th of May for a total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral oopherectomy (because of my pre-existing condition - Cystic Fibrosis - and relatively short shelf life this was deemed the best path for me). I actually had very few symptoms, although looking back many of which I attributed to my disease could have been because of my cyst and endometriosis, which was found during my surgery. I am now a little over a week post-op and doing great.I am having no menopausal symptoms, my bowels are working normally for the first time in many years and I feel wonderful. It is scary to think that something is wrong and we all jump to conclusions and think we may have cancer, but statistically, very few of us do. Here's hoping you are among the majority!
Michelle

[Thuney]

Thanks, again, mickeyvicki.  My cycles are still normal--to the day; no abnormal bleeding; dull pain in my lower back and left side; sharp pain in my left ovary; frequent urination and still feeling like I have to go even though I JUST went, and feeling constipated even though I am having much, much-more frequent bowel movements.  No diagnosisi yet.

[MickeyVicki]

My symptoms, which developed over approximately four months included the following: oddly regular then wildly irregular menstrual cycles which concluded with the complete cessation of menstruation, spotting,  pain in my right side near the ovary, bloating (two pants sizes in about  six weeks), frequent urination, discomfort in the lower back, gastro-intestinal upset including strange sensations of fluids or gasses rolling around in my abdomen, fatigue, shortness of breath, as well as changes in taste and smell.   I was diagnosed via ultrasound as having a large (6 cm by 5 cm...) complex mass with solid components on my left ovary - note this is the opposite side of where I felt pain.  At surgery, the doctor found that I had a large endometrioma.  It was benign.