Saw the GYN today re 7cm cyst

[ontariogirl]

Hello:  I was here last week and thought I'd fill you in on what the GYN said today.  First of all he wants a CA125 test which was done promptly and will get results in 1-2 weeks.  I told him that I have been surfing the net every night since I found out last week and that he could slap me with anything, just be honest.
He told me that my cyst is abnormal in 2 ways; one is that it has a wall inside, two is that it has a solid nodule on the outside of it.  He said he can't be 100% sure it is benign but given my age (48) and the fact that I missed 3 menses he thinks it could be.  So, here is the ticket.  He gets the results of the CA125 (we had a tete-a-tete about those false results) and if it is one point over 35 he's hauling me into surgery asap; if it is lower, I have another TVUS on June 11th or so (one month after my 1st one) to see what the changes are.  
Here is where he wants me to choose;  to have a complete hysterectomy or partial.  I told him to take it all but he wants me to think about it.  Oh, and he said he WILL NOT do a laparoscopy because of the spreading of the bad cells in case it is cancerous.  He wants to see my insides when he does the surgery.  I think that's smart.

What do you nice ladies think?

Thanks ever so much.

Eileen (OG)

[SimplyStar]

Good Luck to you, even though you may be well into menopause,  you may still need some HRT, but look into the bio identicals you have to. You may be able to breeze through the rest of the changes without any problems.  Sure hope so. Leslee just toughed it out without any HT.

[ontariogirl]

Thank you all for your insight.  The CA125 test can take up to 2 weeks here.  My brother had it in Montreal in April and he found out next day.  I guess it's different depending where you live.  Maybe if I was hospitalized it would b next day also.

As for a GYN/ONC, there will be an oncologist there when my surgery would be done.  I don't think there is any point in seeking an appointment with a new doctor;  I'd probably have to wait until fall.  Holiday time is not a good time to be needing a specialist.  

As for a 2nd opinion, I just spoke with the secretary at my dr's office about getting a second opinion and she said that I can discuss it with my family dr. on June 7 when I have my physical.. I think she was trying to get rid of me because they close at noon on Fridays.....oh well.  I will not be waiting until June 7th to discuss this with my Dr.

I just want to get this invasive thing out of my body and would go for surgery tomorrow if I could.  I think I'm going to go through with a complete hyst.  then I won't regret not having it done later.

Thanks again.

[lucky1977]

I agree with the recommendation of not doing a laparoscopy.   I am 29 years old and just had a 7cm tumour removed last week - and my GYN also said that the risk of spilling cancerous cells into the abdomen is too high with that type of surgery.  Although the healing time is longer with a laparotomy, it is definitely the better option when the possibility of cancer is there.  Unfortunately mine did turn out to be a borderline ovarian tumour - however, the survival rates are quite high with this type of cancer so I feel pretty fortunate right now.  

Re: an GYN / ONC - at least mention this to your GYN.  My GYN consulted with ONC before my surgery, confirmed her approach with them, and got some additional advice.

Also, my CA-125 blood work took between 1-2 weeks.  I think it depends on where you live - they had to send mine away.  

Best of luck....
Kelly

[Kimchi]

I am surprised with his coment about doing a laparoscopy...Your dr sounds precautious but a second opinion is also a good idea..

[rmarie]

Is your GYN a GYN/ONC,if not, consider going to one for a second opinion.  The statistics are on your side if the GYN/ONC is immediately available or does the initial surgery for diagnosis. Before my surgery, my GYN was going to be there to take over, if it wasn't cancer.  Since they knew it was going in, I've never seen him again.  Keep us posted, good luck

[Cagney2712]

First of all, get yourself to a gyn. oncologist. While it's highly likely that your cyst will turn out to be benign, in the event that it's not, you really want your surgery to be done by a gyn oncologist so that a complete and proper staging is done.  That's the key to determining the proper course of treatment.

That being said, don't rule out the laparoscopy, at least as your initial type of surgery.  I recently had a 12 cm complex cyst removed. Both a gyn. oncologist and a gyn who specializes in minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopy) were present. The surgery was started as a laparoscopy and the problem ovary removed that way.  But, when the oncologist examined it , it looked suspicious to her, so at that point they changed over and did a laparotomy, removing both ovaries, tubes, uterus & cervix. The pathology found that it was Stage 1A,  which means I was very lucky and caught it very early, & didn't need any chemo.  Before the surgery I was also concerned about possible spillage if it was removed via laparotomy. The surgeon explained that they basically enclose the ovary & cyst in a plastic bag and it's removed while still in the bag so no contents can get out.   Had the cyst not been suspicious, they could have competed the whole surgery laparoscopically. They can get a very good look at things with a laparoscope. In fact, they actually can see things better because the gas that inflates your abdomen for the laparoscopy moves everything out of the way.

If you have a surgeon who specializes in the minimally invasive surgery, I think that is a good option to consider.  You just have to keep in mind that, if they find anything suspicious, they will have to switch to a laparotomy so that the gyn oncologist can to do a complete staging.

[justscore]

I have had 2 laparotomies (sp?) in 2 years.  I tried to have them remove the ovaries the 1st timethen  they wouldn't because of my age (36).  2 major surgeries in 2 years have taken a toll on me and I have a hard time healing properly.

Get a 2nd opinion - 2weeks for a CA125 result seems way too long!  I had mine in 2 days.  It's a hard decision to make and I wish you luck.  

I was one of the lucky ones and I hope the same for you!!!

[ontariogirl]

Hi SS:  I somehow knew you'd be the first to respond, as you are watching out for all of us.  You are a supreme woman(thank you God for giving this woman to us even if it's selfish), you remind me of my mother.  If my mother did not have heart problems I wouldn't be on this site.  Thank you SimplyStar for being there for all of us.

What is the difference if I get rid of 2 ovaries and leave the uterus or ditch the whole thing?  Please tell me.  

Thanks
Eileen

[SimplyStar]

It does not take two weeks to get  CA125 test results, daughter gets hers the next day, the rest of your post sounds very reasonable except,  if the cyst is on the ovary and is benign, why mess with the uterus?  Do not let the CA125  alone  determine surgery.  The more you can keep,  the faster the recovery.  I am sure you have seen in the posts that 97% of all cysts are benign.   Hope it all truns out well for you.