Scared to Death!

I am a 39 year old mom of 5. Three months ago I started spotting in between my periods. Nothing much, just a little and it lasted about a day. The next month, the same thing happened.  This month I was having a brownish discharge around the same time.  Went to dr.  - had a vaginal and pelvic ultrasound.  Dr called yesterday saying that I had a complex cyst on my ovary.  Now have to go in to have CNV? 125 (not sure if that is correct) test and also have a pelvic CAT scan tomorrow to rule out ovarian cancer.  I've had no other symptoms this whole time and am really freaking out. I've been reading on cysts and OVCA and that probably hasn't helped ease my mind at all. Had ovarian cysts before which were seen after an ectopic pregnancy three years ago but nothing needed to be done about them at that time. Any words of encouragement?

[bip]

I have cyst on my ovaries and my dr. told me they are benign.Please don't be like me and read stuff give yourself a panic attack makes things worst.......

[SimplyStar]

You are following the right course of action, get the tests done, 99% of all cysts/tumors are benign.  They do cause us difficulty and stress till we find out just what is causing all the problems.  You do not mention any symptoms like bloating, frequent urination, feeling full too quickly when eating, pelviv/abdominal pain,  the CA 125 test is not a very realiable test for cancer, but is used in most cases as just one of the benchmarks for determining that protein count. No doctor will ever diagnose OVCA on just it.  You may have to have surgery to remove the cyst, if it cannot be reduced/watched in some other way. OVCA is only diagnosed  with a pathology report on tissue removed during surgery. Again let me stress to you, OVCA is rare, the 99% benign findings are the usual outcome. Don't be afraid, you are taking all the right steps and most complex cysts are troublesome  but harmless.  Keep us posted and good luck.

[scared. . .]

What exactly is a "complex cyst"? And why would I have pink spotting for two months and then have a dark brown spotting experience the third? They were going to do the CA 125 test tomorrow, but when they found out I had started to menstrate today, they rescheduled for next week because of a possible false positive.  CAT scan is still scheduled for tomorrow at 9am though.  What will they learn from this CAT scan? I do not have any of the symptoms that are listed in prior post and that is why I'm concerned.  I found out I had ovarian cysts about 3 years ago when I had a stillborn baby boy and no concern was mentioned about them at that time.  I then had an ectopic pregnancy shortly after that and nothing was said then either.  I guess I worry now because dr seems to want to test rather aggressively. I've been a wreck since I got the doc's call. I have a 17 year old son who had an ATV accident last summer and was in a coma for 6 months, we are home and he still has lots of issues and then tonight my 8 year old went to the ER after running his bicycle into a barbed wire fence.  GEEZ, I'm loosing my sanity and I can feel the world bearing down.  I can not deal with this now!

[zoodle]

I am new to this post too, but already the advice has helped to calm me. (THANKS!)  I have not been diagnosed with anything either, having an ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow and a repeat CA-125 for Monday.  I understand your anxiety and fear about what all this could be.  I feel the same way.  I keep checking in on this site and reading the info. It is helping me to think a little clearer, and stay a little bit more calm until my tests are done.

[scared. . .]

I guess we have to just keep the faith and continue the follow up with our docs until they tell us everything is ok. Good Luck!