a really scared 25 year old

[nikki250]

I am lost as to which type of surgery I should get and i am hoping that this could help me to choose.
I am 25 year old female, extremley healthy, fit, dont smoke, cancer doesnt run in my family.
A week ago I found out I have a 8cm (size of a grapefruit) within my right adnexa.  My cancer markers (blood tests) came back fine, no ascites and no hydrophrosis
The mass is described as a cystic mass with septations, and two solid components about 5 cm each within the mass
fibroid and dermoid have been ruled out.
So with the surgery I have a decision to make,  With no biopsy my gyno says to do the full staging where I have an incision all the way to my diaphram, he will try and perserve fertility by leaving my other ovary etc.  but take out my lymph nodes tissue etc. This could lead to other problems like bladder and bowel issues so on ..

The other choice which I like better is a smaller incision and only is to take out the ovary and mass, then test it in pathology and if it comes back positive go to do the staging surgery
What should I do? take the chance and wait it out till testing comes back or go with the full surgery.  

[Teese67]

I understand the anxiousness you're feeling.  I'm having surgery Monday and just having to wait to find out if it's cancer is torture.  
Hang in there, you have lots of people praying for you.  That always makes me feel better knowing I have a troop of prayer warriors out there.
*sending you a hug*
Tish

[wezzy]

Hang in there nikki i'm praying for you.Keep me posted

[crecco]

I may be 46 but I still know how you feel. Where I go for my treatrments, every once in awhile there is a man up there who actually rolls his IV stand outside the doors so he can stand out there to smoke! I can't condone him really for smoking as I have for years and am having a hard time quitting. But for some strange reason I have never wanted one while recieving chemo, even when it lasted 61/2 hours. Even being 20 years older than you I still feel like the youngster when I go see my onc. Family and friends mean well but I also find myself being short with them and don't know quite why. (and I was dx in Nov. 2005) Especially my Mother and my sister. I know that they mean well but they just don't always understand. I have only met one other woman who has had ov ca and she moved away just a couple of months after I met her. It was a blessing when I discovered these message boards. Finally, somebody who understands. I think the good days and bad days stick with us all. I have figured out to just deal with the bad days as best as I can and look forward to the good days. I wish you the best of luck in what ever decision that you make, and that everything works out for the best.

[Brownie3321]

Hello sweetie, I know exactly how you feel. I'm only 27 and was diagnosed with stage 3C ovarian cancer this past July. Here are a few things I think you should take into consideration: You absolutely need to have your surgery done by a gyn/onc. Trust me on this, they are more educated in the field and will be conservative when deciding what needs to be taken out if in case it is cancer. Research your area to find the best gyn/onc you can find. My gyn (highly trained and well-known) was the one who referred me to my gyn/onc when she found an 8in mass on my ovary. She knew I needed to get it removed and she felt more comfortable knowing I was in the hands of a specialist if in fact it was cancer. The gyn/onc told me it would be an exploratory surgery and he wouldn't know more until he tested the mass. They can do all this while you are under, and there would be no need to get a gny/onc to finish the surgery. Don't freak yourself out!! It may be a harmless cyst. I just wan you to know that if God forbid you have cancer, this is a beatable disease!! Both my gny/onc and current onc have told me they are certain that after my 6 month chemo process I will be fine. Age is on your side - mine as well. My cancer had spread to my stomach lining and lymph nodes, and still my onc says he is sure I will beat it! I will be praying for you, and keep us posted. Deandra

[nikki250]

just waiting, like everyone else
I have my good days and I have my bad days, today i think is one of the bad days.  It just seems so unfair you know, to be living a beautiful carefree life and then all of a sudden we get stuck with these worries.  When I went to radiology to get some testing done, everyone in the waiting room who was waiting for a CT scan was 70ish old, everyone my age waspregnant and getting ultra sounds done...made me sick to my stomach to think I would never do that
the most classic part of my day was leaving radiology I had to walk through cancer care where I saw a person smoking right in front of the doors as I headed out, I just wanted to scream, people just dont have any class
my friends and family are begining to just annoy me with random nonsense, Im trying to block them out as much as possible, but now its to the point where I can't answer there phones
so to answer your question wezzy Im doing just great :)

[wezzy]

Just wanted to see how you are? I know it's hard but you will make the right decision. Just thinking about you

[wezzy]

Thanks I have found several At Moffitt Cancer Hospital where i live. I have to send the report to them on monday.

[crecco]

If they shoud decide that you need surgery just tell them to recommend to to a gyn/onc. If they don't you can start looking on the internet for gyn/oncs in your state. But I would think that if you ask they would refer you to one. Good luck and keep us posted.

[wezzy]

Thank you crecco how do i find one ? ask my gyn ? but he is sending me to a surgeon

[crecco]

Please whatever you do, make sure that if you have to have surgery that it is done by a gyn/onc. Insist if you have to. The best of luck to you.

[wezzy]

Good luck i know it is scary i am going through the same thing don't know what to do .waiting to see the surgeon on Oct.29th .Not a gyn/onc so i don't know if i am seeing the right doctor.My mass is 5x5.5x5.3.1 not sure where it is midline posterior to right they say have ors on the left .There are a lot of helpful people on this web site i am glad i found it.Some that have been through it already and some who are going through it but it's nice to know we can all help each other.Take care and let me know

[crecco]

I was just the opposite. I was sent to general surgeon because I had developed what we thought were cysts on my upper torso (I had found something like 13 buy come to find out there where more just under the skin where I wasn't pushing hard enough to feel) He biopsyed one that was beside my right breast. Well it came back cancer but they weren't sure where it was originating from so they sent the tissue sample to Mayo Clinic. In the mean time he ran blood work, a CT scan, and a mammogram and made me an appointment with an onc for the following week. My first visit to my onc I was told it was a very aggressive cancer and we needed to start chemo asap. I was also told it was ovarian cancer. When I went back the next week for my first treatment I was told it was stage IV with mets to the liver besides all the little " cysts". This was in Nov of 2005 and I didn't have my debulking surgery until June of 2006. I have to admit with all the posts I have read it seems like everything was done backwards.

[jms_9967]

I agree with nyc lady---I just had surgery myself for what appeared to be an 8 cm complex cyst on my right ovary (it ended up being larger at 12 cm).  My doctors explained to me that they would have the pathology done at the time of surgery and if it was malignant a gyn/onc would come in and do the complete hysterectomy along with staging at that time.  Thankfully the cyst was completely benign and they only had to remove my right ovary and fallopian tube (the cyst had destroyed it).  There was no reason to remove anything else.

[nyc lady]

They do not know if it is cancerous until they biopsy the mass.  Staging is done at time of surgery if cancer is found.  A good GYN/ONC will not remove any organs unless there is reason too.  An 8cm cyst is not enough reason for a doctor to perform a full hysterectomy.  You are young, age is on your side, remember, most Ovarian Cysts are benign.  There is no risk of the disease spreading, if there is disease, if the biopsy is done properly.

Good luck

[nikki250]

Hello, I hope your still on
My gyno is referring me to a gynoncologist next week.  But do you agree that staging should only be done only when the mass is taken out and sent out to pathology?  From what Ive researched, even looking at a mass you cannot tell if its cancer until furher testing is required.  The only downfall is that if it is I may be putting myself at risk for spreading and also they dont lke to perform surgery twice while your recouping.
My family wants the full surgery, easy for them to say they're not the ones going under the knife.  With all this research Ive done im still at square one, confused as what I should do.

[nyc lady]

You should see a GYN/ONC....not because I think that you have cancer, chances are you do not, but, because they are the experts, additional 3 years training in gynocological issues.  

I know that my GYN/ONC as many do these days, also do laproscopic surgery and if there is a problem at that time, they can then open you up and do a full debulking surgery.

Good luck.