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A gigantic ovarian cyst story
Hello to everyone!
I have never actually posted here, but I read these forums so much over the last months I thought I would share my story and I also wanted to say thanks for all the wonderful informative posts by all of you!
My 61 year old mom started looking rather pregnant in August. Of course we were alarmed and went to our family doctor who said it prolly was nothing to be overly concerned about and referred her to a gynecologist. We are Canadian so referrals tend to take a while and since hers was apparently not an emergency her appointment wasn't going to be for 4 months (!). I sent her back to her family doctor and told her to at least ask for an ultrasound to see what was going on in there (she was also experiencing persistent bleeding). Turns out she had a 'football sized" 12 inch ovarian mass.
We live in a small city so the gynecologist here referred her to a cancer hospital about a 4 hour drive away. They didn't feel it was cancerous but you never know until it's out.
Long story short, the gynecologist oncologist we met there was fantastic and did only these kinds of surgeries. The mass was removed along with her having a complete hysterectomy. The final measurement was 12 inches weighing 10 pounds, about the size of a basketball according to the surgeon! The cyst was benign, no further treatment is required. :) Her incision is large since they had to take it out in one piece, but she is recovering well and quickly.
She had all the scary symptoms, weight loss, lack of appetite, she was very tired and had persistent bleeding and still all turned out well. So I hope that is reassuring to some people, as all your posts were very reassuring and encouraging for me as we waited to get this all done.
I have never actually posted here, but I read these forums so much over the last months I thought I would share my story and I also wanted to say thanks for all the wonderful informative posts by all of you!
My 61 year old mom started looking rather pregnant in August. Of course we were alarmed and went to our family doctor who said it prolly was nothing to be overly concerned about and referred her to a gynecologist. We are Canadian so referrals tend to take a while and since hers was apparently not an emergency her appointment wasn't going to be for 4 months (!). I sent her back to her family doctor and told her to at least ask for an ultrasound to see what was going on in there (she was also experiencing persistent bleeding). Turns out she had a 'football sized" 12 inch ovarian mass.
We live in a small city so the gynecologist here referred her to a cancer hospital about a 4 hour drive away. They didn't feel it was cancerous but you never know until it's out.
Long story short, the gynecologist oncologist we met there was fantastic and did only these kinds of surgeries. The mass was removed along with her having a complete hysterectomy. The final measurement was 12 inches weighing 10 pounds, about the size of a basketball according to the surgeon! The cyst was benign, no further treatment is required. :) Her incision is large since they had to take it out in one piece, but she is recovering well and quickly.
She had all the scary symptoms, weight loss, lack of appetite, she was very tired and had persistent bleeding and still all turned out well. So I hope that is reassuring to some people, as all your posts were very reassuring and encouraging for me as we waited to get this all done.
That is great information. I always say if your in pain and something does not feel right don't suffer in pain.Go see your doctor! I truly believe you know your body best and when in pain or doubt seek out medical attention the sooner the better.Thank you for your informative input.
Thank you! :)
I really do hope it helps someone worry less if they are going through something similiar. I was just rereading a list at mayoclinic.com of ovarian cancer symptoms:
Recent studies have shown that women with ovarian cancer are more likely than are other women to consistently experience the following symptoms:
"Abdominal pressure, fullness, swelling or bloating
Urinary urgency
Pelvic discomfort or pain
Additional signs and symptoms that women with ovarian cancer may experience include:
Persistent indigestion, gas or nausea
Unexplained changes in bowel habits, such as constipation
Changes in bladder habits, including a frequent need to urinate
Loss of appetite or quickly feeling full
Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around your waist
Pain during intercourse (dyspareunia)
A persistent lack of energy
Low back pain
Changes in menstruation "
She had every.single.symptom. And it wasn't cancer. So there is always hope! Most of her symptoms were due to the cysts abnormally hugenormous size. heh.
I really do hope it helps someone worry less if they are going through something similiar. I was just rereading a list at mayoclinic.com of ovarian cancer symptoms:
Recent studies have shown that women with ovarian cancer are more likely than are other women to consistently experience the following symptoms:
"Abdominal pressure, fullness, swelling or bloating
Urinary urgency
Pelvic discomfort or pain
Additional signs and symptoms that women with ovarian cancer may experience include:
Persistent indigestion, gas or nausea
Unexplained changes in bowel habits, such as constipation
Changes in bladder habits, including a frequent need to urinate
Loss of appetite or quickly feeling full
Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around your waist
Pain during intercourse (dyspareunia)
A persistent lack of energy
Low back pain
Changes in menstruation "
She had every.single.symptom. And it wasn't cancer. So there is always hope! Most of her symptoms were due to the cysts abnormally hugenormous size. heh.
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