GYN-ONCOL!!! OH NO!!!

[itslisa75]

The blood work came back negative but because I am post menopausal and the ovarian cyst is complex they have referred me to a specialist for removal. The doc is a GYN/ ONCOL . They have reassured me they don't " think" it's cancer but in case it is they pprefer the specialist remove it.

I'm confused and nervous...

Has anyone else had their doctor talk out of both sides of their mouth?

Thanks guys.

[old_before_my_time]

Thank you for your kind words. Yes, do protect yourself via the consent form since female organ removal is an epidemic.

How big is the cyst? Are you scheduled for surgery yet or are they going to monitor it briefly to see if it resolves?

[itslisa75]

I am sorry to hear all you went through. We have to be our own advocates but at some point we do trust our doctors to make the best decision for us. You did bring up a great point regarding the surgical consent form. I will make sure that unless they are 100% sure the cyst is cancer they are not to remove anything else . If they cannot test it right there then they can close me up and call it a day. God forbid it turns out malignant, then I'll just saddle up for another surgery.
Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to answer me. It means so much.

Thank you,
Lisa

[old_before_my_time]

Welcome to the community. Yes! My doctor did talk out of both sides of his mouth! Sometimes this is just them covering for all possibilities. But in my case, it all seemed to be intentional scare tactics to rush me into an over-treatment situation. Although I was not menopausal, I was probably close to it at age 49. My cyst was also complex and was 9.5cm.

I made the mistake of trusting my doctor and unnecessarily lost both ovaries and my uterus even though the cyst was benign (as proven by the frozen section done while I was in the operating room).

Most cysts, even complex ones and even in post-menopausal women, are benign if you do not have a family history of ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, FAR too many women lose healthy ovaries even if they do not have cysts! But a surgeon with good cystectomy skills should be able to remove just the cyst preserving the ovary and its vital lifelong functions of producing hormones at least to age 80. Dr. William Parker is a renowned surgeon who does organ sparing procedures and you can find a bit of info on one of his websites - www.ovaryresearch.com.

Do your research and make sure you understand your options and your surgeon's skills. And, last but not least, protect your organs via the surgical consent form. Best of luck to you!