Just hoping to put some at ease

[StacyJP]

About two weeks ago I found out I had an advanced cyst on my right ovary and that both had to be removed.. Being that this is the first surgery I ever had I looked to these forums for any information I could find to confide in and find comfort with. So many of the stories were so inspiring and a few of them were kind of scary to say the least. I think we all have our own varied experiences when it comes to this type of surgery so I wanted to share mine in hopes that i can help someone out there know what they're in for. The one thing that scared me the most was being under I have never had that before and it terrified me. I think the one thing that really helped me get through the most with my husband being there for everything including the postop stuff. Just having a familiar face there for when you go in and then of course  wake up is worth it's weight in gold. So I went in at 9:30 in the morning yesterday and they hooked up my IV needle and put these white inflatable things on my legs which apparently helps with blood clots during the surgery. Next thing I know the most wonderful man in the world walks around saying he has happy juice for me which of course is going to put me to sleep. I was totally out after that.  However I do remember my doctor who was absolutely wonderful came in and she held my hand right up until I fell asleep. When I woke up she explained to me that I had 4 small incisions and that the cyst I had ruptured and that it would take five days to have it tested as to whether iit was benign or not but that it was most probable to be benign. I have to say that when I woke up I felt absolutely no pain other than the slight chills I had from being put to sleep. I was quickly wrapped with warm blankets and that went away within a few minutes. I went ahead and got dressed slowly and proceeded to get in a wheelchair and see my husband who was an absolute nervous wreck in the waiting room around 1:30. One thing I would recommend is bringing a pillow with you to sit on in the car as well as one to put between your seatbelt and your incisions for comfort. Once we got home I could feel the medication starting to wear off so I did take one pill for pain which made me pretty drowsy but it helped me to sleep. Just be very careful because you get the Superman complex thinking that you can walk around and do anything because you're not feeling anything but when you do that trust me you will pay the next day painfully because my stitches are very sore this morning. I am taking just Motrin because I want to try to listen to my body and rest when I need to move when I can. All in all it was a very good experience for me and the pain has been very minimal. I hope this inspires some of you to not be afraid and look at the light at the end of the tunnel that you will no longer be in pain from the cyst you had before.

[old_before_my_time]

I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis. That was a good idea to have your slides read by a couple other pathologists since they have different levels of experience like other doctors.

Since the cyst on your left ovary is simple, I would not think it would need to be removed unless it gets too large (over 7cm or so) which puts you at risk for ovarian torsion.

It's good you will be monitored closely. I hope you don't have to go through this again!

[NYCLI1976]

Thank you for posting. I had surgery in October 2014 for what was removal of 3 huge cysts on my right ovary. It was supposed to be laparscopic, but when my ob/gyn started surgery, it turned out to be too many adhesions so they converted it to an exploratory laparotomy. Frozen section pathology came back with "serous papillary cyst with focal borderline features".

The entire ovary was removed because of the large cysts, and 2 weeks after surgery, I was told pathology claimed i had a serous borderline tumor. I talked to the pathologist to discuss the report (initially had me at Stage 1A OVCA but I went to MSKCC and NYU which ruled out that part of her report)and was told the BOT part was only 1.8 cm and on the surface of the ovary. I sent my slides to 2 different hospitals (NYU and Memorial Sloan Ketterin) for pathology review and they both confirmed it was a borderline tumor or LMP. I am to be monitored at 3 month intervals with ultrasounds for anything that could happen to my left ovary.

I have a 2.6cm simple cyst on my left ovary now, so I think I may have to get surgery again..I am not sure what to think or do at this point..Its been a roller coaster.

[StacyJP]

Thank you so much for all of your well wishes. They removed the right ovary and what was left of the cyst.

[old_before_my_time]

Glad to hear your surgery went well. Are you saying they removed both ovaries or just cysts?

[CRSeaside]

Thank u for you post. You have an amazing medical group & a super good husband. Speedy recovery.