Paranoid 20 year old with blood clot and ovarian cyst treatment questions!

[Mlr0718]

Hey everyone,

My name is Morgan, and up until 3 months ago I would have considered myself a healthy 20 year old. I was having back and leg pains in September, and eventually it got so bad I was in tears walking. My chiropractor ordered an MRI that found blood clots in both my legs. I was in the hospital for 9 days in October, and had surgery that removed about 90% of the blood clots. I am now on blood thinners.

When I was in the hospital they also found what they thought was a dermoid cyst. I can't have surgery to remove it now since I am on these blood thinners. I went to the doctor to have another ultrasound to check on the cyst 3 weeks ago, and they found the cyst along with two huge blood clots that were near (possibly on) my vienna cava. The doctors were schocked, but I left with no real answers for what to do.

From what I understand I either have APA, a blood-clot forming disorder that means I will have to plan my pregnancy and give myself 2 shots in the stomach each day, or I will have to have surgery to remove an ovary along with the cyst. Both of these options kind of stink. I'm only 20 and am a full time student and work two jobs. I'm not ready to have kids (heck, I am not even ready for a dog), but I would like to have the option one day.

I'm so frustrated with doctors not taking me seriously because of my age. I'm also so paranoid. I know it's very rare for the cyst to be cancerous, but then again so is having blood clots at 20 years old. (I was on birth control, but I have never smoked.) My mom was diagnosed with Leukemia in July at 44 years old, and seeing her go through multiple rounds of chemo, radiation, and her bone marrow transplant have me terrified it's cancerous. I just am so frustrated, and I am so sick of relying on Google for my medical questions.

What do I do now? I am supposed to be on blood thinners until April. I am getting blood work done this week to see if I have APA. I'm scared this cyst will rupture. I'm just scared of everything. I want to be young and invincible again!

Thanks,
Morgan

[Mlr0718]

Thank you SO much for the reply. Just to actually have someone who knows what they are taking about give me the time of day is incredible. I got a page full of questions to ask from this site so I am going to try to get an appointment with my gyno surgeon that saw me in the hospital this week to see what to do next.

You reply means so much to me, and I really appreciate it.

Morgan

[MarieMichele]

How large is the cyst? Dermoids are solid but there are other categories of cysts that are also solid looking such as ones caused by endometriosis. These are rarely cancerous but even benign cysts can be troublesome enough to require surgery.You are probably not getting any of this information from doctors that are gynecologists. Doctors in other specialties know very little about ovarian cysts. I would say get this clotting problem under control and get a skilled gynecologist surgeon ( preferably a gynecologist / oncologist ) to properly diagnose the cyst, and remove it if necessary.  Many surgeons can preserve ovaries for younger women that still want to retain fertility. Considering your clotting disorder, you need the top rated gyn doctors that are associated at whichever hospital you prefer....people with enough knowledge and experience to get you safely through surgery if surgery is required.  Best wishes and I hope everything works out for you.