cyst attached to uterus ???

[EsMommy03]

I'm a 36 yr. old with one child.  I only have one ovary (right one was taken out @ 16yr. old due to lots of cysts).  I have gotten cysts on my only ovary in the past but this time I have one attached to my uterus.  Has anyone had this before?  Any advise?  I'm assuming the fact that its attached is significant but I'm trying not to freak out.

Thanks ahead of time,
Kristina

[old_before_my_time]

I am so so glad to hear that you were persistent about keeping your organs! It is appalling how often this happens! They need to totally revamp medical training and the insurance authorization and reimbursement systems to stop the overuse of organ removal - hysterectomy and oophorectomy. They need to learn how to do myomectomies and cystectomies as well as use of non-surgical treatments before cutting!  

I hope your recovery is going well.

[edentrillick]

Thank you so so much for your advice. The voice in my head was saying "they are treating you like a dried up old spinster and if they take everything out now it will save them doing it some other time" I kept insisting right up to the day of surgery that if this was benign I didn't want everything ripped out. I spoke to the surgeon who said treatment in a case like mine was text book abdominal hystorectomy incase it was malignant we talked some more and on the 22 September I had surgery laporotomy were they removed the cyst my right ovary and tube and my appendix as these had all been crushed by the cyst. Once again thank you

[old_before_my_time]

What is the reasoning for not removing just the cyst? Something just does not sound right yet your story is not unusual as far as unnecessary organ removal. My inner voice told me something just did not seem right but I dismissed it thinking no doctor would remove organs unnecessarily. Boy was I wrong!

Gynecologic cancers are very rare so if you do not have a family history, studies show that organ removal does much more harm than good. Unfortunately, we have to be our own advocates since we are the ones who will have to live with the consequences.

[edentrillick]

Sorry for not getting back sooner its took me a while to get my head round it.  Seen the doctor on 3 July and the relief of speaking to someone I trust I was hysterical for 15 mins before I could speak, she was horrified by the way the situation had been handled by the so called specialists, but, has said I am jjust unfortunate it is a simple case of it is hard to get at place there is nothing to suggest it is cancerous its simply it needs to come out and there is no other way of getting it out.

[old_before_my_time]

The fact that they plan to wait 3 months until doing surgery would indicate that this is not serious. The good thing is that the cyst may go away in that amount of time. But even if it does not, surgery is probably not necessary.

[edentrillick]

Thank you so much, this has calmed me down a bit, my own doctor is excellent and I will get to her on the 3 July, I think she is only saying I need the surgery as these people are supposed to be "specialists" I had the blood test done for cancer and it came back absolutely fine they also said (which dident fill me full of confidence) that the operation would be within 3 months but if I hadent heard in that time to contact them as they would have forgotten about me!!!!

[old_before_my_time]

I typed a lengthy reply and between getting used to a new keyboard and sporadic internet access, I lost most of it. So let me start over.

You are right to be concerned about the treatment recommendation since hysterectomy is one of the most overused surgeries in a number of countries. Ditto for ovary removal. Also, it is one thing to have an unnecessary surgery but much worse when that surgery is medically proven to do more harm than good in the great majority of cases. Only about 2% are done for cancer. The uterus and ovaries have lifelong functions as detailed in the HERS Foundations' video "Female anatomy: the functions of the female organs." Pubmed or Google Scholar are good resources for pulling medical studies about the after effects of hysterectomy and oophorectomy (ovary removal).

Your story is VERY similar to mine. I had an ovarian cyst and my gynecologist used ovarian cancer scare tactics (more by his actions than his use of the "c" word such as not wanting to tell me much and rushing me into surgery saying it had to come out quickly). The frozen section done in the operating room was benign but he still removed all my female organs. It has been 9 years since I was de-sexed and I am still horrified that this happens. It is much more prevalent than women realize.

The loss of my organs has destroyed my once very healthy, youthful body and appearance and negatively affected every aspect of my life. I aged horrifically fast in just 4 months. And I detest the hysterectomy figure (bulging lower abdomen and scrunched, thick midsection) even though I have not gained weight and am underweight. The resulting back pain is another side effect that is hard to accept.

Please insist on more information about your condition. Many cysts resolve on their own not requiring any intervention. And cysts can be in the body and not require removal. I have cysts on my liver and kidneys and no one has suggested I treat those! If you had a cyst on your arm, it would not necessarily be removed and they certainly would not remove your arm! It is possible that the cyst is not even the source of your pain.  

I wish I had done things very differently when I was told I needed surgery. I miss the "old me" more than I could ever explain.

I will have no or sporadic internet access over the next couple weeks so I apologize if I don't see and answer future posts.

[old_before_my_time]

You are right to be concerned. Your story is VERY similar to mine. I had an ovarian cyst and my gynecologist used ovarian cancer scare tactics (more by his actions than his use of words such as not wanting to tell me much and rushing me into surgery saying it had to come out quickly). The frozen section done in the operating room was benign but he still removed all my female organs. It has been 9 years since I was de-sexed and I am still horrified that this happens. It is much more prevalent than women realize.

The loss of my organs has destroyed my once healthy body and normal life. I aged horrifically fast in just 4 months. My bladder and bowel are now sitting on my v

[edentrillick]

I am 46 and never had children. I have been rushed through everything (which is good and can catch cancer early) they did say all the signs were good but no one has explained anything to me I no nothing apart from what I have read in the leaflet and I am scared at the minute I think I would rather deal with the pain and let it kill me than let these "so called" specialists anywhere near me

[edentrillick]

Sorry cyst attached to my uterus not ovary

[edentrillick]

I was having awful pain in my right side from 10 March which out of hours doctor thought was appendix but told me to go to my own doctor to arrange an ultrasound for fibroids. I went to the ultrasound and half way through the girl went and got a consultant who continued the ultrasound and then sent me straight to have a CT scan and then I got sent home. My own doctor contacted me to say I had a cyst and would have a guinie appointment within 2 weeks. I went to the guinie appointment and they did a pelvic ultrasound told me I had a cyst attached to my ovary and "here is what we are going to do we are going to remove everything and lets be absolutely clear what I mean by everything 2 ovar, 2 tubes, uterus and cervix so you wont have periods or cervical smears and here is leaflets to explain it to you" I am horrified and worried I have not a clue why such extremes are needed I have made and appointment with my own doctor to see if she can explain it to me but she cant see me till the 3 July

[old_before_my_time]

Welcome to the community. Your doctor should explain this to you. But regardless which is the case, fibroids and ovarian cysts are very common and usually don't require any treatment. So if in doubt about what treatment is being recommended, please post back and I will try to answer your questions.

Were / are you having symptoms that prompted an ultrasound?

[edentrillick]

I have this and have been told nothing and don't understand. What type of cyst is it? is it an ovarian cyst that has attached to the outside of the uterus or is it a fibroid that has attached to the uterus?