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Ovarian Cyst
Hello, I am 23 and have had a cyst rupture a little over a year ago in my left ovary. I have never been sexually active and have not taken birth control pills and after a week of pain in my right side I went back to the doctor because I wasn't sure if it was appendicitis or not. After an ultrasound it appears I have a 4cm (1.6 in) cyst on my right ovary. Everyone has continued to say if it keeps hurting in a few days come back and see us... it's been 2 weeks now! Still hurting. I also have missed two periods. (again, never been sexually active)
I'm calling the doctor tomorrow. I kind of feel like the medical system is overlooking me because of my age. I have a lot of pressure when I sit, walk, stand, use the restroom. Sharp pains when I cough, sneeze, laugh... I've been pretty incapacitated.
Any advice for talking with the doctor?
I'm calling the doctor tomorrow. I kind of feel like the medical system is overlooking me because of my age. I have a lot of pressure when I sit, walk, stand, use the restroom. Sharp pains when I cough, sneeze, laugh... I've been pretty incapacitated.
Any advice for talking with the doctor?
I had the same sharp, stabbing pains - they started when I laughed, walked, or coughed, but they were tied somewhat to my cycle, so I wrote them off for a long time. They soon took on a life of their own and started hitting me randomly during the day. A transvaginal u/s showed I had a 10cm complex ovarian mass. But I was lucky my technician was good, because she was the one that spotted the subtle shadowing that indicated the type of calcification associated with a dermoid.
I spent the next two days calling around to find a gyn to see me on short notice - it took 7 tries but I finally found one. As soon as the gyn saw my report he scheduled me for surgery - and a week after the u/s I had the dermoid removed via laparotomy (and am still recovering slowly but surely.) But the stabbing pain is gone for the most part, and the risk of rupture or torsion is gone too. They even managed to save part of the ovary, which I'm convinced wouldn't have been possible if I had waited a few months.
The moral: Don't be afraid to be noisy and call daily - as they're unfortunately proving in this case, we have to be our own best advocates for our health. If you have access to a fax, see if you can get a copy of the u/s findings - if not, march down to their office and watch them fax it to your doctor and have them make you a copy.
Best of luck. Just be proactive, ask lots of questions, and never be afraid to follow up. I know this is scary, but you're not alone and many of us are pulling for you.
I spent the next two days calling around to find a gyn to see me on short notice - it took 7 tries but I finally found one. As soon as the gyn saw my report he scheduled me for surgery - and a week after the u/s I had the dermoid removed via laparotomy (and am still recovering slowly but surely.) But the stabbing pain is gone for the most part, and the risk of rupture or torsion is gone too. They even managed to save part of the ovary, which I'm convinced wouldn't have been possible if I had waited a few months.
The moral: Don't be afraid to be noisy and call daily - as they're unfortunately proving in this case, we have to be our own best advocates for our health. If you have access to a fax, see if you can get a copy of the u/s findings - if not, march down to their office and watch them fax it to your doctor and have them make you a copy.
Best of luck. Just be proactive, ask lots of questions, and never be afraid to follow up. I know this is scary, but you're not alone and many of us are pulling for you.
My first cyst ruptured before I even knew it was there. I passed out in the living room floor from blood loss before I realized that there was a real problem. The doctor that did that surgery said that birth control will often keep cysts from growing. He said that the only way to prevent a cyst is to stop ovulation (birth control or pregnancy were my options). I had been in a relationship for 8 years and we decided to start a family. After having my son, I did not start birth control and just had a large cyst and my right ovary removed. I do not like taking pills and have trouble remembering them when I feel fine but I will make them a part of my daily routine now. I truly understand your pain. This last cyst was putting pressure on my lower back and pinching the nerve that runs down my right leg. If these people you are seeing can not get it right, tell them you want a copy of your ultrasound and any other tests they have done and personally carry them to another gyn.
My cyst was bothering me at 3cm, so any size cyst can cause those kind of symptoms.
You need to go to a Gyn office, not a regular dr, and make sure it's a large enough office to have their own ultrasound machine so they can do your TVUS there.
There's no excuse for them to be waffling around like they are.
Keep calling, demanding, and in general be a pain in the a**, cause if you are, they'll do want you want just to get rid of you. :)
I know... it worked for me! :)
Hang in there, and keep us posted!
~Marianne
You need to go to a Gyn office, not a regular dr, and make sure it's a large enough office to have their own ultrasound machine so they can do your TVUS there.
There's no excuse for them to be waffling around like they are.
Keep calling, demanding, and in general be a pain in the a**, cause if you are, they'll do want you want just to get rid of you. :)
I know... it worked for me! :)
Hang in there, and keep us posted!
~Marianne
oh - all the doctor's I'd seen before the obgyn kept saying come back if it's still hurting in a couple days because they didn't know it was a cyst - or think it was anything troubling.
The first doctor I went to tapped on my belly asked me about three questions and then wrote me a prescription for diarrhea. Which wasn't the reason I was in there! I even explained that my stomach gets upset normally now because of the medicine I've been on (lithium)... and their responce was - well you don't have to take the medicine I prescribed if you don't want to. If it's still hurting in a few days - come and see me.
AS IF. It'd been hurting for a week before I saw any doctor... I'm not one to cry at any old ache or pain... but this has gone on long enough.
The first doctor I went to tapped on my belly asked me about three questions and then wrote me a prescription for diarrhea. Which wasn't the reason I was in there! I even explained that my stomach gets upset normally now because of the medicine I've been on (lithium)... and their responce was - well you don't have to take the medicine I prescribed if you don't want to. If it's still hurting in a few days - come and see me.
AS IF. It'd been hurting for a week before I saw any doctor... I'm not one to cry at any old ache or pain... but this has gone on long enough.
OMG I have spent the entire day on the phone trying to figure out what is going on. The doctor that ordered the US was the obgyn midwife - because the doctor was booked.
When I went for the US and told them what was ailing me - they said the nurse must have ordered the wrong type of ultrasound because they would not be looking at my ovaries. So I called the doctor immediately and she said she'd fax over the orders. The next day I had the appt. for the right one - and they said they still hadn't received the orders. I called the doctor's office and the receptionist told me they did send them. Then I talked with someone at the imaging center who was like a manager... she called the office and sure enough they had never sent them - they said to go ahead and do an upper abdominal and they'd fax over the pelvic prescription.
Sooo all that got done on Friday. It was ordered as a wet read so the doctor could tell me today what they were going to do. I called the office - they did not receive the results - call back later. I called back later - nothing. Then my mom called back quite upset wondering if it would be faster if we would hand deliver the results. The receptionist didn't know what to do and said we'd have to wait. (it's been 2 weeks mind you)... I'm ready to rip out my insides.
So I called the imaging center. Sure enough they had not sent the results... due to... "lack of the fax number of where it was supposed to go." So I gave them the phone number. They said they'd be faxed immediately.
We'll see.... It's ridiculous - but if I go back to the ER - they're just going to do all the same tests and tell me to see a specialist. So I go to the specialist and they do all the same tests and then the right arm doesn't know what the left arm is doing!
When I went for the US and told them what was ailing me - they said the nurse must have ordered the wrong type of ultrasound because they would not be looking at my ovaries. So I called the doctor immediately and she said she'd fax over the orders. The next day I had the appt. for the right one - and they said they still hadn't received the orders. I called the doctor's office and the receptionist told me they did send them. Then I talked with someone at the imaging center who was like a manager... she called the office and sure enough they had never sent them - they said to go ahead and do an upper abdominal and they'd fax over the pelvic prescription.
Sooo all that got done on Friday. It was ordered as a wet read so the doctor could tell me today what they were going to do. I called the office - they did not receive the results - call back later. I called back later - nothing. Then my mom called back quite upset wondering if it would be faster if we would hand deliver the results. The receptionist didn't know what to do and said we'd have to wait. (it's been 2 weeks mind you)... I'm ready to rip out my insides.
So I called the imaging center. Sure enough they had not sent the results... due to... "lack of the fax number of where it was supposed to go." So I gave them the phone number. They said they'd be faxed immediately.
We'll see.... It's ridiculous - but if I go back to the ER - they're just going to do all the same tests and tell me to see a specialist. So I go to the specialist and they do all the same tests and then the right arm doesn't know what the left arm is doing!
I would advise you to get a second opinion or go to another ER. I had a smaller cyst rupture in March, with no other findings. I started with the same symptoms you were describing this past Monday. I held out just dealing with the pain, then on Thursday night went into ER. I now had a 7.3cm cyst on my left ovary. They advised me to go home because it was treatable with pain meds and call to schedule surgery with the doctor the following week. Also the fact I had no nausea, fever or vomiting I should be fine. Well not even 24 hours later I started throwing up and headed back to ER. Come to find out you start to vomit because the cyst twists you ovary and cuts off the blood flow. So I had to then go into emergency surgery and they had to remove the cyst..as well as my ovary. So I would highly recommend getting this taken care of ASAP for your own health. Be proactive and persistant. Good luck =)
A cyst can cause a lot of problems and at 4cm it could cause all the ones you mentioned. Mine started to bother me I figure at about 5cm. I agree with above comment.Get another US and ask them whether it is fluid filled(simple)or complex(could mean many things).IT sounds like they think it is a simple cyst and that it will probably resolve itself(which most do at your age).However,don't be complacent-get answers!
Good luck
Mary
Good luck
Mary
Was your doctor an GYN specialist? With pain that long you do need some answers. Be pro-active and get to the bottom of it. Get a repeat of the US and see if the cyst has remained the same size. Good Luck and let us know how you come out.
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