Severe GI pain then cyst discovered

[extrasmall]

Hi. I am new to this forum as I was just diagnosed with a 7cm ovarian cyst. I am a few days shy of 44.

I went to my gyno because I was having pretty bad abdominal pain and GI distress a week or so before my period and then right after. I thought maybe it was endometriosis since my mother had it. The doc didn't think so but she did a pelvic exam and felt a "fullness" on my right ovary. She ordered an ultrasound and put me on birth control. (I had been on BCPs > 20 years and only off for about 2 years. No particular reason -- just didn't have a gyno since I relocated.)

Two weeks later I woke up with the worst abdominal pain of my life. It persisted for two days and every step was agony. It seemed to be GI related -- I normally have had diarrhea lately but nothing seemed to pass at all. Once some degree of motility returned the pain seemed to follow the GI track. When the "episode" was over I was extremely sore throughout my ab region.

I then scheduled the ultrasound and the doc says there's a 7cm cyst on the right ovary. She doesn't seem too worried about it -- just wants a six week follow up. And I've read all the statistics and acknowledge that the chance of it being cancer are quite low. But then I remember that AWFUL pain and I get scared.

Thoughts?

[kre8tiv]

i am sorry this is lengthy, but i have had similar symptoms as you've described...

i am 29 years old and have been dealing with pelvic and abdominal distress since october '06. unfortunately, i am at a loss for explanation of these sensations and discomfort. all blood tests come back normal (Ca125, h. pylori, hormones, glucose, cholesterol, etc...)

oct/nov '07: extreme nausea, some pelvic cramping and occasional dizziness.  as a newlywed, i considered the possibility of pregnancy - but (a few) tests indicated otherwise. no fever. these symptoms were disturbing, but responded well to rest, pepto and pain relievers.  everything seemed to resolve itself by the holidays.

feb '07: extreme pain in lower left pelvic region. ache in hip area. i was sure it was an ovarian cyst (as i have had them in the past and am familar with their manifestation) however, pain didn't resolve after period but instead became so bad that i spent most of my time sitting reclined,  it hurt to walk and to lift the left leg.  sitting up straight felt terrible and i was aware of a full feeling within my abdomen.  i experienced occasional incontinenece when sneezing and also a change in my bowel movements (looser and lighter in color).  i visited my OB/GYN, who ordered an unltrasound, which revealed nothing out of the ordinary - however i was unsymptomatic at the time of the visit.  post ultrasound, my condition improved, with occasional discomfort presenting itself with prolonged activity.

may/june '07: same symptoms appeared as in february, however the pain was not so isolated to the hip/lower pelvic region, but instead extended up the left side of my body.  referencing the negative ultrasound from feb, my PCP palpated the extremely tender area and suspected a disorder of the descending colon and ordered a colonoscopy.  but just to be safe, she ordered another ultrasound this time; transvaginal and also full abdomenal.  to our surprise, transvag revealed a 5cm hemmorhagic cysts on the left ovary and 2 smaller follicular cysts on the right.  the large cysts was full of "junk" and leaking fluid into the abdomenal cavity.  based on this, a new OB/GYN put me back on BCP with a follow-up ultrasound in august. despite these findings, we still went ahead with the colonoscopy due to the bowel changes and blood in stool.  

july '07: pain continues on left side, and now has been manifesting on right side near bottom of rib and wraps around towards my back.  occasionally sharp pains can be felt in shoulder blades.  despite dietary changes and modified eating schedule, bloating is ever-present.  i feel "gassy" without every really flatulating, but i do find myself burping more often than ususal.  the nausea persists and it affects the amount of food i am willing to eat.  big meal or small meal, i always feel full and uncomfortable.  walking/activity brings on more discomfort - and i am often aware of something inside like a water balloon. colonoscopy had to be aborted before reaching the ascending colon as i had apparently became quite combative while under sedation (i do not remeber the "fight", but i do remember pleading with them to stop because it hurt way too much) what they did see on colonoscopy all appeared normal and healthy, but i can't help wonder about the ascending colon on the right sid  of my body?

i am tired often and cranky - but i think it is much due to the discomfort and my lack of eating at times.  i am uncomfortable 90% of the time (moderate to severe).  i feel as if my pains are getting worse and i see no improvement from taking the pill.  my follow-up ultrasound is coming in a few weeks. i'd really like to continue to investigate the cause of these ailments and wondered if you could suggest a next step. what has worked for you? what about pain management? what other tests, scans or bloodwork will help reveal the underlying cause here?

i value your thoughts and i hope you have been feeling better since your last post.

thanks...

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi There,

Thank you for the complete information. Most cysts are benign. pain is not an indication of cancer. However, i do worry that your very significant pain episode was due to an ovarian torsion.

Torsion means that the ovarian cyst and the ovary with it twist around the blood supply and block the blood supply. This hurts. this can even be an emergency requiring surgery.

if yu have no pain now, repeating an ultrasound in 6 weeks is fine. However, if you have any pain, you should go back to the hospital
take care