Had surgery for complex cyst. Pain and symptoms are back.

[mommaof5littles]

Hi there! I started having pelvic pain about 8 months ago. I went to my GP. She order ultrasound. Results were:
Right ovary: 5.74cm L x 3.31cm H x 4.30cm W, Volume: 42.80ml
Left ovary: 2.07cm L x 1.26cm H x 9.80mm W,
Volume: 1.30ml
-A complex separated ovarian cyst was found on my right ovary: 5.0x3.7x3.1cm

She referred me to my gynecologist for follow up. The gyn insisted it was a cyst that would go away on its own. The pain just kept getting worse and worse. I couldn’t sleep, workout, could hardly eat due to feeling full and bloated, nausea/vomiting, acid reflux, and the list goes on. I started bleeding almost every day of the month, with maybe a break of 3-4 days before bleeding would start up again. The pain spread to my left side as well. Finally, the gyn scheduled surgery to remove the cyst. After surgery, she told me she drained the cyst but did not remove it or biopsy anything. But, she had also found a cyst on my left ovary, which explained the pain that had spread. She drained that as well. She told me all my symptoms should go away.
From the day of surgery, for four weeks straight, I continued to bleed heavily and then the pain started getting severe again. I called the office multiple time, and all they told me is there was no reason I should be in pain or bleeding every day, since she had drained the cysts.
Well, here I am four months later, and the pain is excruciating. It has spread to my upper legs, lower back, etc. My legs swell and my abdomen is so painful to the touch, that my kitten cannot even sleep on my stomach.
I went back to my GP, and she ordered another ultrasound. These are the results:
Right ovary: 6.24cm L x 4.28cm W x 2.97cm H, volume: 41.50ml
Left ovary: 3.79cm L x 1.75cm W x 2.24cm H, volume: 7.80ml
Right ovary has complex cystic lesion measuring 4.1cm x3.2cmx2.7cm, with single nodularity, septation, internal echoes & densities. It is noted this lesion seems to have been aspirated(so, I’m assuming this is from her draining this during surgery and it is the same lesion??). Left ovary has complex cyst measuring 1.8cmx1.2cmx0.9cm.

My GP advised me to see a new gynecologist as soon as possible. I’m in immense pain every day and simple daily tasks are becoming impossible. Does anyone have similar experiences? Getting cysts drained but nothing was biopsied and then having the symptoms come back almost immediately and worsen every week. I am still bleeding about 20-25 days a month. And I have contsant breast soreness, backaches, etc.

I do apologize this is so lengthy. I’m getting to a breaking point with this pain. And, I’m still trying to get my records transferred to the new gyno. And, it has taken a couple weeks for that :(.
Oh, and I’m a 35 year old momma of five kids, ages 4-10 :)

[old_before_my_time]

I'm sorry you're going through this! How awful especially with 5 kids to care for! With the extreme and worsening symptoms, I wonder if there's some sort of infection or surgical complication because the cysts aren't that large. But even before the cysts were drained, your symptoms seemed worse than what is typical for the cyst size. But then some women do have more severe symptoms than others.

Are you having any problems with your bladder or bowel? Did you have them prior to the surgery to drain the cysts or did they develop or worsen after surgery?

If you have surgery to remove one or both cysts, it's important that they remove just the cysts (cystectomy) and not the ovary or ovaries (oophorectomy) since we need our ovaries our whole lives for good health. They continue to produce hormones, especially androgens, after menopause. Removal of even one ovary has been shown by medical studies to increase our risk for some diseases and chronic conditions. The uterus also has lifelong functions - sexual, hormonal / endocrine, and anatomical (organ and skeletal structure).

I hope you get answers and relief soon! Please keep us posted.

[mommaof5littles]

Thank you so much for responding. Honestly just reading this response makes me feel not so alone.
I have been having quite a lot of difficulty with my bladder and bowel since before surgery. About the time I started having all the pelvic pain, I thought I might have a UTI or kidney stones, because the pain was bad but I also was having to pee like those conditions or as if I was pregnant. After surgery, I had about 3-4 weeks where those symptoms were better. But, in the past month or two, I’m back to waking up 4-5 times a night to pee :(. As for bowel issues, I’m incredibly bloated. If I eat even like a half sandwich or something comparable, I feel like my abdomen is completely full! I look pregnant, and I know what that looks like, as I’ve birthed 5 kids! But, it’s not just he bloating and fullness, I alternate between constipation and severe diarrhea. All month long, because I don’t even have a cycle anymore or any markers to go by, because I bleed most days of the month. But, the urinary and bowel issues are severe. They were severe prior to surgery, subsided for maybe 3-4 weeks, but now get more severe with each week.

[mommaof5littles]

I started having problems with pain from ovarian cysts about 3 years ago. But, within the last year, they have intensified to an extreme. Even this evening, I was driving to the grocery store with my kids, and I had to pull over on the side of the road just to throw up. I can hardly walk at times because the pain gets so sharp and severe. But, I’m at a lost at what to do, because the new gynecologist won’t see me until they receive the records from my previous gynecologist. And even a week or two feels like an eternity, with this pain.
Anyway, I do want to thank you, because the information you gave me and the kind words, truly have helped me tremendously!

[mommaof5littles]

I also wanted to add that there are many other symptoms I have in addition to my already long post :(
I have sharp cervical pains, night sweats, sex is unbearably painful, laughing/coughing/sneezing is so painful it stops me in my tracks, and the constant bleeding is heavy(never spotting). Again, so sorry for the long posts. Thank you to anyone who might have experiences to share in relation to these issues.