Dermoid Ovarian Cyst

[Onyx31]

I was just diagnosed with a dermoid cyst on my left ovary. At first the GYN said it was a hemarghic (sp?) cyst, but after a second interal sonogram, he says its a dermoid cyst, that grew in size in two weeks time , that needs to be removed. My main concern besides basic health is how long will I take to recover. He told me I would stay in the hospital for 3-4 days and would be in recovery for 6-8 weeks. It just seems so long, but he hasn't told me what kind of a procedure he will perform, whether it will be laparoscopic or laparotomic surgery. So, my question is what are the averagae recovery times for either procedure? And can I get disability for this procedure?

[fungirl1011]

It sounds like you are having a laparotomy.  It will take your body 6-8 to recover from this surgery.  You may feel ok, but your scar will need that long to heal internally.  Head your doctors advice, as you do NOT want to open your incision.  No lifting of anything over 10 pounds either.  After you get out of surgery, you can expect to be in pain (thankfully they give you good drugs to help with that ;-) but will be hooked up to an IV with fantastic pain meds.  Depending on the time of your surgery, they may have you up and walking around the same day.  It may be painful at first, but in the long run it will help speed up your recovery.  If you have any other questions, feel free to private message me.  I am know as the "queen of surgery" around my house.  I have had 10 abdominal surgeries in 9 years and looking to possibly having another one.  Please keep us posted on how you are doing!!

[MarieMichele]

For what your doctor described it is definitely laparotomy (open surgery).  This is the surgery I had, although not for a dermoid.  You can read my story in my profile.