Ovarian cyst and lower back and abdomen pain...

[Lynnoakdale]

I was diagnosed with an Ovarian Cyst (1.5cm) about 6 months ago.  The doctor put me on Birth Control in hopes to decrease the size of the cyst and to hopefully thin my uterus lining some because it was very thick.  Over the past few months I have had much pain in my lower back and my monthly cramping has become very intesnse to the point that it is hard to function normally without some strong meds.  The ovary was on my right side and I am due to go back for my second ultrasound the end of this month.  I guess my question is with all this pain I am going thru should I be concerned....or is this normal.  I do not have children and have never been pregnant and I have just turned 32.  I am just confused...if I am not on the pill it is painful when I ovulate when I am on the pill my lower back and right side kill me.  What do I do and what questions should I ask.  The nurse told me that if I didnt go on the pill then they would not do another ultrasound.....WHY?  She sugessted a DNC maybe in the future.  Can someone please shed some light on this for me?

[jemma2001]

Hi
i have also been daignosed with a cyst which is 6cm. As i understand in you probably have a functional cyst and the birth control pills should stop you from getting cysts, i think it also reduces the size of the cyst, these cysts usually dispurse on there own after a few menstural cycles. I not sure about the pain, maybe you should see your doctor just to make sure, but i think there should be some pain as i have no pain at all with my cyst.

[MickeyVicki]

You might try getting another opinion from another doctor.

Did anyone tell you what type of cyst that you have?  It seems from your symptoms that your cyst might be growing, rather than shrinking.  At least your symptoms are worse.   There are a number of cyst types, and not all of them shrink as the result of hormonal manipulation through medication such as 'the pill.'   Additionally, some women (such as myself) cannot take birth control pills since they cause horrible side effects.

As for why they would refuse to have another ultrasound if you refused the pill...I too would like to know why.  It sounds a bit like a "control" mechanism to require you to take the first course of action that they demanded.

[MickeyVicki]

Your description of your menses sounds like mine while I had my cyst - scant and very light red in color.  I did not suffer from  cramps or back pain, however.  I did miss a complete  monthly cycle.

My doctor attributed these changes to a disruption of the normal hormone cycle due to the damage the cyst was causing to my ovary.  The cyst essentially forced my ovary out of shape so badly that it was "bruised" with blue streaks in it (I saw the photographs a few weeks after my surgery.)  At the end, days before my surgery, the cyst had grown so large, so fast, that I felt pain in that local area.   The diagnosis before surgery was that my cyst was "complex, with solid components" but at surgery it was found to be a benign endometrioma.

[Lynnoakdale]

jemma2001 & MickeyVicki
Thank you for your comments.  I also do not enjoy taking the pill either.  The last few months (while on the pill) have been the hardest for me because I feel like it is always something.  Either I hurt when I ovulate or cramp like hell with breast tenderness while on the pill.  I exchange one form of pain for another.  I am in the military and yes our medical is free I feel at times it isnt always the best.  I went to the doc yesterday (who is just and independent duty corpman and donest really know much about this stuff) to get some stronger meds.  He gave me Lortab so I took one yesterday and just rested with a heating pad.  I am still cramping bad and my lower back hurts but I am hanging in there until the end of the month.  So does this mean that the cyst is growing since I have been having all this pain?  I wasnt sure if that was the case or not.  Yes I am worried at times but there has got to be another way to deal with this.  I have requested a DNC after my next ultrasound and I told them that regardless of the cyst I was not going back on the pill.  I am a little confused that although I hurt pretty bad I am not bleeding nearly as bad as I normally do.  My period blood is bright red and thin.....could this be due to the fact that my thick uterus linning is preventing me from shedding what I need to during my period?  ANyway I am jsut as confused as anyone and I swear trying to get thru the day is a chore....I have been popping motrin like candy.  Thanks for your support and my heart goes out to the women who have been going thru the same thing.

[Tayzoe]

Sounds Like it could be Endometriosis as well just something to think about I know I'm going through the same stuff right now and I believe I have Endo with my cyst

[Blndgrlblu]

I just joined, so this ought to be helpful for me. Your situation sounds so very like mine. I am 32 years old as well, and for the lat 3 and a half years I have had right lower back pain. Every doctor told me it was a lower back sprain. I couldn't understand how a back sprain could never get better and last three years. My back pain is chronic and unbearable. I recently found out I have an ovarian cyst on the right side which is about 2cm. I strongly believe that my back pain is from the cyst, but I haven't confirmed it from the doctor. I go back on Oct. 1, so we will see. As of now, I depend on pain meds to get me through everyday, but sometimes even that is not enough. I hope you and I both can get through this.

[mommie89]

i also have an ovarian cyst at 16 yrs old i was diagnosed with 5 ovarian cysts i got sent in to emerge after 4 months of continuous bleeding and doctors telling me im fine and theirs nothing to worry about now im 20 yrs old and still have one of my cysts measuring 5cm and in the bigining it n was 7 cm and after my surgery i was told i couldn't have children but i am now a mother of a 21 month old daughter so in all just keep an eye on your cysts and if you need to get a second opinion

[andy997]

my wife is suffering alot from lower back pains due to ovarian cyst and i am so scared because i have no idea on how i can help her, i have taken  her to the doctor but they dont ever seem to help anyone can give us advice please email me ***@****

[jj0205]

im only 10 and my left lower back hurts whenever i move a muchel

[regina3311]

I am 33 years old had been having lower back pain for two months . Finally went to the er they did a ct and found a cyst on my right ovary the size of a tangerine. Went to a gynecologist yesterday he put me on birth control to try to shrink it. He said if it hadnt shrunk by wed i would have surgery on friday of next week. I started my period yesterday and today the pain is unbearable. He said i would have to deal with cramping until wed. So tired of being in pain hard to function like this.

[regina3311]

I stayed so sick yesterday. My fiance' came home from work he said i was very pail and looked very sick, he took me to the er. They did another ultrasound and the cyst is the same it hasnt got any smaller and thank goodness no bigger. They took me off work until my ultrasound on wed morning. I have had ovarian cyst before but not this big and not this painful!!!!

[Leverage]

Its interesting to read all your experiences. I had a complicated cyst removed 9 weeks ago and to date i am experiencing frequent terrible back aches and pain on the left side of my abdomen which was not there before my operation. My periods pains are so so intense it even affects my left leg.

what bothers me is that i am in more pain now than i was before my operation. Could there be something wrong or its part of the healing process.

[Gul209]

I am also having pain in my lower back and abdomen. i went to Doctor and i did urine test which was showing blood  in the urine, i am very scare and taking antibiotic and Monday i have another appointment. If any one have the same problem or have any idea please tell me.
Thanks

[tiredincali31]

I am too having the same problem!! I started my menstrual cycle on wednesday and was in so much pain I didn't move off my couch all day!! I also have a cyst that is 1.8 cm on my right ovary and a 3cm cyst on my left. All the pain was in my lower right side, in my back and radiated down my left leg!! Last month it was so bad I ended up in the ER!! I have also been diagnosed with HPV with low squamous cells on my cervix which I am waiting to get a colposcopy on. Like you ladies I just want to feel normal again. Hope everything goes well for everyone!!

[pjhl1980]

Why is a 10 year old posting and not getting help from her parents about OBGYN problems? Jenna if you are still reading this post go to a nurse at school right away!

As for myself- I came across this thread with same issues. Back pain unbearable and I feel guilty even asking for Percocets or more. These days doctors think you are just trying to score medications. It's been 4 months since my first trip to ER and now a flare up. Abdomen is sore, bloated feeling, feeling as if I must use the bathroom when I don't, and the most hellatious back pain, which was worse than labor pains. I still wish to have more children, so all my OB's advice about just getting the ovaries removed etc. is OUT OF THE QUESTION. Seems to me that bottom line- ovarian cysts cause lower back pain. And enough other issues in that area to cause us all to be confused as to what's going on. It's still just the cysts I'm sure thats causing the havoc. Just a shame there's really nothing much any of us can do about it but just deal.

[ross1972]

im 38 years old  9 years ago i went to the hostital  n they toll me that i got cysts in my left ovary. they gave me pills and i never went back to the doctor. a year ago i start felling bad i went to the clinic and i still have those cysts. now my lower back hurts so bad my abdominal and im so scare to meke love it hurts alot.

[Sandcastle11]

Hi,
        Had a cyst burst before Easter and still have so many issues. Had basicly no symptoms before it bursting. Now I have pain to the right side of the belly button. I have digeative problems. I still have a endometioma on my right side and more complex cysts on my left side. Had fluid in my pelvic are after the burst for many weeks afterward. Have had ulta sound, mri and a uterine biopsy. Am having a repeat ulta sound in a few weeks. The pain on the right to my belly button is the worst and pain in my right hip. If anyone has exsperiance the belly pain please let me know. I was starting to think that maybe I have a hernia but I did not have this pain untill things had burt. Thanks Bea

[moomanoo]

Can anyone help me with what may be wrong with me?
Continuing on from all my above comments, I have this horrible stitch like pain near my left ovary, and down into my groin. It's worst in the morning before I go to the toilet, but then it's there all day. Everytime I push to go to the toilet, cough or even walk it hurts.
Could this be a cyst, my schiatica coming through to the front, or my IBS (a serious problem with my bowel)?
I am really worried it is something bad, and if it's a cyst, that it could rupture, or if it's a blockage in my bowel, it could rupture (very dangerous).
Does anyone have any suggestions, PLEASE!!!!!!!
I have other problems (one being the month before last, I didn't get my period, and I thought I was pregnant. Pregnancy tests done were negative, and I got my next period, that finished about 4 days ago)
Because of other problems also, I have a gynecologist appointment on Friday, and right before that appointment, I am having a gynecological ultrasound done. I will mention this new problem to her.
I have read though, that it is not common to get a cyst if you are on the contraceptive pill. Does anyone know how true this is? Do my symptoms sound like anyone else's?

[shazy22]

I to have the same problem with lower back pain and it travels down my right leg! Also my lower stomach aches. I have just had a CT scan and it came back with a few cysts on both ovaries (right side has a few more or bigger). The gyno I went to on Friday has put me on the pill for 3 months to try to srink them. I have only been on the pill for 4 days and the pain has gotten way werse and is unbearable. I have had this pain now for alomst 2 years and I am soo over it!!!

[EricaMarcum]

You may also have kidney stones they can go from uncomfortable pain, to pain where you need to be sent strait to the er. II get kidney stones alot and what your going through sounds like the same thing to me

[biochemLady]

Is there any update on your condition?  I am in a very similar situation.  Have been having problems for about 2 years, been told everything like my pain is due to my duodenal ulcer, to it is IBS, to it is just temporary pain from the cyst but over all this time I have consistently had a cyst on my right ovary (and every technique to visualize it, it appears a little larger).  It isn't that big overall though at about 2cm x 2cm.  The frustrating thing for me is that most of my pain is on my left side, especially in my lower back.  It has gotten so bad that I am recently (the last couple weeks) to the point of relying on percocet to get through the day and to sleep at night which I hate because it makes me very constipated which means taking other meds to deal with that.  I should mention I am 35, no children, and I have had colonoscopy due to the fact that there is a family history of colon cancer.  Anyway, I keep having doctors treating me like this is in my head or that I am looking for pain meds which couldn't be further from the truth.  I have only had one surgery in the pelvic area (unless you count colonoscopy and then it is 2) and that surgery was a laparoscopy about 15 years ago so I don't think this is due to that.  I have never had a history of endometriosis or overly painful periods (as far as my pain scale is concerned which I have been told I am pretty tolerant of pain) so I have a hard time believing docs when they suggest that maybe this is due to endometriosis.  Anyway, another gyn appoint. tomorrow and an appt with a specialist to talk about a laparoscopy next week.  I desperately need this pain to end as I have never felt anything like this pain before in my life.  Please update me on what the docs told you and I hope and pray it was all good news!  :)

[amyloudit]

I am 28 years old and have been dealing with ovarian cysts since I was 15... getting close to half my life now.  While I have had years inbetween each rupture, the last 5 years seem to be getting worse.  I had a 7cm cyst on my left ovary rupture about 5 years ago, at that time when they did the ultrasounds they found a "chocolate" cyst on my right ovary.  They told me (and since I have tlaked to Doctors who have proclaimed this man an idiot) that it is a medical fact that women with ovarian cysts never have more than 2 rupture in their lifetime, this was my third not counting the "chocolate" cyst. I decided not to go through with the surgery he wanted to do because I had talked to other women who went to him for exploratory surgery like he wanted to do with me, and they came out of surgery missing one or both ovaries. I graduated college, and put it behind me, but about 2 weeks ago it has started again. I suspect I have had a couple little ones (1cm is my guess due to the small amount of pain afterward in comparison) rupture, but everytime I go to the OB they tell me they don't see anything or feel anything in the pelvic exam and they just tell me to take Ibuprofen if I feel pain.  2 weeks ago, while sitting in class at my law school I had one rupture on my left side during class.  I went the very next day (1st available appt) to my new OB/GYN and she did an ultra-sound and found a cyst on my right ovary about the size of a small apple she said.  She told me it is a functional cyst and that it is "bleeding into itself" which she said could be painful, but not to worry about it.  She told me just to go get it rescanned in December.  This was all well and good with me because I knew from experience that it would either rupture or shrink up on its own. Now I am worried though because after a few days I was feeling better, no pain for two days straight, figured I was in the clear.  Then all of a sudden last Friday when I got home from classes it happened again, on the left side.  When she did the ultrasound she couldn't even find my left ovary but found something to the left (which really didnt look like anything to me) and said "I think thats your ovary."  I have read horror stories from women whose cyst was so big that they didn't see it all on the ultrasound because it had attached itself to the wall of their abdomens.  I am really scared that this is what happened to me.  In the last two days/three nights I have been having horrific pain in my lower back, one either side at a time, but never both sides.  I was really scared that it could be something wrong with my kidneys, but instinctually convinced myself it was because of the ovary.  I don't know what to do because I've already had Doctors tell me its in my head, that they didn't see anything so there's nothing there.  I'm, unfortunately, an HMO subscriber and don't have choices of doctors to go to.  I go to a large hospital chain where everything's in the computers and they always re-diagnose whatever the previous doctor had done.  They never stray or contradict each other (at least so far in my experience).  I can't study on heavy pain killers, but neither the naproxen nor the ibuprofen are helping with the pain.  I am missing my second day of classes today because of this pain and we're only allowed 4 absenses before being dropped from the class (each class costs about $4000/semester).  The pain in my back seems to be the worst when I'm lying on my side, or walking and radiates straight through my hip joints (which are frequently in pain anyway due to  unrelated issues) and feels like nothing else I've ever felt!  I was seriously starting to think this was all in my head, but now I see many other women with the same pain. What have any of you said to your doctors to get them to realize the severity of this problem and show them that its not just in your heads?

[moxmox]

I was put on the pill after having my cyst removed which grew to 27cm! I had my ovary, cyst, fallopian tube and one and a half feet of bowel removed. When I went for my first scan it was the size of an orange and grew very quickly over the following week or so. I was lucky and recovered quickly from the op. I have had cyst since varying from 1cm to 5cm in size. None of theses have caused me any bother. I feel very lucky as things could of been slot worse! I was warned I could wake up from the op with a  colonstomy bag, thank god that wasn't the case. This was 10yrs ago now, it's certainly something I won't forget.  

[Jewles81]

Hi I was reading your post n just was wondering u was bleeding alit after surgery or before . Im 24 and my doc told mr I have 3 cyst on my pelvic area n 2 on my uterus that measure 5 cm.. Im scared cause I mever had one any where..