Multiseptated Cystic Lesion In Left Adnexa Causing Concern...Advice?

[bswizzle]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to these forums and in search of some advice. I've been having lower left back/flank pain and lower left abdomen tenderness for a several months. I went for a yearly female check up in June to discuss with my Gynecologist and she suspected Endometriosis from my symptoms and was scheduled for a vaginal ultrasound just to make sure there was not something else going on which I ended up canceling and not rescheduling. I had been diagnosed with diverticulitis in May of 2008 via CAT scan, at the age of 30 so she was initially thinking that my problems were more GI related.

I'm not one to go to the doctor very often, but I finally went to a GI doctor on August 27th because this lower left back pain is a constant nag and I'm truly tired of it. Also, I began to panic a little when I sat down and did the math about my weight loss. In January, I weighed 142 pounds. I am now down to 109. I have not dieted, nor tried to lose weight. I didn't really think about it before, I went back to work on Jan 26th after staying home for 6 years with my children, so I fully expected to lose some weight. Now however, I'm still losing weight and I'm unable to eat a full meal without my stomach feeling stuffed and gorged. I've noticed also, that the past few weeks I've developed an aversion to meat. I can eat like ground beef (small bite size meat is ok), but pork chops...steak (something I have to cut up), etc I avoid because it's too painful to eat.

Ok, so my GI dr sent me for a CAT scan to make sure there wasn't something obvious and scheduled me for an upper and lower scope in Oct. She also sent me for  blood work which all came back normal. Thyroid, Lipase, CBC and AFP all fine. However, on the CAT scan there are a few things that I'm concerned about and am hoping that maybe someone here can give me a little bit of comfort/advice...anything at this point.

They did find these on the CT:

Multispetated cystic lesion in the left adnexa with a possible internal high density component, which measures up to 3.2 x 2.8 cm. There is a curvilinear high attenuation region withing this multicystic area.

Sigmoid diverticulosis (which I fully expected)

Hemangioma in the right aspect of the L1 vertebral body.

Simple cyst on my liver which I was told was nothing to worry about.

I have called and rescheduled the ultrasound for Monday, the 14th, but can't even get a nurse to call me back to ask what this could be. When the nurse from the GI doctor called, they just said that I had a cyst and needed to call my gynecologist and didn't make mention of the hemangioma.

My questions are, is this cyst in the adnexa region something I should be worried about given my symptoms? Is the size large? What does high density component mean? What the heck is a hemangioma in the vertebral body and is it possible that it's related?

Here is a break down of my symptoms:

Lower left back pain, my biggest most annoying complaint.
Left lower abdomen pain, seems to be more cycle related which led the gyn to possible endo.
Weight loss, over 20% of my weight in 7ish months.
Early satiety.
Painful intercourse, and I mean painful....more so around the middle of my cycle.
Pain in the abdomen when sitting quickly, or standing quickly.
Pain that shoots down the back of my leg to my knee the first 2-3 days of my period (maybe sciatic pain?)
Extreme fatigue, like can't make it up the steps before I want to lay on the floor tired.
Frequent urination at least hour, and I drink no more than 40 oz of liquid a day.
Constant constipation.
Heavier vaginal discharge, I assumed it was cycle related also.
I constantly feel bloated, but with so much weight lost, it's not really visable, so maybe it's just in my head.

Anything you guys can give me would be so much appreciated. I'm at a loss as to what to do next, or maybe I'm just over reacting and it's really nothing to stress over.

[outdoorsgirl]

Try not to worry - most cysts are benign. Best to let your gynecologist look over the results and explain them to you. Your doctor will probably want to do a transvaginal and pelvic ultrasound along with a pelvic exam. And then go over the results with you and what should be done. We can drive ourselves crazy trying to figure out what was "meant" by a certain comment over the phone. In my experience and also from reading the posts on this site, all cysts are measured and once they reach a certain size, surgery to remove is recommended. This does not indicate they are malignant, just that size causes problems, regardless. I do not know what a hemangioma is, so I can not advise you there.

[bswizzle]

Thanks for your response. I was feeling a little more composed today, and not so freaked out until I spoke with the receptionist at the imaging company. I had called to see if the doctor who interpreted my results could send over the size of the hemangioma to my PCP, and his response was that he doesn't bother measuring benign cysts..... So, does that mean he thinks the cystic lesion is malignant? Arg....I should have just not called >.<

[outdoorsgirl]

Lots of symptoms - something a gynecologist would need to test and discuss with you. The symptoms could very well be due to the cyst, from what I've read on this forum. Also some could be due to other things - the heavier vaginal discharge could be due to maybe fibroids? A gynecologist would be able to detect these as well. The weight loss can be due to a variety of causes, you may have other things going on as well. I would say get the lowdown from your gynecologist and go from there. And tell your doctor all your symptoms - if they are good, they may be able to refer you to other doctors as needed for possible other problems.