diagnosed with a complex ovarian cyst, fluid and solid and really scared

[tar2017]

hi everyone, for the past few days i have been getting myself very worked up following an ultrasound. in november, i experienced a freakish episode of bleeding, so my period started off at about the expected time with some spotting, increased flow then eased off... i didn't pay much attention as i was going through a bad cold at the same time (as well as having two small children with a cold) and it tapered off. however, it didn't completely stop and i continued to spot for a few further days and saw a nurse about it as i thought maybe my copper coil had dislodged. bleeding got heavier, i started to have lower back pain and right sided lower back pain, the occassional lower right abdominal twinge, passed small blood clots and a slightly larger. then it decreased again and stopped. nurse consulted with a doctor and i was referred to a transvaginal ultrasound. that was on wednesday so 2 days ago. she then told me my right ovary was enlarged / swollen and said it has to be investigated further. she said she would put my results through as urgent and I am to make an appointment with my GP first thing. That alone really terrified me. So yesterday, I phoned up and got in right away. Saw my GP who read through her report and told me it was a cyst the size of a larger plum with fluid and tissue. He tried to reassure me a little and said there is no obvious indication of something nasty (no increased blood flow was something he mentioned) but we are to do a c125 blood test which would take a week. Did that while I was there and went home. I still have lower back pain, lower right back pain, pelvic pain occasionally lower front abdominal pain. This has really worried me because I never had any issues with my ovaries or anything down there. i'm 32 and have two small (3 &1) children and absolutely terrified. so this morning i was convinced my pain was spreading to my lower left and called my surgery. i was able to see a dr and she examined my tummy, did a quick internal and said everything felt ok/soft. so she believes due to me worrying so much i might feel increased pain. she was really lovely and sympathetic so fast track referred me to a gynaecologist so i have to be seen within 2 weeks. im a bit relieved about that. needless to say, i have been googling my symptoms, cysts, complex cysts and cancer non-stop for the past days and although lots of things could be benign, like benign tumors, i feel nothing really fits my cyst. i don't believe i have endometriosis for example and other things , just as they are described, probably don't apply to me.of  course i don't know any of this for certain and so i'm going through this process of elimination and thinking ok this isn't very likely ect and i don't really have any reason to have this cyst so why is it there if not for a malignancy ... sorry for going on about this i'm just beyond terrified

[tar2017]

thanks for your reply! i got my ca125 today, which was 17. so i don't know what to think to that.
i'm hoping to hear about my gyn appt within the next 48 hours.
i don't know the exact size of the cyst, when i went to see my gp the day after my ultrasound, i was just too terrified to even think to ask more questions. dr just showed me and it looked roughly 4-5.5cm

the ultrasound tech the evening before just really freaked me. i had the scan at  6.30 in the evening and she asked if my surgery was still open and if not make an appt first thing and she would put my results through as urgent.
i was expecting to be told that my coil had moved, nothing like this

the onset of my back pain and pain on my right lower front and back side came with the abnormal bleeding i had. most forum posts i've read mention pelvic pain and bloating, but don't mention any bleeding

[silvercharm210]

any update on your surgery? How did it go? Advice for others going through this?

[old_before_my_time]

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. Actually, ovarian cysts are quite common. And they are almost always benign including complex ones. Most resolve on their own within a few months although complex ones are less likely to do so. Keep in mind though that imaging is not exact so what may appear as complex may be a different type of cyst. When they aren't overly large, monitoring is the standard course since you don't want to have surgery unnecessarily. The CA125 test is not very useful as benign conditions can cause an elevated result (false positive). I'm not sure why they even bother doing it. Did they tell you the size of the cyst in centimeters?

If the cyst doesn't resolve and you end up needing surgery, it's best to have just the cyst removed (cystectomy) since removal of even one ovary can permanently impair ovarian function and predispose you to many increased health risks. An intact woman's  ovaries have been shown to produce hormones her whole life (especially increased levels of testosterone in the post-menopausal years) to promote good health.

Best of luck to you in getting good treatment. Please keep us posted.