fun fun fun

[unkempt.livejournal.com]

so i might have an ovarian cyst. hooray? not so much.

i went out for a cig at work at about four, and got this huuuuge pain in my belly. i thought maybe i just needed to potty, so i went inside and sat on the potty, but i started feeling like i did when i gave blood, all sweaty and dying and passing-out-i-just-need-to-lay-down so i took off my shirt cos i was too hot. then my boots and my pants. and my undies which were already around my ankles. and i lay down on the dirty bathroom floor for about ten minutes, just hoping i didn't pass out naked in the bathroom.

so after a while i decided i didn't really want my co-worker to find me dead and naked in the bathroom, so i got up r e a l s l o w l y and put all my clothes back on, and went and stumbled to the couch. she came out and said i looked really pale and got me some water. it was horrible, i felt so useless, barely conscious but not trying to cause too much trouble. i crawled to the phone and called mom. she said go to the ER. we waited for two hours, then they gave me an IV drip, and took some blood and pee and tested it.

tests came back completely clean, so they gave me a pelvic exam. and said that i might have an ovarian cyst, but they're not sure, so tomorrow i have to get an ultrasound. whee.

anyway, the doctor gave me tylenol with codeine, so i'm a little out of it. if i wake up in the middle of the night i have to take an ambulance back down there. i better not have to wait as long as i did, thou. ugh.

i hate IV's. grrr.

so what does everyone know about ovarian cysts? sounds kind of nasty. has anybody had this experience? what was the outcome? *fretfret*

Comments

Recent Cyst Story

[tempestmoon.livejournal.com]

Hey there,
I just had an ultrasound for a cyst in my left ovary last Wednesday!!
The symptoms I was having were cramps (but only on that side) and especially when I would
get sexually aroused or orgasm..
The good news is that the tests came back clean (tho we still don't know what is causing the
pain in that area.) but as a percausion they wanted me to start birth control pills.
Appearantly that helps to either make it smaller/stop growth/get rid of it all together sometimes..
The ultrasound was a bit uncomfy due to all the water you have to drink and hold prior and during the procedure.
I hope yours turns out as well as mine did!!
Good luck-keep us posted!
~Pandora

Re: Recent Cyst Story

[unkempt.livejournal.com]

yeck, i'm not looking forward to holding my pee. the weird thing about my thingy is that i had No Problems prior to four o'clock to-day. it's so upsetting, really, how fast it all happened. it's not so bad now, i mean, with the nausea gone and all, but i walk all doubled-over and it feels like someone lodged a huge toothpick in my torso whenever i move. it's not so bad when i don't move, but if i have to cough or pee, it hurts like a mother. is this the same as with you? thanks.
-k

[scarlett75.livejournal.com]

Ovarian cysts can be extremely painful. I know, I have them myself.

Diagnosis: through an ultrasound or laproscopic surgery
Treatment: It depends on your reproductive goals. If you are currently trying to become pregnant, there's not a whole lot you can do. If you are not trying, you can try various things: depo-provera, certain BCP's, and other meds. There are certain meds which shut down the ovaries and can alleviate the cysts for a while...but they're not always 100% effective. If you have a laproscopy, they will usually drain any really huge cysts while they're in there. Unfortunately, the treatment options aren't that numerous. I have noticed that my cysts aren't an "all the time" problem, but are kind of cycular in nature...I have problems 3 or 4 times a year.
You will be evaluated for polycystic ovarian syndrome if they see any current cysts or any fluid in your saq (the result of an already burst cyst). This involves a progesterone and hormone work-up (blood test).
The pain that you felt was probably the result of a cyst bursting... there are other things it might have been though, so I would keep your thoughts open to other things. You should DEFINATELY see an OB/GYN or your primary care doctor for a follow-up if the pain continues. And, if the pain subsides, bring it up at your next annual exam.
I hope this helps....

[unkempt.livejournal.com]

thanks so much. i went to mayoclinic.com and looked up some info there, but i always find that other women's input and help from personal experiences is a lot more enlightening. gawd, bursting... that doesn't sound so good. the doc said that sometimes your body just absorbs it and everything's okay, and the hospital's going to call me tomorrow about getting an ultrasound to make sure that's what it is. yeck.

thanks so much.

Re:

[scarlett75.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. Yeah, bursting is kind of a graphic term. The doctor at the hospital was right, sometimes they are reabsorbed (sort of), but often times they pop (like a blister popping). It's not the "popping" that hurts... it's the excess (a couple of ounces at most) fluid that is now irritating OTHER THINGS that is uncomfortable/painful. As the fluid is reabsorbed into the body, the pain subsides...make sense?

I'm glad that they are going to have you follow up with ultrasound. If they do discover that you have cysts...it's something you need to watch. I know my cysts flare up when I'm pregnant, big and bad. And, some people have experienced more problems on the pill (with the cysts). Anyway... let me know how it all turns out.

[flailingmandy.livejournal.com]

Hi there. I don't belong to this community, but I was browsing through the friends list of an acquaintance and happened upon your post.

This summer I underwent an operation for cysts on each of my ovaries, teratoma cysts to be more specific. I had no pain beforehand, the only symptom I exhibited was that the time between my periods grew longer and longer with each cycle. At one point, I was only bleeding about twice a year. We went through a whole course of treatments, including the bc pill (didn't work), and blah blah blah this part doesn't pertain to you. The point is this: I went in for an ultrasound and they found two unusual shapes on the screen. After that, surgery took place about a month later. They tried first to remove the cysts using the laproscopy technique, but the growths were too big, (each the size of a large egg - I have pictures, they're cool) and both were wrapped around my ovaries which made the procedure very delicate. In the end they went ahead and did the full laprowhatever (I don't remember the name - meaning they went ahead and cut me open). I was left with 15% of one ovary, and 10% of the other, which will make having children difficult but still possible. and my periods are finally normal on their own, which is nice. I was in the hospital for three days, and it took about 2-3 months to fully recover - but I was up on my feet by the end of the week after surgery (not for long periods of time, mind you). I have a thin scar about as long as my hand that runs horizontally on my belly.

Phew, I just read over this post, and I hope I didn't scare the crap out of you. My case really was an exception in these things, I think most women with ovarian cysts have a relatively painless procedure with the laproscope, if anything. If you have any questions about my thing, feel free to ask away. :) Well, however it turns out for you, good luck!

[unkempt.livejournal.com]

yick! glad you're ok, thou.

Sorry to intrude....

[walneto.livejournal.com]

Well, your symptoms sound exactly like my gall-stone attack this past Spring only the pain was in my upper abdomen. I thought I was having a heart attack. Sucks don't it?

Re: Sorry to intrude....

[unkempt.livejournal.com]

sucks indeed!

[(Anonymous)]

My best friend has one that just got diagnosed last week. Hers was just as surprising as yours- she just woke up one day and it hurt like hell. So she went to the ER and they said kidney stones, then she went to the obgyn and they said cyst. They did the ultra sound and all that jazz and since it was only two inches big (only??) they put her on a brand new birth control pill. It's called... Aleva? It sounds like a girl's name. Apparently this is the most effective treatment aside from surgery, and it will shrink the cyst right up. If not then it'll have to be removed. They said the sudden onset wasn't a rupture though, but probably since she slept at a different angle it suddenly started putting pressure on other things. Unfortunately they're rather common, but easily treated.

Alesse

[tempestmoon.livejournal.com]

Think this might be the pill you're talking about..
Its the one they gave me to shrink/get rid of a cyst.

Re: Alesse

[unkempt.livejournal.com]

hmmm...

[tyrsalvia.livejournal.com]

Ultrasounds are rather uncomfortable, but they don't hurt in the slightest. You have to drink lots of water and wait until you feel your eyeballs are turning yellow, and then they poke at your belly. It's not nearly as bad as I was worried it was going to be before I had one, if that's any comfort.

If what you have is indeed ovarian cysts, it's a scary and sometimes painful or surgery-inducing thing, but it's not lifethreatening or debilitating.

Good luck on your tests. Please post your results on here so we can offer any support you need.

[unkempt.livejournal.com]

yeah... i'm actually about to update to menstrualhut. i'm feeling much better now. and MY blue goop was WARM! mmm.

[ailbhe]

Ovarian cysts sound scary, but it might help to remember that every month, when you ovulate, you form a little cyst that the egg pops out of. Myself and my sister have both had ovarian cysts, though hers were more serious than mine.

When you go for an ultrasound, you may need to drink coffee instead of just water, to fill your bladder more quickly. I always do. If they put blue goop on your tummy it can be a bit cold, but blue goop is kind of interesting. Also, you may need a transvaginal ultrasound instead of an ordinary external one for some reason; again, I always do. It's not bad, it doesn't hurt, and it doesn't mean you're an alien from the moon.

Mine just went away after a while, and my sister was put on the pill. I know one woman who had an ovary removed due to cysts, and she went on to have a fine life, including children and so on. She only got PMS once every two months though.

[unkempt.livejournal.com]

yeah, mine was just a cyst that didn't go away when i ovulated, so it popped, they think. took a few days to feel better, but it does. thank you!

[gigglinggorgon.livejournal.com]

My sister is going through exactly what you described right now. They have found that it's not an ovarian cyst *which they thought at first* and narrowed it down to either endemetriosis or a uterine infection. Either way, it's been over a month and she's still in pain, which makes me mad... they should just FIX IT!!!! anyway, whatever it is, I hope that all is well for you! Be agressive and make sure they go a head and find/deal with the problem!

[unkempt.livejournal.com]

ouch... sounds painful...

Re:

[gigglinggorgon.livejournal.com]

yeah, it does. I hope it all works out... for both of you!

My story with a cyst

[ex-sully914.livejournal.com]

Hi There,

I was just reading through all of the posts, and I figured that I would add in my own story about my cyst. In March I woke up with horrible pain on my right side, I went to the ER and they told me that it may be a cyst and that it should go away onits own. The pain did subside, so I just kinda forgot about it. Got married inthe end of May...two weeks later, I was driving to work when I started to get crazy pain on my right side again. I went back home and started to vomit because the pain was so bad. My dad came and got me and brought me to the ER. They did an ultrasound and confirmed that I had a 7.5cm cyst on my right ovary. I was sent home (after morphine--which didn't help). Went to an obgyn the next day where they said to wait out for two cycles on the pill. Went back in August and they cyst had grown. I had to have surgery on Sept. 21st. The cyst was the size of a large grapefruit and it had twisted and killed my ovary and tube, so they had to remove them along with the cyst.. My doctor had to call in her partner because it was a tough job. They also found stage one endo. Whewwwww. Now for the positive part. My sugery was done laparoscopically. Meaning that I have three TINY scars that continue to fade. I went home the SAME DAY, and went back to work in a week. It was amazing. During the sugery (three hours) they even went out and showed pictures of the procedure to my family.

Just to let you know, that I am a HUGE HUGE worrier, and I didn't think that it was bad at all. Of course, I was nervous, I had never had surgery before, but I was so thrilled with the results. I just want to let you know, that if this is anything like what happened to me, if you have a good doctor, they will take care of you! I wish you the best. I hope that everything turn out fine!

Take Care.

Re: My story with a cyst

[unkempt.livejournal.com]

yuck yuck yuck=surgery

I've had them too

[bonniebon.livejournal.com]

but for me it seems to be different. I think I have one at the moment, I get them occasionally, like once a year or something. I get a dull achey pain in the lower abdomen, different to cramps, usually on one side and often accompanied by swelling, sometimes both sides. At times the pain was pretty bad and I had to lie down. What I usually find is that its worse when sitting in a way that compresses my belly, but feels better when I stretch out or lie down. The cysts I've had have got better on their own after a few cycles.
Perhaps you had such intense pain because the cyst ruptured and/or bled, they can do that and the symptoms when that happens are very much how you described.
BTW, I had a long session of reiki healing once when I had it and that fixed the problem a treat! I didn't have a recurrance for almost a year. Your gyn will probably recomend going on the pill, which also helps because it puts your ovaries to sleep!
good luck, I hope it gets better.

p.s. about sex...

[bonniebon.livejournal.com]

just thought I'd add, whenever I have cysts, sex can be very painful, any positions that involve deep penetration (eg doggy style) can cause pain around the ovary which is affected. I found the trick though, missionary position with legs closed causes no pain whatsoever (as does any position where penetration is limited). (I still like to have sex when I have cysts because I find that orgasms are the best pain killer!)

Re: p.s. about sex...

[unkempt.livejournal.com]

hehehhhehee... thanks for the tips!