ovary aheared to abdomial wall

[incywincyspideragain]

so I had a scan today and the doctor said several times 'any questions?' and my mind was blank, now obviously I have loads

I have abdo/pelvic pain, have done for last 6 months, like a dull period pain type ache, its worst (stabby kind of pain) when I lift heavy stuff (found that out doing DIY/lifting children) so now I know why (I also found out I have polycystic ovaries which I didn't know before) but I'm not sure what to do about it.

Doctor said I can (a) leave it and live with it or (b) opt for laparoscopy and they will try and move it back to where it should be

so I forgot to ask what are the chances of it getting better (magically) all by itself? and what is the risk if I decide to get pregnant with out having it 'released'? Doctor had no idea how it could have happened as I haven't ever had surgery and 3 normal pregnancies and deliveries (which he was supprised at looking at the state of my ovaries - wish I'd asked what he meant by that too) I've googled a little but scared to look too hard! anyone been in this position? I searched MN but only found references to cysts that need removing....

My ovary was adhered to my bladder which they discovered in my second c section, they detached it but not sure what else they did. i have been in lots of pain and am having a laproscipy (sp) in august due to pain and my c section report saying I had extensive adhesions. I have had to. consent for them to do what's needed during procedure. Very strange can happen without previous surgery.

I know doctor asked me a few times if I has sure I hadn't had surgery or had anything to tell him I kind of think I would remember that - again I googled and couldn't find anything that would cause it to happen without it being surgery related
I really hope your surgery goes well this time, I would be keen to avoid surgery as I'm worried it could make it worse plus having never had surgery it scares me too

bump - anyone else have any experience of this, its keeping me awake tonight off for pain killers now

Both my ovaries were adhered to my pelvic wall on scans before my hysterectomy last year. I had them left in so I assume they are still stuck and it's not causing me obvious problems.
Hth

incy

No googling!.

Polycystic ovaries are quite common; around 1 in 5 women show signs of polycystic ovaries. There is no one therapy or treatment that will eradicate this; polycystic ovaries can also cause irregular periods to arise. However, they do not always cause problems with trying to conceive. Such cystic follicles (they are not cysts in the usual sense of the word) do disappear over time only to be replaced by further cystic follicles. The sonographer may have noticed that your ovaries are larger than normal walnut size; that is also typical of polycystic ovaries.

The adhesions you have are something else entirely and these are usually removed via surgical means like the lap they have proposed. However, I would ask lots of questions of the gynae cons before you have any such surgery as this is a steep learning curve and in such cases the more prior experience the surgeon has, the better.

Drugs will not touch adhesions once they are formed; they are sticky strands that tether organs together and cause pain like you have described.

You've never had your appendix out?. No prior c-sections?. Either could trigger adhesions to arise; its usually as a result of abdominal surgery of some kind.

I've never had any surgery, 3 natural deliveries, never had GA (I even checked with my mum to be sure!) really don't want anything invasive if I can avoid it as worried thats the start of more problems - as you've said surgery can lead to more problems.
Can these things even happen spontantoeusly?? what could be the 'route cause'?

I think you are right the PCOS is probably a red herring but I'm concerned it makes doing anything with my ovaries/abdomen difficult.

Had an appointment with consultant yesterday and she suggested a diagnostic laparoscopy (the pain isn't getting any better) - I'm really worried, mostly because I've never had any kind of surgery and this feels extreme

She said she can fit me in at the end of the month - the timing is awful with School holidays.

Anyone know how long it takes to recover? How long will I need off work?

One of the dates suggested is the day before a Nursery trip to the zoo now (bearing in mind I have no idea) am I being ridiculous to think that I can still go with the children?? (as a parent and my mum is coming too...)

You need a more skilled surgeon rather than one who is proposing to do just a diagnostic laparoscopy. I would personally not accept a purely diagnostic lap as this leaves the way open to more surgery. I would ask outright her what she proposes to do if she finds a lot of adhesions; if she is only doing this to confirm what is happening then I would talk to another surgeon and get a second opinion. It sounds to me like she is not skilled enough to do more complex surgery if she finds adhesions etc. Adhesions will need to be surgically removed; drug treatment does not get rid of adhesions once they are formed.

A lap is keyhole surgery done under general anaesthetic. It usually takes 2 days to recover from such surgery; the CO2 gas that is used in the operation to give the surgeon a better view of the organs travels upwards and can cause pain to arise.

What she said was if she finds a 'simple' adhesion - she described this as one that had a small number of 'strands' attaching it then she said she would cut and move the ovary back to its desired position. Any more than that she said she would wake me up to discuss the options, she said ovaries were very vascual and could bleed easily so it would be best to be cautious if the adhesion looked large. She described it as diagnostic because there was no real 'plan' and she didn't intend to do anything with out having a look first.
The scan showed one adhesion of the ovary - she said that it would be difficult to know exactly how many there may be and therefore a lap would give the best diagnostic - does that sound right? Is there anything less invasive to find out more? I had an internal exam and she had a good prod of my abdomen which was painful

She did also say she could give me anti inflamatories but that would only help the pain and not resolve anything in the long term - which echos what you said.
She was recommended by GP as one who had experience in this area - I hope my GP was right. I also had swabs (to check for any infection that could have caused an inflamitory event that caused adhesion although she commented my cervix looked good and if I had had infection it might have cleared although it was best to check there was nothing hanging around) and bloods done (that was for the PCOS side of things to see what my levels are so I could decide later if I wanted to do anything about them)

I'm really not that confident about any of this feel tearful that I have to consider any kind of surgery, I value your thoughts especially as you seem to feel quite strongly about the course of action

I am usually very fit and healthy, I avoid doctors and hospitals like the plague so this is really new - not enjoying any of it and tempted just to put my head in the sand and pretend like it doesn't hurt at all

I would seek a second opinion in your circumstances from another gynaecologist. This warrants a second opinion.

Endometriosis is usually only diagnosed through such surgery; blood tests and ultrasounds do not usually detect this as the endometriosis deposits are so small. I was diangosed with endo and have had more internal exams than I care to mention due to PCOS but endo was never seen on these scans or the blood tests for that matter.

I've had such surgery and in my experience it is far better to have this type of surgery done by a highly skilled surgeon who has up to date technique and knowledge. A diagnostic lap can lead to more surgery.

An appointment should always be made about a week post such an operation to discuss further the findings of such surgery. You should never be spoken to about the op when you are in the recovery room as that is purely bad practice.

Do not stick your head in the sand!. Do consider seeking a second opinion.

BTW www.endo.org.uk is a good website

Incy I would definitely get a second opinion if you can, or at least more info of your surgeon about the options of she has to wake you up.

I had a lap in December after spending a week in hospital with supposedly unexplained abdominal pain. The doctors spent a week arguing amongst themselves as to whether it was appendicitis or a gynae pain, and in the end the lap was done by the general surgical team. They found a cyst that had burst and some adhesions, but all they were able to do is clean it up a bit!

Since then I have been in constant pain, much like you describe, and I haven't been able to work since December, as my job is quite physical and involves a lot of moving. I am taking 4 different painkillers each day in an attempt to get some relief, which isn't workings but has left me feeling like a zombie.

I am due to have a second lap with the gynae team, hopefully in August,and they have promised it will be a lap and repair and that any options will be discussed before I have the op, so that they can proceedad far as I am happy with at the time. They did mention possible removing my ovary, which although i am not thrilled about, I am in so much pain each day that at this point I think when I finally see the surgeons I am likely to agree to them removing anything if that is what it is going to take!

Sorry, didn't mean for this to be so long, but I would hate for anyone else to suffer through the diagnostic lap and end up like I have been for the last seven months.

I don't think I understand - they don't know fully whats going on inside me - how can they propose anything other than a diagnostic?
I would feel unhappier if she had suggested surgery, this does feel safer... although I'm still not convinced

Attila - endometriosis has not been mentioned at all, will they been looking for that? are you thinking that could be the cause of the adhesion? The discussion we had was that my scan showed that my ovary had adhered and she wanted to see the full extend and the best way was a lap

pumpkin - sorry to hear about your experience and the pain it has caused you. I'm lucky I have an office job which so far has been unaffected. In relation to your diagnostic, are you saying that its the wait after the procedure to have things sorted thats the problem? or that the first laporoscopy caused more pain?

oh the consultant I'm seeing who will do the lap is a gyne consultant not general surgeon, she did however say it was diagnostic, I've just checked the leaflet she gave me too

I had similar pain, undiagnosed for many years despite various scans, and it was only during surgery for cancer that surgeon removed an ovary which had been mis-placed after an accident, ("tethered" was the word ), along with large amount of intestine which had been damaged/diseased at same time. Although this was a relief, I am still surprised that I had no actual diagnosis for this pain, even after a laparoscopy, and am sending you best wishes for a speedy solution.

I've just nicely (about 2 months ago) had a laporoscopy to remove adhesions.

I'd been tested for all sorts of things, adhesions did not show up on any tests but as the pain was right below my appendix scar they thought it was adhesions there.

When I woke up and was on the ward the Dr came to see me, there were no adhesions where they thought there were but there was one adhering my liver to the abdo wall.

So you are not the only person to have an adhesion without surgery to the area.

I've not had any pain scince and I think, for me, it was the right descision.

There is no way for it to resolve itself naturally - an adhesion is an adhesion.

How much is it bothering you? If it is just slight pain and doesn't stop you functioning you might want to leave it. My pain was having me addmitted through A and E.

The pain is constant but very concentrated to one small area - its not something that would get me to A&E because I know what it is, the pain killers I have been given get rid of it to a dull ache but I don't take them every day

lots to think about - I also want to protect my fertility

A lap is the usual operation performed when endometriosis is suspected so she may well be thinking along those lines. I would ask her straight out if she suspects endometriosis.

Hi Incy,

I can't be sure, but I think it's the wait that has caused my problems. No one seems able to explain whyI didnt have the pain up until I was admitted to hospital, and that's what makes me think that the first diagnostic lap hasn't helped anything.

As I said the general surgeons that did the first lap found and removed some adhesions, but it was only after I fought to see a gynae consultant that they said it was likely that I have many more adhesions, and that I do have some endometrial cysts on the ovary where the first cyst burst, and that once this second lap is done they should start treatment for endometriosis.

Interestingly when the general surgeons agreed to do the first lap, they told me they would whip out my appendix while they were in there, but when I came round I was told that they couldn't find it! I wonder if it's managed to be hidden by the adhesions? Anyone have any experience of that?

I have my fingers crossed that the second lap, being a diagnostic and treatment one, should mean that things will start to improve pain-wise and that I will be able to get back to work.

update is I had 'diagnosic' lap today and my ovary was ahearded to the abdominal wall by a small cyst and my ovary twisted - I hadn't been told before the blood supply to the ovary was 'zig zag' on scan but she mentioned it after and said the twist was a likely source of more pain. It was easy to detach,untwist and she pushed everything back to where it should be - she's hopeful I'll not have the pain now, fingers crossed. No sign of endimetriosis either.
Feeling very sore but relieved - thanks to everyone for your experiences and I hope anyone waiting for surgery or appointments gets them soon and relief from any pain xx