Having surgery to remove ovarian cyst - absolutely petrified. Any words of comfort?

[Fagin99]

Hi everyone,

I'm having a dermoid ovarian cyst removed on Nov 23rd and I'm absolutely terrified of the thought of surgery and being put under. It was only picked up incidentally when I had a scan to investigate heavy periods but they said "10 out of 10 surgeons" would agree to remove it now whilst it is not causing problems.

I know rationally that I shouldn't really worry. I am also incredibly lucky that I am going private. But I have a huge phobia of hospital things in general and I can't stop worrying about the actual process of getting put to sleep and whether I will actually wake up! I keep having visions of freaking out and refusing to get on the trolley in the first place.

Can anyone offer any words of comfort? I'm 32 and yet to have children and I of course don't want this to affect my fertility either. My surgeon says it is very unlikely, but my stupid overactive brain keeps telling me that I'm going to bleed to death.

I think I seriously need some pre-med relaxants starting now! 😕

I've had 2 removed,are they doing it via a laparoscopy? I had 2 more but they went by themselves and since having ds I've never had another,the doc said that might happen. Didn't affect fertility at all,try not to worry x

I sympathise with u. I had them at age 12. Emergency surgery to discover that they had turned gangrenous. Now a days the operation is done laprascopic so very little pain and quick healing time.
Of course your nervous anyone having surgery would. Try and do some breathing exercises and take your mind off by keeping busy (unless in huge pain) maybe mindful colouring.
I can't offer any words of wisdom except this is a much easier surgery than in my day ( 27 years ago)
Good luck you'll be fine. And will feel so much better after the opp.
You can always ask your doctor for a mild relaxant.

I haventhad the same op as you, but have had general anaesthetic three times in the past couple of years.

No need to be anxious about it. The staff (I had two in Nhs and one privately) will look after you and keep you calm.

It will be worth it.

Yes, quick op and quick recovery although expect to feel pretty tired afterwards.

Hi Fagin, I had this done back in June, along with removal of the ovary it was attached to. It was also done privately. I hate hospitals too but all was OK. They will chat to you as they put in the anaesthetic and you will just drift off without realising it. If you are anxious, tell them and perhaps they can do the op early in the day's schedule so there's less time to worry. Take someone jolly and upbeat with you/put the tv on etc to keep your mind off things before you go in to theatre. Before you know it you'll be awake and back in your room. Try not to worry. It is a very safe operation, especially for someone young and fit.

I had it done keyhole and general - it was fine. Just listen and follow the post op care - I didn't realise my heavy laptop bag was 'lifting'

I did need the full two weeks off - and then needed a further two weeks due to being an idiot on first day back at work.

By the way, this might creep you out but I asked for photos of it - and they gave them to me :)

I got unreasonably scared before a D & C, and told the aneathetist (sp?) who prescribed something that made me incredible sleepy beforehand, so I didn't give a monkeys when they came to get me.

I have another op planned in the coming few weeks, and plan on doing the same.

Good luck - hope it goes well.

I had an ovarian cyst removed all of 34 years ago. The doctor suspected at the time that it might be an ectopic pregnancy as I had pain in the side of my pelvis. I was admitted to hospital after going to A and E and had a laparoscopy to find out what it was. Turned out to be a cyst,which was then removed. I felt a bit sore round my navel area for a few days after,and had discomfort in my shoulders and the top of my chest. My mum phoned the doctor and asked about this and was told that it was the after-effect of the gas that they pump into you in order to 'open up and separate your internal organs'. The gas migrates upwards afterwards and can cause a discomfort in your chest and shoulders for a couple of days. I was advised to do a lot of deep breaths! I was fine within a week. Had a big surprise 11 days after the op when I discovered I was pregnant, and would have been about 3 weeks pregnant at the time of the op. I was worried it might have caused harm to the baby,but thankfully everything was fine. I don't know if they still give a 'pre-med' before an op nowadays (injection or tablets to relax you) but if not,it might be worth asking if you are very nervous. Good luck OP. Hope you make a quick recovery.

I quite enjoyed my two experiences oh general anaesthetic.

I have had 2 general anaesthetics in the past two years. My surgeon told me they were safer these days than getting in a car and driving.

I had no ill effects - the theatre staff were fab and I remember chatting about random stuff in the anaesthetic room then coming round post-op. Both GAs totally uneventful apart from the piles after my most recent examination of my nether regions under GA

I was really nervous before similar gynae surgery having had emergency surgery beforehand. I told the nurse looking after me, and she promised to stay with me until I went under. She came all the way to the pre theatre bit and held my hand while the anaesthetic worked! So glad I told her about my nerves.

You should also get to meet the anaesthetist first; I haven't met one who wasn't completely lovely and reassuring throughout my (now many) surgeries - I think maybe it's an extra part of their training! Similarly the staff in the recovery room are all trained to be calm and reassuring.

The anaesthetic itself is actually quite nice - a bit like feeling very happy, sleepy drunk for about 5 seconds and then falling asleep.

Top tips for recovery:
-peppermint capsules for the trapped gas
-sucking sweets or grapes - you might have a dry or sore throat afterwards from where they put the breathing tube
-slip-on slippers to save bending down
-shower gel on a hanging hook for the same reason

As others have said its a straightforward operation and all should be fine. If it helps, both my sister and I have had ovarian cysts and we both went on to have children. Good luck!

FizzyFeet has given some great tips. I've unfortunately had loads of surgery with general, spinal block, sedation etc. Tell the anaesthetist you are very nervous and they will sort you out with top meds. It feels like 2 G&T's downed in 1 minute!

I had an ovarian cyst removed that was 21cm, so my scar was quite big. Get a clean pillow case and roll it in to a sausage shape and tape it up so it's quite firm. Use this then to support your incision site as you sit up and move around for the first few days.

All the best xx

I had a complete crying fit before my GA. having never had one I was petrified!
They gave me some stuff in my canula (midazolam I think). Anyway it felt happy drunk and that was all I remember
I was gone before the anaesthetic went in
Woke up demanding a brew and food and was discharged after an hour (day case surgery I had)
I asked for anti sickness meds before the GA too, and didn't feel sick at all, the staff were slightly astounded by how quick I came round and ate and wanted to go home
Slightly sore throat and weirdly wide awake for a few days

Wow, thank you all so much for your words of support. I couldn't believe it when I logged in today and saw so many genuinely lovely replies. Thank you so much

I def feel a bit better having read about your experiences and thank you for the top tips!! They should be official patient guidelines! So thoughtful. That is a very good idea to ask the nurse to stay with me and to ask for sedation beforehand! I think I will definitely benefit from it!

For the ladies who had had similar ops, did you have any problems with spotting/bleeding after and did your periods change?

Thank you so much again everyone. You've really helped. I wish I could give you all a hug!

I woke up from GA with sanitary towel between my legs, the nurse said spotting was common although I didn't have any.

Can't remember any change to my cycle.

I had a really weird thing with the bleeding. There was no spotting on the sanitary towel so they got me to stand up. In front of OH. Turned out there was bleeding and it had pooled inside, all came gushing out in one go when I stood up! OH still wanted to have a baby with me after that so figure it was initiation in to the disgusting world of gynea appointments and childbirth. Don't be put off, having a baby is sooo much worse!

Glad you're feeling a bit better about the op! Support is what mumsnet is best for :-)

Yes, good idea to get some sanitary towels in, as tampons are usually discouraged due to increased risk of infection. And make sure you have plenty of paracetemol and ibuprofen at home. Great idea about the pillow case to support the incison site. Also, if you're sore afterwards, put a plastic bag on the seat of the car so you can lower yourself onto it and the swivel round (ideally pressing a cushion against your stomach) rather than getting in one leg at a time if you see what I mean. Then keep the cushion held against you underneath the seatbelt. The road from my hospital is full of speed bumps so the cushion definitely helped me!

Also, it's normal to feel a bit weird and weepy a couple of days after a GA, so don't worry if this happens to you.