Ovarian Cyst Support Thread?

[Sharl2017]

Hi,
Has anyone on here suffered with ovarian cysts & had to have it removed before? What were your symptoms?
Mines 9cm left side.. causes bloating all the time, intermittent pain, I've had a dead leg from it, headaches, felt sick. I have ibs but the symptoms are very similar to that which doesn't help. I'm tired all the time. I have my operation next month and I'm definitely becoming more nervous as I get nearer to it.

PMT can be worse due to a cyst but that’s not to say that it’s what you have. Other conditions can cause severe PMT too.

I have had awful period pains for around 10 years – sore back, excruciating pelvic pain, sometimes vomiting too. It can last up to 3 days and there have been times that I can’t get out of bed or function normally. I went to the GP 3 times in those 10 years and all I was offered was the pill, no investigations.
It was by pure chance that when I had a miscarriage they found I have a large cyst on one ovary and a smaller endometrioma cyst on the other ovary, and surprise surprise they think I’ve probably had them for years. The hormones from being pregnant made the cyst grow very quickly and now I have problems daily.

I’m having surgery next week and they’ve prepared me for the fact that my ovary will probably have to be removed because the cyst has caused so much damage. I feel frustrated that over the 10 years no one took my concerns seriously.

No one should have to put up with so much pain every month. If you feel that there is a problem keep on at your GP and ask to be referred to a gynaecologist. I’ve finally realised that those that shout the loudest get heard. It’s sad but true. xx

Welcome Marmite haha I've been saying cysters for a while, pleased it's not just me that can make a joke around it 🙄
Good luck with your surgery! Have they given you a date?

First day back at work today, I've not even done anything and I am absolutely exhausted. Now back home on the sofa ready for a nanna nap. Recovery definitely isn't as easy as I thought it would be.

Blimey you've gone back soon?!?!

I've got some date end Aug for pre op assessments, but other than that I don't know. He just said the waiting list was currently around 18weeks.

Can anyone give me some advice about pain?

I've found out that my GP lost my referral letter for two weeks, then made a mistake and ended up making an appointment for my DP to be treated instead of me - so I'm waiting for a call back on Monday, when apparently they'll tell me if they can re-book it. The mistaken appointment is for July 25th.

The private clinic that referred me to the GP said to watch for any pain like a stitch or a pulled muscle. I did, and mentioned to my GP I was in intermittent pain, but my GP says that it's much more severe than that, and if your cyst twists or ruptures, you will be in complete agony and vomiting.

Is the intermittent pain a sign of anything? At the moment it's a stabbing pain, not constant, but not fun. I'm not interested in getting them to pat me on the shoulder - but I do want to know if this is a warning sign.

It might be. After my torsion which landed me in A&E, I had a lot of recurring intermittent episodes of mild pain that felt like it did at the very initial stages. But they faded away... It's a bit like going into labour though. You see people asking "is this it?" Here's the thing...with both labour and ovarian cysts, you will know without a shadow of a doubt when it really is it!

I've never been in labour, so I can't judge that bit. All I know is that my DP couldn't tell the difference between labour and not-labour because by the time labour happened, she was already far too far gone. Which is not an encouraging parallel!

I do find it scary that the approach seems to be that we just wait until it ruptures/twists, or we get surgery. It seems like Russian Roulette, doesn't it?!

Update:
Had my key hole surgery on Wednesday. They managed to remove my two cysts without damaging or removing my ovaries which I'm so happy about! I had a 10cm endometrioma cyst and a 2cm endometrioma cyst.

Although I can't recall much of the conversation after my surgery as I was still a little out of it! The surgeon told me that I have quite bad endometriosis and that I either need to get pregnant or go on the pill to stop my periods. I've been TTC for 3 years, so I'm going to continue to try and get pregnant.

I'm in a bit of discomfort, but haven't needed any painkillers since the surgery. The gas pain in my shoulders in the worst part, but it's slowly getting better with a hot water bottle and walking around every hour or so. Just need to take it easy over the next 2 weeks x

Take it easy ForeverHopeful and you'll continue to improve 👍

Question to those who have had cyst removal....
Did your cycles / ovulation change afterwards?

I had my surgery on the 28th June, had a normal period 2 weeks later as scheduled. But since then I've not ovulated. I've been testing for the past 4 days and all tests have come up negative. Yesterday was the first day of my supposed fertile window and I did have some cervical mucus but zilch on the tests. I'm so baffled. I don't know whether to be worried or not?

Glad I found you guys! I went to the doctors last week because I've had unusual bloating for the last 3 weeks. Doctor referred me for blood tests and an ultrasound. At first I thought I was pregnant, but thankfully am not. Unlike several of you I am obviously older and have already had my family. I have 2 teenage kids and really dont want anymore! Over the weekend I have convinced myself I have ovarian cancer, so it's a bit of a relief to read that cysts can also cause the bloating. Get my blood results on tuesday. I'm glad that the doctors are obviously taking my symptoms seriously but the waiting is hard.

Well I've got my repeat scan in two weeks and the pain is much worse than it was at the last one so I'm assuming the cysts have grown. Presumably that will mean a gynae referral and a long wait? Anyone got any idea of the time frame? I'm in a lot of discomfort in the right side of abdomen and hip. GP said to take ibuprofen and cocodamol but I think I'll phone next week and ask if he can prescribe me something stronger. Fed up of this now I've been in pain since December.