Laparoscopy/ cyst removal

[finnbarr]

Been diagnosed with large ovarian cyst (10-12cm) having laparoscopy to remove it in two weeks. It's starting to play on my mind as the doc doesn't know if I will lose my ovary or tube until he's in there. The only reason it was found was because we went to see a fertility doctor because I've got pcos and we were discussing fertility options.
Anyone else been through it? Need some hugs please :(

Sorry, not sure if this is the right place to post, sorry if it's not

Yes I went in as a day patient As I luckily had BUPA with work. It was done via keyhole surgery and I felt a bit uncomfortable but nothing drastic. If it makes you feel more positive it helped me get pregnant with DD1 (along with the help of clomid) and then dd2 came along all by herself. Good luck

Hi,
I had severe low abdo pain in January, I was rushed in for an emergency op, they took my appendix out and also found a burst ovarian cyst.

Finnbarr Sorry to hear about your cyst. I was diagnosed with an ovarian cyst and went in for a laparoscopy last August. I was unsure about posting because this probably isn't what you want to hear, but I did lose my tube. The cyst turned out to be a paratubal cyst (cyst of the fallopian tube) that was quite large and adhered to my ovary. Fortunately, the cyst was removed without any damage to my ovary.

My surgeon thought it was a functional cyst, that he planned to remove or drain because that's what it had looked like on ultrasound. Didn't even mention salpingectomy or oopherectomy until morning of surgery . At least your surgeon is being absolutely clear with you.

I was devastated when the surgeon came to see me after my op and told me what had happened and I wish I'd been forewarned (I did consent before surgery but didn't really think it would happen). However, I don't regret losing my tube. I have another perfectly healthy one, and its removal has reduced the risk of ectopic pregnancy, which is increased anyway if you have IVF.

It is better to have the cyst removed. If it twists that could really damage your ovary. You could have it removed with no other side effects. Sadly, opting to have it removed isn't risk free and I'm so sorry that you are having to make this difficult decision.

It is possible to come to terms with the outcome. It took me a while, but I have accepted that IVF is now my only option of getting pregnant. (Unrelated, but my ovary on the side of the healthy tube is stuck in the wrong place due to pelvic adhesions following peritonitis as a child).

Anyway sending you some very unmumsnetty hugs and so sorry that you are going through this.

Poor you, stuff like this is always nasty. Had a large cyst on one side, a cluster on the other side. I didn't lose my tubes and went on to have 2 dc (albeit after quite a long interval).

I really hope everything goes all right for you finnbarr.

Finnbarr I'm in the same position. Laparoscopy booked for June to remove one 3cm cyst and one 5cm endometrioma from my left ovary following my first fertility clinic appointment. I have to have an MRI between now and then so they have a better picture to work from than the ultrasound scan.

I'm actually booked for laparoscopy (have look around) + cystectomy (remove cysts) + proceed. 'Proceed' means that if they find something else that they can deal with there and then they will - like KnackeredCow's tube but clearly better explained. It also means that if I'm the 1:1000 that gets a complication (eg damage to the bowel from the instruments) they have my consent to fix it.

I'm on the in-patient list, rather than the day list, so they have time for the +proceed if they need it.

I hope it goes well for you.

Got appointment with (the same) consultant on Monday to try and hopefully organise my op...just hoping its soon!!

Best of luck finnbarr and Abzs.

dontellimpike - Thanks. Just got my admission papers, off to google to the ward number to see if it's minging...

I've got my appointment with the same consultant this afternoon. Then I can actually plan my life a little bit!!

Right, operation mango is a go!! 23rd April!

I had one 3 weeks ago - only a diagnostic one though. It was fine, over very quick, paracetamol for the first 3 days. and then went back to work 6 days later. No major pain, just a bit ouchy when I moved sometimes and I was very tired for the first five days and then a bit more tired than usual for the next week. Good luck, hope it helps you.

Hi

I had an ovarian cyst (caused by endometriosis) removed from my left ovary last December. The cyst was about 12- 15cm. I'd been in a lot of pain for the past few months, so in a way it was a relief to get it out! If you're in pain waiting I found having a hot waterbottle constantly at hand very helpful. Also, taking codeine at night really helped me sleep because previously the pain had been keeping me awake.

I was an overnight patient and had it done mid-afternoon, I think the op took about 1.5-2 hours, I was under general, it was done with keyhole, while they were in there they diagnosed me with endometriosis and lasered some of that away too.

I was pretty groggy for a couple of days (that'll be the general anaesthetic) and in pain when I tried to move but so long as I lay still it was manageable. The worst pain for me was in my shoulder and chest. Apparently that's common - something to do with filling you up with air and it irritating your diaphram or something.

I had nearly 3 weeks off work because it took my body a while to get back to normal and I work in a busy job, so didn't want to push things. I was surprised at how tired I was for a couple of weeks - literally, I'd work 100 yards to the end of the road and need to head back to bed.

In terms of my ovary. The consultant was amazing and tried to save as much as possible. I've now got about 10% of my left ovary. However, the consultant said that there's every chance that this bit will still work like a normal ovary (bodies are amazing aren't they). He said even if it doesn't I only need one ovary and although having only one ovary will decrease my fertitlity it's nowhere near as drastic as 50%.

I hope that helps...

Good luck to everyone going through it!!

I had an ovarian cyst removed when I was 19 - it was the size of a grapefruit. In those days (25 years ago) they didn't do it by keyhole surgery - I have a scar just a bit smaller than a CS scar across my bikini line.
They also removed between a third and a half of my ovary.
I went on to have 2 children, one at the age of 37 and one at 39, so it doesn't always effect your fertility.

i had a laparoscopy to remove a 5cm cyst on my right ovary, what they don't tell you is that by removing a small section of the ovary to completely rid of the cyst actually has the same effect as ovarian drilling which can increase your fertility. an added bonus if you like... with a small part of my ovary removed it will function as normal and in time regenerate to it's original size. our body is a wonderful machine and nowadays we are lucky to have such experts and fantastic people to help us keep it that way.

I had mine done in June. Superunknown's description is very like mine, but I had two smaller cysts rather than one large one.

Definitely the worst bit is the CO2 bubbles moving round the chest and shoulders. I work part time and took two weeks off and wasn't on the rota till the end of the third week - I was still quite tired though.

I had a kidney infection 5 weeks after, so don't assume that all aches and pains are part of the healing process. Taking your discharge papers to your GP before that point is also a good idea...

Hi Finbarr,

If you still have both ovaries, please don't worry, as mentioned the body is amazing.

History:
I lost my right ovary at 18 due to a dermoid cyst that had twisted/killed the ovary, (yes the pain was horrific), and it was removed through a laparotomy. In the same op another cyst was removed from my left ovary. Unfortunately, in my early 30s, another dermoid cyst was discovered, the surgeon attempted a laparoscopy, but moved to a laparotomy, and again they managed to save the ovary.
Despite thinking this would affect my fertility, I then met my partner and went on to have 3 children naturally. After the birth of my last child, I didn't bounce back as I had with the first two. I put this down to 3 pregnancies but after 18 months the 'bulge'/pain couldn't be ignored and, after a visit to my GP I was rushed through for blood tests, a scan and MRI as cancer was suspected. Instead I had a 12cmx13cmx10cm cystadenoma. I was very scared to operate as I did not want to loose the ovary and go into surgical menopause. Having lost an ovary young, I am already at increased risk of osteoporosis and dementia. Over two years I tried alternative medicine, this helped the pain and softened the cyst, but the impact it was having on my life became unbearable. The advantage of waiting was that the hospital was confident the cyst was benign and they were willing to try and drain it laparoscopically. I finally went into hospital on Thursday and despite the cyst being bigger than anticipated, (my last scan was 18 months ago), and removal complex, the surgeon respected my wishes and managed to save the majority of my ovary.

Unfortunately, no surgeon can tell how comprehensively the cyst is attached to the ovary/tube until they operate but if you have a surgeon that is skilled, and one that you trust, they will do the best they can, especially if you don't have any children yet. I refused to be operated on by two surgeons and I don't regret living longer with the pain to get the optimum outcome.

Good luck and be positive, ask the surgeon every question you need an answer to, and be prepared for the other side - whatever the outcome. If you need any advice with the 'now' or 'after' please ask. It's been a tough few days, the exhaustion and pain is high, but so is the relief that it's out.

Stay strong