Not Seeking Medical Advice, Just want to know I am not alone

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Sep 22, 2011

I was an office Ob/Gyn nurse for a decade and 99.5% of the ovarian cysts we saw were benign. I hope that helps a little.

OCNRN63, RN · Sep 22, 2011

There's nothing you can do except wait and rely on the support of friends and family.

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2011

Sweetie, many women have cysts on their ovaries. I had an absolutey HUGE one which was removed in surgery, commonly called a chocolate cyst (because they are full of old blood, early doctors used to say they looked like they were full of chocolate, believe it or not). I remember having searing, stabbing pain, went to the doctors & after an ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis, had lap surgery. But I recovered pretty quickly & felt so much better.

Cysts can grow anywhere in the body and are common. They are usually benign and are rarely, if ever, cancerous. I've also had a small brain cyst, where the doctors did a watch & wait approach, and my body just re-absorbed it.

I also had a Hx endometriosis, so my body was more prone to cysts. Cysts ARE NOT the same as tumours, OK? though can interfere with the normal funcitoning of the tissue they grow on/in.

Some women have polycystic ovarian disease (PCOS/PCOD) & this interferes with insulin - the become insulin resistant, but aren't necessarily diabetics, though some have to take oral hypoglycaemics. If u have many many cysts that are causing pain, etc, the doctors remove the ovary but only if they have to, for obvious reasons and only if you are older and have had children.

Women with ovarian cysts can still get pregnant, but it can be hard. Most resort to IVF.

I would not worry too much unless ur in a lot of pain, then go back and see your doctor. Don't drive yourself crazy thinking about it, but do get scans every 3-6 months to check on them.

Also you should be getting BSLs/BGLs done regularly as well.

I know all this cos I worked with surgeons for a while & from personal experience!

lawandaluxnurse, ADN, BSN · Sep 22, 2011

Thanks for the relplies, helps alot

Trekfan · Sep 22, 2011

did they say you have pcos ?

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2011

http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/ovarian-cysts.cfm

:hug:arm yourself with knowledge!!!

cherrybreeze, ADN, RN · Sep 22, 2011

Ovarian cysts are VERY common, and usually self-limiting. I have had many over the years, and they have all gone away on their own....only had one that I needed to have rechecked by ultrasound, to make sure it was getting smaller, because it was a hemorrhagic cyst. Never a concern for cancer, in fact, cysts and tumors are two different things.

How was yours discovered? Did you have something biopsied (otherwise, I am not sure what you mean by, waiting to see if it's benign or malignant)?

tyvin, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2011

This is a link from the Dr. Oz show. It's a good one because he actually shows the cysts and the women in the audience participate and you find out that ... Hey, wow; many women have this condition. I thought you might enjoy this. It's a simple explanation but it's the other women that make the video.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CC0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.doctoroz.com%2Fvideos%2Fdetecting-and-treating-ovarian-cysts&ei=iKl7TqqzO8PjiAKA2bWaBw&usg=AFQjCNFVyIdmqKrpbsIjuU7zpl8khSnGJA&sig2=nB_0Fqd0sa33_zmwbG4EZg

leslie :-D · Sep 22, 2011

my niece had a large ovarian cyst.

can't remember the type, but do remember it had hair and a couple of human body parts in it.

very creepy.

had it removed and has a gorgeous son.

leslie

nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2011

I had both chocolate and dermoid (the kind with the teeth and the hair). I ended up having everything pulled from the cervix up because of elevated ovarian CA tumor markers from something else that was growing in there. Luckily, a burst cyst sent me to the ER and from there I found I had other problems going on. Everything was pre-cancerous, but if that cyst hadn't caused me to think I'd blown my appendix and go to the ER, I could've been in real trouble in another couple of years.

I know it's scary to wait, and when they told me "elevated tumor markers" I saw the face of every patient I've ever had with ovarian CA. But if they are saying it's a cyst, it's not as scary a thing. *hugs*

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Sep 22, 2011

Depending on when in your cycle you are, cysts are considered a normal variation :)

Had 'em, they disappeared.