Attn: Ladies - Please learn from my mistake.

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM II

04/20/2007 12:55:29 PM · #1

Originally posted by colyla:

too wild! I just had my left ovary/fallopian tube removed March 16 of this year! It was 7cmx5cm...doctor said just a little smaller than a baby's head. Amazingly enough I had no pain...just a little discomfort with monthly cycles until this year starting in january I bled 7 out of 10 weeks...straight!! Mind you I've been having hot flashes, became severely anemic, exhausted, etc...then my doctor sent me to a specialist (OB/GYN)...did an ultra sound and boom...there was a huge cyst/tumor....got that puppy taken out March 16th! I'm taking iron pills and a daily vitamin to get my energy back up.

Gotta say though...my doctor had no idea and neither did I until they did the ultra sound. The doctor was surprised that I didn't have any pain. So ladies get yer check ups yearly...and if you don't 'feel' right (especially when you get older, I'm almost 39) ask them to run tests and an ultrasound!

Oh...I have a picture of it too!! Doctor took a little 4x4 pictures of it...I'll scan and post it when I get home tonight. :)

~Colette~

Glad to hear that they caught it and were able to remove it without any complications. I hope you continue to feel better and get back to your normal routine fairly quick. - Not being as mobile as I used to be even not driving for a time was the thing that was starting to get me a little stir crazy. Back on my feet and doing my photography again YAH!

colyla

Canon EOS-50D

04/19/2007 10:22:20 AM · #2

UrfaK

Canon EOS-650/T4i Rebel

Canon EF-S 15-85mm IS USM

04/19/2007 07:06:43 AM · #3

Originally posted by CNovack:

Originally posted by UrfaTheGreat:
I am beyond scared right now.. yesterday I was going through unbelievable unspecified pain and then relief in regular intervals. Now the pain has shifted to uneasiness and to my sides..
I'm definitely going to my doctor tomorrow..

Oh goodness! Are you doing any better today and did the doctor find what it is that ails you?

Hey,
The pain was at a 9 when I wrote that.. now it's gone down to a bearable 6.. The doctor thinks my kidneys may be the root cause.. Still not sure if it's very serious or if they really are the cause.. After that post I wrote down my will O_o.. I'm so over-dramatic .. fingers crossed.. hoping it's not something too dreadful..

Message edited by author 2007-04-19 07:10:25.

04/19/2007 06:56:30 AM · #4

Originally posted by Kelli:

Originally posted by CNovack:

Originally posted by Kelli:
My 22 year old cousin currently has one that is 6 pounds!! They are giving her hormonal birth control therapy as well to try and shrink it. The alternative is a complete hysterectomy and she would never be able to have kids.

I hope that they did a CT scan to take a good look at it for if it twists on the ovaries it can cause severe pain and is in danger of erupting.

I do hope that she responds well to the medication and it takes care of the problem. Hopefully she will not have to have a hysterectomy.

Thanks, they finally did do CT scans (had to wait for insurance to kick in believe it or not). Because of the size they are going to have to do surgery, but want to shrink it as much as possible before so that they don't have to remove the ovaries. She also has some much smaller ones to go with the large one. They really are trying to tell her that her prospects for children are very slim at this point though, but she refuses to believe it.

It is good to hear that she will get the treatment she needs.

Canon EF-S 15-85mm IS USM

04/19/2007 06:53:17 AM · #5

Originally posted by UrfaTheGreat:

I am beyond scared right now.. yesterday I was going through unbelievable unspecified pain and then relief in regular intervals. Now the pain has shifted to uneasiness and to my sides..
I'm definitely going to my doctor tomorrow..

Oh goodness! Are you doing any better today and did the doctor find what it is that ails you?

UrfaK

Canon EOS-650/T4i Rebel

04/16/2007 03:35:05 PM · #6

Buckeye_Fan

04/16/2007 11:06:37 AM · #7

Originally posted by saiphfire:

[quote=Buckeye_Fan] Thank goodness you are ok. I have suffered with PCOS, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome for many years...quote]

Buckeye - I also have PCOS. PCOS cysts are actually different from the type of cysts that can grow large like your softball-sized ones. PCOS cysts are really just mature eggs that were never released from the ovary and cause your ovaries to look bumpy. PCOS itself generally would not cause you to lose your ovaries (if your doctor told you that I'd consider finding a different doctor - is s/he treating you with Metformin?). There are a lot of peripheral sympoms linked to PCOS, though and I know a lot of women with PCOS get the other type of cysts as well. Actually 5-10% of all women have PCOS and it's the leading cause of infertility in American women so...

DPC Women, while you're in getting checked out as recommended above (or at your regular check ups), you might want to also get checked out for PCOS especially if you have any of these symptoms: have ever had trouble getting pregnant, have had an unexplained miscarriage, started menstruating at a young age, have irregular menses, gain weight easily and lose it with difficulty, are "apple-shaped," have a history of depression, are kind of hairy on your body and/or are losing hair on your head, have adult acne, have high cholesterol, have low thyroid function, or have type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance. Also, if your daughter has any of these symptoms, they can often diagnose it in pre-teens and treat symptoms before they cause problems. You don't have to have all the sympoms... I wasn't diagnosed until I was 24 b/c I don't have a lot of them, and a lot of women aren't diagnosed until even later.

Also, if you have PCOS, go to www.soulcysters.net (I have no connection to the site, just think it's a great resource). Sorry for the digression, but it's related...

edit: grammar

I also had cysts along with a horrible case of endometriosis (sp). They tried everything but nothing could be done. I was far beyond the help of medication. The ovaries were enlarged but there were other cysts that made up to be softball size. I encourage every woman to get a yearly check up.

BeckyT

Nikon D300s

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

04/16/2007 11:04:44 AM · #8

Thank you for sharing. I am a few years overdue and plan on scheduling myself an appointment.

khdoss

Nikon D300

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM for Nikon

04/16/2007 10:59:40 AM · #9

Glad you are on the mend.
With the new test for HPV it makes the whole thing easier. I had a irregular pap last year but because the HPV came back negative, there was nothing to worry about. Now if we can get every woman to get a yearly mammogram..

Message edited by author 2007-04-16 11:00:18.

saiphfire

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

04/16/2007 10:59:19 AM · #10

Jacko

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

04/16/2007 10:51:05 AM · #11

My mother had one the size of a large orange. They found it when she got a medical before getting married 38 ish years ago. They had to remove her ovary and the docs said it might impede on her ability to have kids ... my brother and i were born 18 months apart so no problem there.

Yep, gotta get checked annually.

Kelli

Canon EOS-D60

Canon EF 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM

04/16/2007 10:35:07 AM · #12

Originally posted by CNovack:

Originally posted by Kelli:
My 22 year old cousin currently has one that is 6 pounds!! They are giving her hormonal birth control therapy as well to try and shrink it. The alternative is a complete hysterectomy and she would never be able to have kids.

I hope that they did a CT scan to take a good look at it for if it twists on the ovaries it can cause severe pain and is in danger of erupting.

I do hope that she responds well to the medication and it takes care of the problem. Hopefully she will not have to have a hysterectomy.

Thanks, they finally did do CT scans (had to wait for insurance to kick in believe it or not). Because of the size they are going to have to do surgery, but want to shrink it as much as possible before so that they don't have to remove the ovaries. She also has some much smaller ones to go with the large one. They really are trying to tell her that her prospects for children are very slim at this point though, but she refuses to believe it.

Buckeye_Fan

04/16/2007 10:30:14 AM · #13

Thank goodness you are ok. I have suffered with PCOS, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome for many years, had to have a hysterectomy about 5 years ago and lost both of my ovaries before I could have children. The cyst, 2 of them were each the size of softballs. I feel great now but wish I would have had done something sooner.

Peace and take care,

g

Message edited by author 2007-04-16 10:31:18.

xianart

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

04/16/2007 09:39:03 AM · #14

yup, it's really not too bad. the most important thing is to keep relaxed - if you tense up, then it does hurt a little. so, deep breathing, and conscious relaxation.

Rebecca

Nikon D80

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5- 5.6G ED DX

04/16/2007 09:22:12 AM · #15

Originally posted by xXxscarletxXx:

My first one's at the end of the year... Im pertrafied >.<

The girlie appointments are not even remotely bad. All the hype is hype. Frankly, I'd pick that over the dentist.

xXxscarletxXx

Nikon D80

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5- 5.6G ED DX

04/16/2007 08:56:20 AM · #16

My first one's at the end of the year... Im pertrafied >.<

JacquiD

Canon EOS-30D

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III

04/16/2007 08:55:18 AM · #17

Firstly, glad to hear that things have been taken care of and by now you're well on your way to full recovery.

Secondly, I have been fortunate not to have suffered this illness but, like many other ladies I hate going for the regular 'downstairs' check-up!

I missed a few years but eventually the system caught up with me - luckily. I had developed some pre-cancerous cells which, if they had been left, would ultimately have developed leading goodness knows where.

I know they're ghastly but we do need to have these tests - I know that, as much as I absolutely abhor them, I will not miss another one!

Mambe

Canon EOS-1000D Rebel XS

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

04/16/2007 04:39:57 AM · #18

First I'm glad you're well !

Those things are very common (but not with the size of yours), my last one was 2" round and a bit painful but no surgery , with hormones it disappeared.
I still remember the first time , many years ago , spanish doctor told me that I needed an urgent surgery , so I went to Paris (France) , they gave me some pills and voilà !

But I totally agree with you that there's no need to wait to see if things go better instead of visiting doctors.

Message edited by author 2007-04-16 04:42:18.

silverfoxx

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

04/16/2007 04:26:42 AM · #19

oh my, this is so scary!
I am glad you are fine!

zxaar

04/16/2007 04:25:39 AM · #20

Originally posted by CNovack:

So the moral of the story ladies - is if you have not gone to the gynecologist in several years DO IT NOW!

I have already made it a point that my wife should visit gyno every 4-5 months. I force her to go and check up.

But after reading this i guess I have to ask my wife to force my mother and her mother also to go and have checks ups. They seem not to go there for years

thanks for this note though, it was helpful

lentil

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 135mm f/2.0L USM

04/16/2007 02:24:12 AM · #21

a friend of mine (same age as me 37) went to the dr because she wasnt feeling right, felt bloated and tired.
they did an ultrasound and found a mass on her ovary but they could see another mass behind it, they decided on exploratory surgery and found that the other mass was a 4kg tumor. This tumor had ruptured so they did a radical hysterecomy. She now has malignant ovarian cancer. She sees the oncologist next week to decide on treatment.
I am hearing more and more cancers happening in younger people. Please keep on top of your health.

klstover

Panasonic DMC-FZ8

04/16/2007 02:05:38 AM · #22

Thanks for posting this.. sometimes we need reminders.

04/16/2007 02:04:56 AM · #23

Originally posted by TheStick:

So glad to hear you had positive news on it not being cancerous! My Grandma had one the size of a watermelon that surrounded both ovaries, and it was cancerous. A painful reminder for the rest of the women in our family to stay up to date on our check-ups!

Thank you.

My condolences, I am so sorry to hear about your grandmother.
Regular check-ups are a very good thing especially when it can be caught early and treated.

04/16/2007 02:01:14 AM · #24

Originally posted by Rebecca:

Wow, I'm glad you're okay. I was mildly sick all of last July - not sick enough to miss work, but sick enough to keep me from doing things I enjoyed and to make me sufficiently miserable. It turned out to be a marble-sized ovarian cyst, and the monthly bursting was what was making me feel so terrible. It's now being treated with hormonal birth control and everything is cool, though I'm probably going to be on it for the rest of my life. I can't imagine if it had been worse or required surgery, I'm such a baby about such things!

I know that feeling I had a burst cyst about the size of a pea back in 91'. Each month of ovulation a cyst is released with the egg and it can either reabsorb in the body, grow into a larger cyst or burst. Tis not fun. In your case at least they now have medicine to treat your condition