Up Date On My CT Scan

Mistywittman
Mistywittman Member Posts: 3
edited March 2014 in Ovarian Cancer #1
Hello to all of you ladies. I got the results back on the CT Scan yesterday and they found more cyst then just the one so know I have them on the right and left ovaries. The one on the right side has grown from 2.2cm to 3cm. I am to go in for surgery on the 29th for the (1 cyst) so I am now waiting on the doc to call me and see what she wants to do now thats there more of them. Has anyone had to deal with these. I have done alot of reading and found theres many types and some that can be cancer. Well that all I have for you at this time. Thank you all for your great support. God bless and take care.

Misty Wittman

Comments

  • steffie
    steffie Member Posts: 10
    #2
    hi, misty,
    sorry about multiple cyst sitings; but, yea for progress. imaging type tests aren't conclusive as to whether or not a cyst IS cancer. the surgery will be able to show what the cyst actually looks like and your dr should be able to tell the difference. either way, a frozen section (sample) should be biopsied while you are under and whatever is removed from you should be throughly biopsied. however, you should discuss all possible surgical senarios with your dr/surgeon should the surgery reveal any unforseen surprises. sometimes, its better to have one surgery than multiple.
    you ask if any of us has had to deal with cysts. well, i have. i do hope for you that my cyst experience will not be the same as yours. late aug 2003, i had my yearly done and some voice from withing asked for a ca-125 test. i had no pain, discomfort or abnormal bleeding of any sort. after telling the dr my reasons for asking for it; i have family history of reproductive cancers and i wanted to start monitoring my body more now that i was in my 30's. after the test came back abnormal, i had an ultrasound & a transvaginal ultrsaound done in late sept 2003. that's when the cyst on my right ovary was found, it was 5cm. my dr went ahead cautiously. he wanted a second test done 6-8 weeks after the first. so, i had the second done at the begining of nov 2003, and, from the radiologist's intial review, i had a small cyst starting to grow on my left ovary. it was decided then to have the surgery to remove them. because i had no pain or bleeding, those two cysts are all they expected to find. unfortunately, it wasn't all they found. the right cyst was, as the good dr called it, a normal, water filled cyst. the left side presented differently. the first problem was that the lower intestine was on top of the ovary, so it had to be peeled off. when that was done, it wasn't a cyst that you were looking at. my left ovary was twice the size of my uterus. then he poked around some more and found tumors on my lower abdominal wall. i was diagnosed with stage 3 ovc. as of today i've had 3 surgeries: one that discovered (11/24/03), one that removed (12/10/03) and one to install a port in my chest for chemo (1/6/04). i have one treatment under my belt and, at least, 5 more to go. because the cancer was classified as low-growth potential, i have no idea how much time would have passed before i would have had any symptoms.
    here's a better experience. the wife of one of the men i work with had a 15cm cyst found on her right ovary. it was ovc. but, the cancer was only inherent to the one ovary. all biopies, including her lymphnodes, were clean.
    all of us here have a our own stories ... each very different and, yet, connected. i wish you the best of luck with your doctor and your surgery. i will be thinking of you on the 29th.

    steffie
  • jochan
    jochan Member Posts: 19
    #3
    Hello there, right now is a very good time to take better care of yourself so that you are ready physically for the surgery. Eat nutritiously, go for walks, do some planning so as to make life easier for you just after the surgery, ask for help if you need to, take some supplements. You won't be able to eat well for a few days after the operation, so you want to build yourself up a bit. I believe it will help you to heal better. If you can, borrow this book from the library. I know the title says it is for breast cancer, (and I was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer stage 3), I learned a lot from it and it helped me to understand how I could have gotten cancer. But you don't have to have cancer to read it. It explains about how our health can break down, what to do to regain your health, type of food to eat before surgery (and during chemo, for those who need it), herbs, exercise. It also makes great reading while you are recovering from surgery. It is not a scary book, it is like listening to a wise person talking. "A woman's guide to healing from Breast cancer" by Nan Lu. I wish I knew about this book before my surgery and chemo, but I still found it helpful after. Take care, and all the best. Joanna
  • groundeffect
    groundeffect Member Posts: 639 Member
    #4
    steffie said:

    hi, misty,
    sorry about multiple cyst sitings; but, yea for progress. imaging type tests aren't conclusive as to whether or not a cyst IS cancer. the surgery will be able to show what the cyst actually looks like and your dr should be able to tell the difference. either way, a frozen section (sample) should be biopsied while you are under and whatever is removed from you should be throughly biopsied. however, you should discuss all possible surgical senarios with your dr/surgeon should the surgery reveal any unforseen surprises. sometimes, its better to have one surgery than multiple.
    you ask if any of us has had to deal with cysts. well, i have. i do hope for you that my cyst experience will not be the same as yours. late aug 2003, i had my yearly done and some voice from withing asked for a ca-125 test. i had no pain, discomfort or abnormal bleeding of any sort. after telling the dr my reasons for asking for it; i have family history of reproductive cancers and i wanted to start monitoring my body more now that i was in my 30's. after the test came back abnormal, i had an ultrasound & a transvaginal ultrsaound done in late sept 2003. that's when the cyst on my right ovary was found, it was 5cm. my dr went ahead cautiously. he wanted a second test done 6-8 weeks after the first. so, i had the second done at the begining of nov 2003, and, from the radiologist's intial review, i had a small cyst starting to grow on my left ovary. it was decided then to have the surgery to remove them. because i had no pain or bleeding, those two cysts are all they expected to find. unfortunately, it wasn't all they found. the right cyst was, as the good dr called it, a normal, water filled cyst. the left side presented differently. the first problem was that the lower intestine was on top of the ovary, so it had to be peeled off. when that was done, it wasn't a cyst that you were looking at. my left ovary was twice the size of my uterus. then he poked around some more and found tumors on my lower abdominal wall. i was diagnosed with stage 3 ovc. as of today i've had 3 surgeries: one that discovered (11/24/03), one that removed (12/10/03) and one to install a port in my chest for chemo (1/6/04). i have one treatment under my belt and, at least, 5 more to go. because the cancer was classified as low-growth potential, i have no idea how much time would have passed before i would have had any symptoms.
    here's a better experience. the wife of one of the men i work with had a 15cm cyst found on her right ovary. it was ovc. but, the cancer was only inherent to the one ovary. all biopies, including her lymphnodes, were clean.
    all of us here have a our own stories ... each very different and, yet, connected. i wish you the best of luck with your doctor and your surgery. i will be thinking of you on the 29th.

    steffie

    I'm glad that Misty has given us an update, and I look forward to hearing the outcome of the 29th-good luck!

    Steffie, I wanted to say that your intuition in asking for the CA-125 test was right on the money, and kudos to your doc for doing it. I've heard discussions about the test and the usual question is "why aren't they done routinely, like mammograms?" They're just not reliable for low-stage OVCA, but if a woman has any suspicions and a family history, it certainly can't hurt to have one done. A woman who comes to my OVCA support group said that she helped argue with her sister's insurance company for BRCA testing, and the subsequent prophylactic removal of her ovaries by taking her bills to show how much it can cost the insurer if she would actually be diagnosed with OVCA.

    Thank you for sharing your experience with cysts; I haven't seen much discussion on the board regarding them. If you need a head cover during your chemo (other than a wig), there is a free pattern on the Nancy's Notions website for a Creative Kindness Beret that's very easy to make: (http://www.nancysnotions.com/Nancys/assets/html/gailsckberet.asp) I made three for myself, and three for a friend, and have made some and donated them at the center I was treated at. I like to tell people about the pattern because I found it so useful, and with our winter becoming so cold, I'm sure it will be good for someone else!

    Good luck with your treatment and outcome!

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