Hi, 

I cannot offer any words of wisdom I'm afraid but just wanted to say that I am in the same sort of situation as yourself. 

I have had about 2-3 months of lower left abdominal pain. Went to see the GP and was referred for an internal ultrasound scan. I was told the results would be back in a week and I was phoned the same day by my GP explaining they had found a cyst on my left ovary and I needed a blood test Ca125. 

I had my blood test yesterday and was told a few days to get the results so I am still waiting. The GP advised depending on the results of my test would determine if I was put through as a routine or fast track referral.

I have been worrying so much like yourself but I believe that is making my symptoms worse. I am trying to remain positive and take each step at a time. Focusing on the fact that it is good that I have been taken seriously and that they are looking to get to the bottom of this and I am unable to change the outcome through worrying so I am trying to distract myself. 

Of course it is easier said than done.

I am the same age as yourself. 

Sending lots of love and hoping we both have positive news xx

Hello McNervous,

I’m so sorry you are so very worried about your cyst. I completely relate to how you are feeling.

I have had a similar experience recently. 

Firstly it’s reassuring that all the relevant tests and protocols are being followed regarding your cyst.

This is the standard and correct protocol, and happens with lots of ovarian cysts.

I had similar symptoms to you and a 3.1cm bilocular cyst was discovered on my right ovary plus some fibroids and a bulky uterus all of which I was oblivious of until that first ultrasound. 

Due to the cysts appearance, a CA125 was requested and came back at 14 within normal range. 

My only follow up was a second scan after 6 weeks which showed the cyst had shrunk a little and the radiographer said she was now happy that no further follow up for my cyst is now required.

I am now awaiting a routine referral to Gynae for my fibroids. This could take a while.

This week I made a private appointment with a oncology Gynaecologist to ensure that nothing has been missed in my diagnosis, as originally suspicious and 6 weeks later now not??

He is reviewing my notes and scans and will be reporting back to me with his conclusion which hopefully will reassure me as I am not getting any further follow ups on the NHS for my cyst.

You appear to be getting the correct follow up for your cyst. The majority of cysts pre menopause are benign.

Your bloods are within normal range. Your cyst is being investigated-

This is all positive !

There are a variety of cysts that have complex features, the majority of which are benign. 

The odds are your cyst will fall in to that category. 

For me, the wait in between appointments has been hard, I was convinced every ache and pain pointed to something more sinister and my mind was a very dark place. Having lost a parent at age 45 from cancer, I have an acute awareness that getting checked early is so very important. 

Statistically the odds are greatly in your favour, please hold on to that thought. 

You are in the right hands, put your faith in the clinicians and the process. 

I hope you have more peace of mind with your next appointment.

Take good care,

Ali x

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply :) 

So sorry you're going through this too. I really wouldn't wish it on anybody!

You're absolutely right about taking positivity from the fact this is getting looked into, and that we are being taken seriously. It would be so much worse if doctors had dismissed us. 

I'm trying to focus on the fact that age is on my side, and that the majority of complex cysts are not malignant. Even if they raise the CA125 levels, they can still be benign. 

I really hope you get good results and that you can breathe a sigh of relief. x
 

Thanks for your reply :) 

That sounds super frustrating that they don't want to follow up further on the cyst, but I suppose a shrinking cyst is highly unlikely to be malignant? Though in saying that, I'd probably end up wanting scans every month to ensure the cyst was totally gone! I'm annoyingly hypervigilant. 

I'm sorry to hear you had to lose a parent so young, that can't have been easy at all. I hope your gynecologist comes back with reassuring news. You are right, the waiting is so difficult.

You're right that there are a lot of positive signs. I'm trying to focus on the logical progression of things. The cyst is small, so if anything bad was in there, it's likely they've caught it early. My markers were low, so that's also a positive. Catching something early means a much better outcome. I have age on my side which increases my good odds. I keep trying to hold onto that.

I hope everything goes well for you x

Hi

My problems started at the end of 2019, I was getting serious pain in my stomach(usually at night) and not that often so chose to ignore it.

I had a week booked off in January 2020 and made a mental note to ring GP as my stomach was getting bigger I actually looked pregnant but being about 7 stone I was hiding it well. On New Year's Eve morning I got a call from a paramedic telling me my mum had died very suddenly, it was such a shock and totally out of the blue, if that wasn't bad enough my dad became ill on New Year's Day so I totally forgot about ringing GP as there was too much going on.
My dad was admitted to hospital and thankfully is ok now but as I got home from getting him settled in ward I passed out 3 times, luckily my sister and her husband was with me & called an ambulance. At the hospital I had a blood test and answered questions and was discharged and told I was anemic. The next day I received a call telling me an appointment was made to see a gynaecologist at the end of the week, she told me that there was high levels of cancer showing up in the blood test I had. She examanined me and said I had a very large cyst but it felt smooth which was a good thing. To try and cut a long story short I had a hysterectomy in February and was told I may need treatment they would know more when they opened me up, so it turned out it was very "complex" it was in 2 locations , cyst was 15 cm and are still not sure if they were related or separate, but would need chemo & radiotherapy when recovered but then COVID happened so after making a quick recovery from the op I pushed to go back to work as they said it was likely to be the end of summer ( my consultant wanted me to stay away from work but I felt the need to go back to keep my mind occupied)

Anyway 6 sessions of chemo started in July and about to start   5 weeks of radiotherapy, I was very lucky and sailed through chemo managing to get out on my  bike and for long walks, also got all my hair as I wore the cool cap.

All scans I've had are clear and I just thank the NHS for being so thorough with me.
I feel well and hopefully they will let me back to work once the treatment is over.
Please try not to worry, easier said than done I know, and another thing is to try and stay positive, I was told on numerous occasions how sick I would get and luckily wasn't.

Hopefully yours is not as serious as mine was

Good Luck xx

Thanks for taking the time to reply :) 

That sounds awful for you. I'm so sorry that you lost your Mum so suddenly, and then to have your Dad fall ill too must have been a nightmare. I'm really glad to hear you're doing better now though.

The NHS are really great (once you get on the right track with them!). I'm really thankful to have access to free healthcare right now. Who knows where I'd be if I didn't. 

Good on you for wanting to get back to work. I hope your radiotherapy goes well. That's so great to hear that your scans are clear x

I really appreciate every one helping to reassure me. I hope I can do the same back in the future! 

Hi I've just replied to you on another post, however just to give you a bit of context on my situation. 

My CA result was 119, whilst this is not a definite marker of OC as it can be high for many other reasons. 
my cyst is complex, showing different features. The main one they are worried about is 10x7.5 cm, basically the size of a nectarine. 

Yours are sounding more positive, but I'm not a doctor.  Good luck, I hope you get your appointment very soon xx

Ah, just saw this as I pressed send on my reply!

Thank you xx Just trying not to let my wild imagination fill in the blanks too much. It takes me to a pretty dark place. In one way I'm eager to get my appointment, but if they actually call me in early, it just makes me more certain that they saw something really really bad on the u/s.

Unfortunately our minds do run wild, especially when we are uncertain with something like this. I've been there and  got the t-shirt. I hardly slept for a few weeks and spent most of the night googling which took me to some very very dark places. My hubby nearly took my phone away from me! 

If you've been sent for an urgent referral you should get an appoint within two weeks of that referral. Then they will most probably ask for blood tests and maybe other scans but they can also fast track these. Don't be scared by these, just think that the sooner you know the sooner you can deal. I had a lot happening in a matter of weeks but it helped keep me focused. Its when nothing happens my mind starts to wonder. 

Whilst I'm looking forward to my meeting this week I am also petrified as it will make it real, it's a scary thought. 

Hang in there, stay off google and try and keep busy, I know it's easier said than done but it does help.

Take care xx 
 

Thank you for taking the time to reassure me while you go through your own worries. It's very kind of you. Genuinely appreciate it :) 

Just got a call from the hospital and they've sorted me out with an appointment for the 14th Dec. They said this will likely just be a consultation with the gynae. I hope that means they can give me more information on just what we are looking at here.

I'm trying not to freak out at the speed that it's happening as I was expecting delays in my appointment due to Covid. That being said, I do live in an area that isn't so harshly impacted by it, so maybe there was just a free slot available. She actually gave me a choice of morning or afternoon appointments which I was surprised by!

So, just a week of waiting, and not letting my mind go to the worst places. I keep remembering new symptoms I previously ignored and then matching them up to the worst-case scenario.

Hoping you find your answers soon. Fingers and toes crossed for you. xx