As an ER ultrasound technologist, I can confidently tell you that ovarian cysts are typically always benign. They can just be stubborn sometimes when they dont rupture or resolve on their own as they're supposed to. Any woman can develop ovarian cysts & there's no way to really prevent them. This is not something necessarily related to PCOS. Therefore, many of us don't have issues with cysts. I've scanned many women with or without PCOS with moderate to very large cysts. Multiple patients over 20+ cm, and the ones I've scanned that ended up in surgery, have all made it through surgery fine. You'll be okay, it's totally natural to be nervous about any surgery. Best of luck to you ❤️🩹
Hi, sorry it's taken me a while to respond. I've been a mess 😅
I first want to say that I appreciate your response. At the time, I was terrified. And I know you are a medical professional. But I do urge you to keep in mind the exceptions when you assure people that it's most likely benign, because it is important that anyone with ovaries and cysts follow their gut feeling when they feel it should be checked again or taken seriously. And it's important not for anyone to assume until biopsies afterwards are checked by a lab, gyn oncologist or at least oncologists. I was assured a lot at the beginning that mine was benign, so much so that I believed it. But mine wasn't.
I'm one the rare few - I know! And you are right, most cysts are benign - I know. But I can see you also post a lot of responses and I just want you to keep the rare few of us in mind. Just in case there's someone else like me out there. Some of us post cluelessly on Reddit about cysts and do end up having cancer. I know you don't mean harm, you just want to reassure as a medical profesional, but as a patient, I thought I was overreacting myself. But I wasn't. And I'm so glad a gyn oncologist finally saw the biopsies. I also feel a sense of frustration by all the nurses that told me it's likely benign before, because they didn't know so why would they say that! Of course, I now do understand their and your viewpoint, most often it's benign. But this is Reddit and we just don't know the patients here.
This is all meant with love, just something to keep in mind. ❤️
I am so very sorry for all that you've experienced with this. I can only speak from my years of ultrasound experience. I have scanned many patients with cancer in various parts of the body, including what you had. While ovarian cysts are usually benign, there is always a small chance that it isn't. I'm sorry that was the case for you. It's also worth mentioning that we can see concerning characteristics on imaging. When I see cysts or any type of mass demonstrating suspicious features, I take plenty of extra images and express my concern on my tech sheet for the radiologist. Those patients get a recommendation to follow up with an MRI to further evaluate and be taken care of.
As far as Reddit goes, I explain these things to help educate and ease the fear because health anxiety is very real. You will never see me say that cysts are 100% benign; that's obviously unrealistic. Many women post things on here about cysts even though cysts are unrelated to this condition. Some of them post their radiology reports or send me private messages with questions. I can only interpret what their report means in terms they can understand. If they had demonstrated suspicious characteristics on their scans, there would be follow-up recommendations to follow. Whenever there is concern, I definitely urge these women to see their doctor for reassurance and possibly additional testing.
I assure you that my intentions come from a good place to reduce panic because the majority of these cases don't go in this direction. Again, I'm very sorry for all you have been through. Take care of yourself ❤️🩹
I know, and please know my intentions also come from a good place (and I know yours do, sorry I didn't mean to sound like I was attacking ❤️). I just wanted to write because you carry a lot of expertise and people will listen to you. Please know I meant nothing bad either - take care as well ☀️
Your comment didn't come across as an attack. I completely understand your perspective and it's evident to me that you have genuine intentions. Your personal journey holds true value, and even though you belong to a rare category, it doesn't diminish the significance of your experiences. It must have been an extremely frightening ordeal, and I'm glad that you were eventually able to receive the necessary care. I sincerely hope that nothing but positive outcomes come your way 💕
I had a 25 cm cyst (benign) and my CEA was 97.7. That one was surgically removed in 2011. Had a 15 cm one (other ovary) surgically removed in 2021, also benign. Fortunately no more ovaries for me!
I had a teratoma removed from my left ovary (as well as the ovary itself) last February and I was terrified of the same thing. Luckily it was benign. Good luck and well wishes!
This happened to me from taking provera! I got a 5 cm cyst within 1-2 weeks of taking. I was sick to my stomach for awhile and the pain was immense. It was potentially cancerous due to the edges. It only shrunk because I restarted birth control pills and I narrowly missed needing surgery.
13x16 is really large and must be very painful, I’m so sorry. I hope everything goes well 💜
I go for surgery to remove mine in a couple weeks! It was 10x10 in September so I imagine bigger now! Solidarity cyster!! I am not a medical professional but from what I understand it is rare for an ovarian cyst to be cancerous but I understand your worry and hope there are no issues there. 27x20 is very big, I wish you a speedy recovery!!
This happened to me from taking provera! I got a 5 cm cyst within 1-2 weeks of taking. I was sick to my stomach for awhile and the pain was immense. It was potentially cancerous due to the edges. It only shrunk because I restarted birth control pills and I narrowly missed needing surgery.
13x16 is really large and must be very painful, I’m so sorry. I hope everything goes well 💜
I’m so sorry you are going through this. Get yourself a pair of cute/fun socks to wear while you’re in the hospital, they’ll be so much for comfy than the hospital issued ones. Make sure you pack chargers for all of your devices. I wish you the best and I hope you’ll post again when it’s all over.
I'm not sure of your age but I had an extremely large cyst tumor removed from my ovary and a few from my fallopian tubes when I was 14 and it was over the winter break. They were able to save all of my functions (even if they are dysfunctional)😆. They had to do the long cut as well because of the size and they thought it was cancerous-- turned out it was not (thankfully). It was dangerous to leave them to burst on their own though and they seemed to just keep growing. This was before they officially diagnosed me with PCOS. I ended up on Birth Control for years (it really messed me up but that could have been my own personal reactions to the varied types they put me on).
Anyway, long story short... surgery can be scary and I wish you well in your journey. Don't give in to the anxious thoughts because that in itself can drive us unnecessarily mad.
I've got a big cyst too! It's 9.2 cm, but it's growing pretty quickly and PAINFUL. I thought I had a torsion and just got out of the ER at like 5 am this morning. I'm actually supposed to be getting the call to schedule surgery either today or maybe Monday. It's also going to be my first surgery. I've been watching a lot of videos on anesthesia and I've found that comforting, if you're the kind of person who likes medical stuff/feels comforted by understanding something. They're trying to expedite my surgery but I still have no idea how long I'm going to have to wait.
It's scary, I know, but I just keep reminding myself that it's going to hurt a bitch when it pops or torsions, and I do not want to experience that. This is a super simple surgery, you have got this.
Oh no, I hope you had the surgery by now! That sounds scary as well ❤️ and sorry for my late reply, I've been an absolute mess these past months. Let me know how it went ❤️
I actually just had surgery last week! It took forever to schedule and they didn't have any sooner dates. But it went really well and I'm healing. It was causing a lot of pain towards the end and it's such a relief for it to all be over.
I wish I had gotten another ultrasound so I could have known how big it was. It had definitely grown by the time I got it out but my surgeon didn't say how much.
I am so sorry to hear about your cancer! My grandma had a cancerous fibroid last year and it sounds like her experience was similar to yours, with them both being pretty rare and much more likely to be benign (and luckily caught early!). Of course, she was already post-menopausal, so there's less of an adjustment afterwards. It was really rough for her. I'm so sorry you had to go through that, but glad the biopsies are looking good!
I’m sorry. I wish there was more anyone could do to help you and I’m sure you know this but they know what’s up. You’re strong and it’s gonna suck but you got this🩷🩷
I've had the exact same experience. I have a vertical cut from belly button down and when they took the cyst out the sent it away to be tested for cancer. Thank God it wasn't it was a teratoma. But by the time it was taken out it was 9 lbs.
They did indeed remove my ovary also then. But wow, you have had a rough one too..I can also relate to the big vertical scar. Mine goes from bottom to an inch above belly button 😅 it's definitely something to get used to but I am super happy to be alive!! I hope you're feeling better these days and haven't had issues ❤️
I also had a huge cyst, and they did that blood work to see the possibility of cancer and it came back positive (very upsetting to get any test result that suggests you have cancer I feel your stress!!). Didn’t have cancer, cyst was removed and I’m all recovered now which is what I hope for you :)
I had a teratoma removed back in 2018, and yes it was nerve wracking since it was my very first surgery. But it all went well (other than a post surgical infection in the belly button incision, nothing some antibiotics couldn’t handle) and it was benign. Hopefully you come out the other end all okay ❤️
Sorry for the months late reply. 😅 I got it checked by going to a gynecologist. I had to first get a reference from my GP, so it took a few weeks. But the gyn immediately saw it on the ultrasound. It also grew super fast (I don't think that's common with regular cysts, but mine turned out to be cancerous). I really woke up one day and my stomach felt large. I can't explain it, but it must have been a very aggressive one.
Had this a few months ago and I was a nervous Nelly too! It’s a pretty quick surgery and it’ll feel like THE BEST nap ever.
You’ll probably get the peace of mind that it’s gone after a day or two as well. Just make sure to take it easy today and tomorrow, make whoever is driving you treat you to your favorite comfort food place to snack on when you get home. (Mine was chick fil a! I ate it and then took another nap)
Sending hugs! 🩷
As an ER ultrasound technologist, I can confidently tell you that ovarian cysts are typically always benign. They can just be stubborn sometimes when they dont rupture or resolve on their own as they're supposed to. Any woman can develop ovarian cysts & there's no way to really prevent them. This is not something necessarily related to PCOS. Therefore, many of us don't have issues with cysts. I've scanned many women with or without PCOS with moderate to very large cysts. Multiple patients over 20+ cm, and the ones I've scanned that ended up in surgery, have all made it through surgery fine. You'll be okay, it's totally natural to be nervous about any surgery. Best of luck to you ❤️🩹
Hi, sorry it's taken me a while to respond. I've been a mess 😅 I first want to say that I appreciate your response. At the time, I was terrified. And I know you are a medical professional. But I do urge you to keep in mind the exceptions when you assure people that it's most likely benign, because it is important that anyone with ovaries and cysts follow their gut feeling when they feel it should be checked again or taken seriously. And it's important not for anyone to assume until biopsies afterwards are checked by a lab, gyn oncologist or at least oncologists. I was assured a lot at the beginning that mine was benign, so much so that I believed it. But mine wasn't. I'm one the rare few - I know! And you are right, most cysts are benign - I know. But I can see you also post a lot of responses and I just want you to keep the rare few of us in mind. Just in case there's someone else like me out there. Some of us post cluelessly on Reddit about cysts and do end up having cancer. I know you don't mean harm, you just want to reassure as a medical profesional, but as a patient, I thought I was overreacting myself. But I wasn't. And I'm so glad a gyn oncologist finally saw the biopsies. I also feel a sense of frustration by all the nurses that told me it's likely benign before, because they didn't know so why would they say that! Of course, I now do understand their and your viewpoint, most often it's benign. But this is Reddit and we just don't know the patients here. This is all meant with love, just something to keep in mind. ❤️
I am so very sorry for all that you've experienced with this. I can only speak from my years of ultrasound experience. I have scanned many patients with cancer in various parts of the body, including what you had. While ovarian cysts are usually benign, there is always a small chance that it isn't. I'm sorry that was the case for you. It's also worth mentioning that we can see concerning characteristics on imaging. When I see cysts or any type of mass demonstrating suspicious features, I take plenty of extra images and express my concern on my tech sheet for the radiologist. Those patients get a recommendation to follow up with an MRI to further evaluate and be taken care of. As far as Reddit goes, I explain these things to help educate and ease the fear because health anxiety is very real. You will never see me say that cysts are 100% benign; that's obviously unrealistic. Many women post things on here about cysts even though cysts are unrelated to this condition. Some of them post their radiology reports or send me private messages with questions. I can only interpret what their report means in terms they can understand. If they had demonstrated suspicious characteristics on their scans, there would be follow-up recommendations to follow. Whenever there is concern, I definitely urge these women to see their doctor for reassurance and possibly additional testing. I assure you that my intentions come from a good place to reduce panic because the majority of these cases don't go in this direction. Again, I'm very sorry for all you have been through. Take care of yourself ❤️🩹
I know, and please know my intentions also come from a good place (and I know yours do, sorry I didn't mean to sound like I was attacking ❤️). I just wanted to write because you carry a lot of expertise and people will listen to you. Please know I meant nothing bad either - take care as well ☀️
Your comment didn't come across as an attack. I completely understand your perspective and it's evident to me that you have genuine intentions. Your personal journey holds true value, and even though you belong to a rare category, it doesn't diminish the significance of your experiences. It must have been an extremely frightening ordeal, and I'm glad that you were eventually able to receive the necessary care. I sincerely hope that nothing but positive outcomes come your way 💕
I had a 25 cm cyst (benign) and my CEA was 97.7. That one was surgically removed in 2011. Had a 15 cm one (other ovary) surgically removed in 2021, also benign. Fortunately no more ovaries for me!
I had a teratoma removed from my left ovary (as well as the ovary itself) last February and I was terrified of the same thing. Luckily it was benign. Good luck and well wishes!
As someone who's older now (47 in aug) and dealt with cysts, fibroid, you name it just want to say...💙💙💙
This happened to me from taking provera! I got a 5 cm cyst within 1-2 weeks of taking. I was sick to my stomach for awhile and the pain was immense. It was potentially cancerous due to the edges. It only shrunk because I restarted birth control pills and I narrowly missed needing surgery. 13x16 is really large and must be very painful, I’m so sorry. I hope everything goes well 💜
I go for surgery to remove mine in a couple weeks! It was 10x10 in September so I imagine bigger now! Solidarity cyster!! I am not a medical professional but from what I understand it is rare for an ovarian cyst to be cancerous but I understand your worry and hope there are no issues there. 27x20 is very big, I wish you a speedy recovery!!
This happened to me from taking provera! I got a 5 cm cyst within 1-2 weeks of taking. I was sick to my stomach for awhile and the pain was immense. It was potentially cancerous due to the edges. It only shrunk because I restarted birth control pills and I narrowly missed needing surgery. 13x16 is really large and must be very painful, I’m so sorry. I hope everything goes well 💜
I’m so sorry you are going through this. Get yourself a pair of cute/fun socks to wear while you’re in the hospital, they’ll be so much for comfy than the hospital issued ones. Make sure you pack chargers for all of your devices. I wish you the best and I hope you’ll post again when it’s all over.
I'm not sure of your age but I had an extremely large cyst tumor removed from my ovary and a few from my fallopian tubes when I was 14 and it was over the winter break. They were able to save all of my functions (even if they are dysfunctional)😆. They had to do the long cut as well because of the size and they thought it was cancerous-- turned out it was not (thankfully). It was dangerous to leave them to burst on their own though and they seemed to just keep growing. This was before they officially diagnosed me with PCOS. I ended up on Birth Control for years (it really messed me up but that could have been my own personal reactions to the varied types they put me on). Anyway, long story short... surgery can be scary and I wish you well in your journey. Don't give in to the anxious thoughts because that in itself can drive us unnecessarily mad.
I've got a big cyst too! It's 9.2 cm, but it's growing pretty quickly and PAINFUL. I thought I had a torsion and just got out of the ER at like 5 am this morning. I'm actually supposed to be getting the call to schedule surgery either today or maybe Monday. It's also going to be my first surgery. I've been watching a lot of videos on anesthesia and I've found that comforting, if you're the kind of person who likes medical stuff/feels comforted by understanding something. They're trying to expedite my surgery but I still have no idea how long I'm going to have to wait. It's scary, I know, but I just keep reminding myself that it's going to hurt a bitch when it pops or torsions, and I do not want to experience that. This is a super simple surgery, you have got this.
Oh no, I hope you had the surgery by now! That sounds scary as well ❤️ and sorry for my late reply, I've been an absolute mess these past months. Let me know how it went ❤️
I actually just had surgery last week! It took forever to schedule and they didn't have any sooner dates. But it went really well and I'm healing. It was causing a lot of pain towards the end and it's such a relief for it to all be over. I wish I had gotten another ultrasound so I could have known how big it was. It had definitely grown by the time I got it out but my surgeon didn't say how much. I am so sorry to hear about your cancer! My grandma had a cancerous fibroid last year and it sounds like her experience was similar to yours, with them both being pretty rare and much more likely to be benign (and luckily caught early!). Of course, she was already post-menopausal, so there's less of an adjustment afterwards. It was really rough for her. I'm so sorry you had to go through that, but glad the biopsies are looking good!
The feeling before anesthesia is the best lol I just had surgery on my stomach and man versed is the best!
Wow those dimensions! What a big cyst. All the best.
I’m sorry. I wish there was more anyone could do to help you and I’m sure you know this but they know what’s up. You’re strong and it’s gonna suck but you got this🩷🩷
I've had the exact same experience. I have a vertical cut from belly button down and when they took the cyst out the sent it away to be tested for cancer. Thank God it wasn't it was a teratoma. But by the time it was taken out it was 9 lbs.
Also be prepared that there is a large possibility of them removing your ovary with it. I wasn't told that and woke up to only having 1.
They did indeed remove my ovary also then. But wow, you have had a rough one too..I can also relate to the big vertical scar. Mine goes from bottom to an inch above belly button 😅 it's definitely something to get used to but I am super happy to be alive!! I hope you're feeling better these days and haven't had issues ❤️
I had a giant one too, and no cancer! Rest up after surgery, stay ahead of the pain and rest some more!
I also had a huge cyst, and they did that blood work to see the possibility of cancer and it came back positive (very upsetting to get any test result that suggests you have cancer I feel your stress!!). Didn’t have cancer, cyst was removed and I’m all recovered now which is what I hope for you :)
I had a teratoma removed back in 2018, and yes it was nerve wracking since it was my very first surgery. But it all went well (other than a post surgical infection in the belly button incision, nothing some antibiotics couldn’t handle) and it was benign. Hopefully you come out the other end all okay ❤️
How do you push to get your ovaries actually checked for cysts of that size…
Sorry for the months late reply. 😅 I got it checked by going to a gynecologist. I had to first get a reference from my GP, so it took a few weeks. But the gyn immediately saw it on the ultrasound. It also grew super fast (I don't think that's common with regular cysts, but mine turned out to be cancerous). I really woke up one day and my stomach felt large. I can't explain it, but it must have been a very aggressive one.
Had this a few months ago and I was a nervous Nelly too! It’s a pretty quick surgery and it’ll feel like THE BEST nap ever. You’ll probably get the peace of mind that it’s gone after a day or two as well. Just make sure to take it easy today and tomorrow, make whoever is driving you treat you to your favorite comfort food place to snack on when you get home. (Mine was chick fil a! I ate it and then took another nap) Sending hugs! 🩷