WOMENS-HEALTH Messages for January, 1998: Re: Dermoid Inside Ovary

Re: Dermoid Inside Ovary - Me Again

From: Theresa (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Fri, 9 Jan 1998 12:06:09 -0600 (CST)

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At Fri, 9 Jan 1998, Robin wrote: >
>Hello there. I posted in the past about the problems I was having with
>chronic pelvic pain in the lower left side. Ultrasound showed cyst,
>possible dermoid, in Aug. Lap in Oct showed nothing. Doctor said maybe
>inside ovary and just leave it for a year since it was too small to be
>causing my daily pain. I went to knew doctor. US in Nov showed cyst
>still there, same size. I went for a CT scan Dec 23 and it shows a
>lesion of the same size as the previous ultrasounds. There is a well
>defined thick rind and the central portion has attenuation values in
>negative range suggesting fat within which raises possibility of
>dermoid. No obvious calcifications or ossifications. My new doctor
>says that the doctor who did my lap in October is an excellent surgeon
>and he believes because of this, and because the mass has not gone away,
>that it is very likely inside the ovary. He can't give me any idea if
>he will be able to save the ovary until he gets in there. This concerns
>me because I lost the right ovary to a dermoid that twisted and turned
>gangrene about 7 years ago. Any idea what the odds are that this cyst,
>which measures 2.5 cm by the way, will have damaged the ovary to the
>extent it must be removed?

I had a small dermoid removed from my ovary and lost 1/2 of the ovary, but the 1/2 that was left functioned normally and I had two kids afterward!

Also, my Dr. says that even if he can leave >a small sliver of ovary functional it might be best to remove it since
>it might still cause pain and I may get further dermoids. They really
>run in my family on my Mom's side. My mom had two of them also on
>seperate occasions before having a hysterectomy. I have already decided
>to have the Uterus removed if the ovary goes. But I am only 27, and
>though I already have two children and we think we are done having
>children, we just can't be sure about not wanting more. This makes me
>very leary of going in for surgery in case the ovary is removed. So,
>any advice or opinions on my situation would be greatly appreciated. How
>long could this be left in without doing anything? The thing that
>worries me with that is that I am already having daily pain. The
>ovarian pain causes severe lower back pain (followed by leg aches) that
>keep me awake at night. Should I be at all hopeful he will be able to
>just remove the cyst? Anybody have any odds on this at all? The doctor
>was very concerned that I made decisions about having the uterus removed

Sounds like a god doctor...it's good that he is worried about your fertility.

>etc which kind of gave me a dismal outlook and he would not give me even
>the vaguest idea of any type of odds on how it will go or is likely to
>go or how it typically goes in past surgeries. Ok....sorry this is so
>long.....by the way, I am the same person who wrote about the toradol
>being given for my pain. Thankfully, the doctor switched me back to
>tyelnol. Oh....one more thing. He originally wanted to just do an
>exploratory lap and then if need be, do the removal another time...but
>that would mean two surgeries so I said no. I said, if it needs to come
>out just do it at the same time. What would have been the benefit of
>the other way? Well, thanks for taking the time to read this long post
>and any answers or advice is greatly appreciated.
>Oh....and one more thing....I have decided to have my uterus out also if
>the ovary is removed, is this a good idea and why or why not?

You are really young to have a hysterectomy that isn't totally necessary. Even though you have two kids, the fact that you MIGHT want more later is enough reason to fight to keep your fertility. I had a hysterectomy last year (I am 29) and we were sure that we didn't want more kids (we have two). I am still happy with my decision, but there are days when I see babies and wonder 'what if...' Don't rush into this...good luck!

Thanks. >
>Take Care,
>Robin de Graauw

--
Theresa

Next message: Sherry: "Bone Marrow Transplant"
Previous message: Mrs: "Re: pubic and anal itching"
In reply to: Robin: "Dermoid Inside Ovary - Me Again"
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