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9993516 tn?1407131590

ovary removal in the age 24

helo i'm 24 years old. i'm facing an irregular period cycle from my first period. that is why i first consult a doctor and he found that i have an ovarian cyst which is removed through a lapharotomy operation in 2008. my doctor saved my both ovary as i was so younger at that time only 19 yrs old. then i've given a 6 cycle chemotherapy. now after 6 yrs it is seen recurrent of another cyst in my right ovary again. still not sure that is cancerous or not. but considering my previous history my physician telling that i need an urgent operation where it may needed to remove my both ovary and uterus also. but it will be decided in the time of operation she cant assure me anything now. me and my boyfriend have just got married last year and we don't have any baby yet. i'm so scared what to do now? if i have only problem in my right ovary then why it is needed to remove both ovary and uterus also in that early age? wont it cause any problems further? please help me by answering. thanks in advance.
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Avatar universal
I am 30 and recently had a surgery to remove my left ovary which had an 11 cm cyst and the ovary itself was swollen to 19 cm.  After removal it was found that there was a cancerous tumor inside my ovary.  

My oncologist recommended an urgent removal of my uterus and likely my right ovary if it looked like it had anything on it.  At the time I was very confused because there was no evidence that either of those organs were diseased.

I had to put my trust in my doctors.  I'm glad I did.  My right ovary was removed and the spots tested positive for cancer.

Ovarian cancer grows fast and the best chance to survive it is to catch it while it only affects the ovarys and has not spread to other organs.

Menapause will set in immediately after surgery (hot flashes and mood swings). Menopause itself can shorten your life... But there are all kinds of alternative treatments and preventative measures you can take.  And it is nothing compared to what the cancer can do.

I'm so sorry for your situation.  Be brave.
Helpful - 0
667078 tn?1316000935
I will pray for you, I will answer questions, I will be of any assistance I can. I know it is scary I have been there.  

How I got through the surgery  was this. I ride horses so I went out riding the day before surgery. I took pictures with my friends. I printed pictures of me riding. Of all my pets. Of my husband and I on Vacation. I am an artist so my paintings. I took all the pictures to the hospital. When I looked at them they made me happy which helped with the fear. Especially the picture of my friends and husband.

I looked at pictures before surgery and a lot the week I was in the hospital. I was very upset when I woke up and they told me the Cancer was worse than they thought.  

I also had an ipod with music I like that helped.

The surgery recovery was not as bad as I invisioned. When fear is involved things are worse for me.It was not fun but they gave me lots of pain medication which I stopped taking after a few days.

If you trust your doctor do what they say not someone on the internet. We don't know what your doctors know about your cyst. My surgeon and GP could tell from my Ultrasound that I really had Cancer. I was surprised a ultrasound was that revealing.

Where I am today two years out. I got a Dalmatian puppy two months ago. I am training her. I ride horses. I garden. I walk each of my dogs. I spend time with my friends. I have gone on some of the best vacations to the beach and to the mountains.

Another thing that has helped me is having things to look forward to. When I was being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis I bought a Hot Air Balloon Ride to take after I was diagnosed. It took me two years to be diagnosed with MS. For Cancer it was having a big 50th Birthday party. We had it at a Farm and over 70 people came. Then for my 52nd Birthday my husband set up a ride on an Icelandic Horse which was on my bucket list. Next is a biplane ride. Next week I am taking twelve of my friends who have helped me to a five star restaurant. I also think about my best friend's 2 1/2 year old. I want to spend time with her and watch her grow up.

I know you are scared I was it is normal. You can always get a second opinion. I wish I had surveyed the three Cancer Hospitals in our area because my first hospital and doctor were not a good fit. One Hospital has chemo with everyone in a small area. The other has everyone in a bigger room. The third has nice separate facilities with TV sets. One hospital relies on nurses you do not see doctors except every few months, a nurse tells you about your chemotherapy. The second you see the doctor on a different day. The third you see the doctor before each chemotherapy and the day of any CT Scan so you do not have to wait for results. The third hospital has a big new Cancer Facility with a Cafe, a Cafeteria, a Chapel, a library, a piano , therapy dogs, beautiful art, snacks on every floor, and lots of volunteers. I started at the first hospital and hated it and the staff and I hated each other. Now I am at the third. It treats 150 people a day instead of twelve so you have to wait some but I am so happy. At the first hospital if I got sick they did nothing at the new hospital they help me right a way. So I wish I had checked out all three hospitals before I got treatment.

Alex



I
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Just because the cyst is large does not mean it has to be cancerous. Can you specify on your surgical consent form that you do not want any parts removed if the cyst is benign? That is what I wish I would have done versus allowing my doctor to decide while I was in the operating room and under anesthesia with no say whatsoever. Your surgeon may not be able to save the one ovary but it would be against the Hippocratic Oath to "do no harm" if they removed other organs and you did not have cancer. Also, it is possible that if you have cancer, it could be isolated to the cyst and has not spread at all.

I made the mistake of letting fear as well as trust in my doctor take over which makes it hard to even think rationally.
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9993516 tn?1407131590
thank u shoo much for ur consultant.i'd like tell u my update if u donot mind. last days my physicians has sat in a medical board and here they told me i need a surgery and also adjournal chemotherapy. even they are saying like that my cyst wights 2-3 kg which making me more scared. though they dint send me for any further test its cancerous or not cause they are bit sure as it is huge in size it contains cancer. but the fact is my tummy doesnot seems much bigger as they are saying even i dint put on my weight as much. my height is 5 ft 4.5" and my weight always settled b2n 54-56. now my wight is 57. so i'm much scared by listening them and feeling shocked even cant decide what to do or any other thing. please keep me in ur prayer. :'(
Helpful - 0
667078 tn?1316000935
There are Oncologist who specialize in fertility we have three in our area. I would consult one of them if it were me.

Alex
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
First, I apologize for the novel but I have a lot to say based on my experience of being over-treated and permanently harmed for an ovarian cyst!

I am sorry you are dealing with this and at such a young age. You are right to be very concerned especially since the uterus and ovaries have life-long functions and are not just for having babies. The ovaries produce hormones into a woman's 80's for good health and well-being. And the uterus and uterine ligaments serve as the structural supports for the pelvis hence maintaining internal and external pelvic integrity (bladder and bowel position and function as well as spine, hip, rib cage alignment).

There are some resources out there for understanding the female anatomy and functions of the female organs if you do a web search. There is also a lot of information about ovarian cysts, MOST of which are benign (non-cancerous).

I saw that you reside in India. I had read some news articles a number of years back (it seems in 2007 or 2008) that unnecessary hysterectomies were being done at alarming rates in some villages in India. So you may want to get some other opinions and do some research on doctors recommending the removal of your sex organs. And you may even want to travel to a different village/city as doctors in a given geographic area tend to treat similarly (at least in the U.S.).

I would be horrified if a doctor treated you for cancer and you did not have cancer. But that is a possibility. In the U.S.,treating cancer is very lucrative. Doctors profit from the chemo drugs as well as surgery and follow-up. So you may want to get a copy of the pathology report from your prior surgery (as well as the rest of your medical records) to make sure you understand your previous diagnosis which is likely pertinent to your current diagnosis and treatment options. Also, what did your imaging test say about this current cyst? Does it have suspicious characteristics?

Also, even if you do have cancer, it may be confined to the cyst or the ovary therefore only requiring the removal of the cyst or the ONE ovary with ongoing monitoring. This is commonly done in the U.S. in young women.

Here in the U.S., removal of the uterus and ovaries is grossly overused with 73% of women losing healthy ovaries at the time of hysterectomy but even most hysterectomies are not necessary (only 2% are done for confirmed cancer). So you are right to question why your physician is talking about removing both ovaries and your uterus when the cyst is on your right ovary.

A big problem is that the surgical consent forms are written to allow the surgeon to have "free rein" on what organs are removed.

I had the same situation as you except that my cyst was on the left ovary. My surgeon (my gynecologist of 20 years) should have removed JUST the cyst. Instead he removed all my sex organs (uterus, ovaries, and tubes) even though the frozen section done while I was under anesthesia was benign. He should have sewn me back up when those results came back but instead he proceeded to remove the rest of my organs. Although I was much older than you (49), the effects of "surgical menopause" (an inaccurate term that sounds "benign" but is not) have been severe. I personally wish I had gotten the heck out of there when I did not like some of the things he said. And I wish I had revised the consent form to only allow removal of any organs IF the frozen section showed cancer.  

Again, I apologize for the novel. Please do your homework and make sure you are comfortable with the surgeon and whatever treatment you decide to undergo. Please feel free to post back with any additional information or questions.
Helpful - 0
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