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First Appointment with Gyn/Onc
I have an 18 cm cyst that my regular gyn says looks like non-cancerous, but because of the size referred me to a gyn/oncologist for a consultation. The appointment is next week and I'm wondering if anyone can give me an idea of what I can expect for a first visit with this kind of doctor for this kind of issue. My regular gyn believes they will probably want to do surgery (as do I because if I even look at a tall glass of water, I have to run to the bathroom and some discomfort during sex and a general icky feeling).
Will the gyn/onc be the surgeon or will I have another person to meet after this appointment? Will he just go over the ultrasound or can I expect an exam with him as well? I'm a little nervous but I'm really looking forward to having more information about what's going. Anyone out there with some first-hand wisdom to share, I would really appreciate it!
Will the gyn/onc be the surgeon or will I have another person to meet after this appointment? Will he just go over the ultrasound or can I expect an exam with him as well? I'm a little nervous but I'm really looking forward to having more information about what's going. Anyone out there with some first-hand wisdom to share, I would really appreciate it!
Hi Heather. Don't be nervous ( I know, easier said than done =). The hardest part is the waiting for your appointment. When you go to your appointment, he/she will take you history, symptoms, that kind of thing. I'm pretty sure that he will do an exam. If you have your ultrasound report, I would take it with you, that way they can't say they didn't get it. He will also be the one to do your surgery. You can count on having a laparotomy done, and you will probably be in the hospital 3-5 days. Please keep us posted on how things are going. Good Luck!!
Hi! I can only give you information based on my own personal experience with the Gyn/onc. My appointment was at a university hospital, so I had a long wait. My appt was at 2pm & I didn't get called back til after 330. So, maybe bring something to read.
Normally, If you need surgery- the gyn/onc will be the one to do it. He/She is going to want to follow through with your case. He will go over the ultrasound, and probably do an exam as well. He may or may not send you for another ultrasound or different type of scan depending on how much info he gets from your first ultrasound.
Being nervous is totally understandable. What helped me was to take a note book and start writing questions. I filled the page (no matter how silly I thought they were) When the Resident came in and spoke with me...she answered many of my questions, so when she walked out, I crossed them off the list. Then I only had a few main ones for the doctor. Getting the most information as possible really helped to calm me down.
Good luck with your appt & keep me updated!!
Normally, If you need surgery- the gyn/onc will be the one to do it. He/She is going to want to follow through with your case. He will go over the ultrasound, and probably do an exam as well. He may or may not send you for another ultrasound or different type of scan depending on how much info he gets from your first ultrasound.
Being nervous is totally understandable. What helped me was to take a note book and start writing questions. I filled the page (no matter how silly I thought they were) When the Resident came in and spoke with me...she answered many of my questions, so when she walked out, I crossed them off the list. Then I only had a few main ones for the doctor. Getting the most information as possible really helped to calm me down.
Good luck with your appt & keep me updated!!
Hi! I just wanted to say good luck, and tell you my experience. I'm 22 years old and currently recovering from something very similar. I had a mucinous ovarian cyst that was at least as big as yours, if not bigger. The gyn onc definitely will want to remove the mass, and it'll be up to them to decide how to go about doing that. My gynecologist at first talked about removing mine laproscopically (they actually can remove cysts that large without doing an open procedure!), but then she sent me for a very detailed ultrasound (transvaginal, meaning a probe was inserted into my vagina to get the image). The ultrasound showed areas of the cyst that were solid, rather than only fluid, so I was referred to a gyn onc and told that since the cyst was complex, the surgery would be more extensive.
The gyn onc did an exam, went over the ultrasound with me, and sent me for a CA 125 blood test, as well as blood tests for some other cancer markers. You say that your doctor is pretty sure that the cyst is non-cancerous, but they'll probably want to do that kind of bloodwork anyway.
In the end, I had a laparotomy done by the gyn onc. The cyst was a low malignant potential tumor, meaning that there were some abnormal cells, but they were contained. I wanted to post to let you know that it's definitely scary, and the recovery is tough, but it's NOWHERE near as bad as a lot of what I read on various message boards. A lot of what I read, while it was helpful, contributed to my nerves and stress, because it seemed like people only had horror stories to tell. So don't let all of that get to you too much. I was only in the hospital overnight for my laparotomy. The incision (a horizontal bikini cut) is about 6 inches, below my belly button. I'm 10 days post-op right now and feeling great. The first 5 days were tough (constipation and nausea are the worst!) but my pain is just about gone and I'm heading back to my regular routine. I saw my doctor today and she said to just take it easy for another week or two. I'm already feeling better than I did before the surgery - such a large cyst really takes a toll on your body!
Anyway, this post ended up being longer than I expected! I just wanted to tell my story so that you knew that sometimes the recovery is easier than expected. And it's definitely scary to walk into an office of an oncologist, but they are definitely the people to do the job. Good luck with everything - I wish you a quick and easy recovery!
The gyn onc did an exam, went over the ultrasound with me, and sent me for a CA 125 blood test, as well as blood tests for some other cancer markers. You say that your doctor is pretty sure that the cyst is non-cancerous, but they'll probably want to do that kind of bloodwork anyway.
In the end, I had a laparotomy done by the gyn onc. The cyst was a low malignant potential tumor, meaning that there were some abnormal cells, but they were contained. I wanted to post to let you know that it's definitely scary, and the recovery is tough, but it's NOWHERE near as bad as a lot of what I read on various message boards. A lot of what I read, while it was helpful, contributed to my nerves and stress, because it seemed like people only had horror stories to tell. So don't let all of that get to you too much. I was only in the hospital overnight for my laparotomy. The incision (a horizontal bikini cut) is about 6 inches, below my belly button. I'm 10 days post-op right now and feeling great. The first 5 days were tough (constipation and nausea are the worst!) but my pain is just about gone and I'm heading back to my regular routine. I saw my doctor today and she said to just take it easy for another week or two. I'm already feeling better than I did before the surgery - such a large cyst really takes a toll on your body!
Anyway, this post ended up being longer than I expected! I just wanted to tell my story so that you knew that sometimes the recovery is easier than expected. And it's definitely scary to walk into an office of an oncologist, but they are definitely the people to do the job. Good luck with everything - I wish you a quick and easy recovery!
I will give you some advice for now, before going to the hospital.
If you indeed have an 18cm ovarian cyst, you should NOT have sex. You should also not jump, nor twist nor make sudden movements.
Why?
Your ovary has bloodvessels comming from above. Imagine a mandarain hanging from a rubber band. If you bounce it, nothing hapenes; it bounces along. But imagine an orange, of in your case something even larger, attached to that mandarain. If you bounce it, from the extra mass the tumor can cause the overy to twist.
If that hapenes, the bloodvessels will stop supplying blood and your ovary will have no blood and the tissue will die. You will be in a lot of pain, probably in a shock and definately in need for an emergency surgery.
This was told to me by my gynaecologist (-surgeant). He has studied ovarian cancer for over 15 years in the best university-hospital of Germany, was head-surgeant and chairman of the board, so he knows what he is talking about. And I only had about half of your size...
So this might freak you out, but just stay with cuddling and kissing for now, and don't play tennis and don't jump into the pool (swimming is ok though) and don't dance etc. And then... it will all be fine. They will - I assume - remove the cyst surgically. But when it's gone, you will be out of danger.
Just take it easy for now, and at your appointment: ask a lot of questions! (write them down before you go - that's what I do.)
Good luck.
(Excuse my English, I am not native speaking.)
If you indeed have an 18cm ovarian cyst, you should NOT have sex. You should also not jump, nor twist nor make sudden movements.
Why?
Your ovary has bloodvessels comming from above. Imagine a mandarain hanging from a rubber band. If you bounce it, nothing hapenes; it bounces along. But imagine an orange, of in your case something even larger, attached to that mandarain. If you bounce it, from the extra mass the tumor can cause the overy to twist.
If that hapenes, the bloodvessels will stop supplying blood and your ovary will have no blood and the tissue will die. You will be in a lot of pain, probably in a shock and definately in need for an emergency surgery.
This was told to me by my gynaecologist (-surgeant). He has studied ovarian cancer for over 15 years in the best university-hospital of Germany, was head-surgeant and chairman of the board, so he knows what he is talking about. And I only had about half of your size...
So this might freak you out, but just stay with cuddling and kissing for now, and don't play tennis and don't jump into the pool (swimming is ok though) and don't dance etc. And then... it will all be fine. They will - I assume - remove the cyst surgically. But when it's gone, you will be out of danger.
Just take it easy for now, and at your appointment: ask a lot of questions! (write them down before you go - that's what I do.)
Good luck.
(Excuse my English, I am not native speaking.)
Hi Heather,
I am in the same boat as you. I have a 14 cm cyst (probably endometroid, fluid filled) and was referred to a gyn/onc. The gyn/onc asked me to tell him in my own words what's been going on (in my case, I had no symptoms, the discovery of the cyst on a routine pelvic exam, subsequent ultrasound and MRI). He asked a few questions (last menstrual period, pain during intercourse). He had me change and he did a very brief pelvic exam and then did a rectal exam (?) That was NOT comfortable, but very quick. I then went back into his office and he showed me the cyst on the MRI images on his computer and said he doesn't see any flags that tell him there's a cancer risk and it's OK for my ob/gyn to do the surgery.
My question is, should I instead push to have a gyn/onc do the surgery? I love my ob/gyn and she is having another md assist in the surgery, but with a cyst this large and possible wrapped around my uterus, etc...should I be worried about her doing it?
I am in the same boat as you. I have a 14 cm cyst (probably endometroid, fluid filled) and was referred to a gyn/onc. The gyn/onc asked me to tell him in my own words what's been going on (in my case, I had no symptoms, the discovery of the cyst on a routine pelvic exam, subsequent ultrasound and MRI). He asked a few questions (last menstrual period, pain during intercourse). He had me change and he did a very brief pelvic exam and then did a rectal exam (?) That was NOT comfortable, but very quick. I then went back into his office and he showed me the cyst on the MRI images on his computer and said he doesn't see any flags that tell him there's a cancer risk and it's OK for my ob/gyn to do the surgery.
My question is, should I instead push to have a gyn/onc do the surgery? I love my ob/gyn and she is having another md assist in the surgery, but with a cyst this large and possible wrapped around my uterus, etc...should I be worried about her doing it?
I think you should absolutely push for the gyn onc to do the surgery. Even though the mass doesn't seem to be cancerous, and your gyn is certainly capable of doing the procedure, a gyn onc has specialized training in doing complicated surgeries to remove complex cysts. My gyn onc did an amazing job with my surgery. She had the experience necessary to actually save my ovary, even after a canteloupe-sized cyst had stretched out and damaged the tissue. She also managed to remove the cyst through a bikini cut, whereas many other surgeons would have needed to do a vertical incision, and she took care to minimize scarring. I think if you have the option to be under the care of a gyn onc, it's the best choice. And it's my understanding that it's pretty common for gyn oncs to remove cysts that are not necessarily cancerous.
Thank you all for you stories and information. You've really put my mind at ease. It's helped me get my list of questions together and generally just feel ready to get the ball rolling. I'll keep you all posted. I'm so glad I found this site - amazing helpful!
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