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PET scan

I'm scheduled for surgery in 1 month with an on-gyn in Toronto (Princess Margaret Hospital) for a large ovarian cyst (13cm). A friend mentioned checking into a PET scan (he's from the states), but they're not routinely done in Toronto or even Ontario and am assuming they're quite expensive and I have no health coverage, but I'm sure I could manage. I've looked at the internet and there's good and bad written about it, but my general impression is that they could be overly sensitive. Has this been most people's experiences with PET scans? I'd like to know if it's cancer going into surgery, but know it's only conculsive with pathology and am worried that it might cause more harm than help. Also, how long does it take to get booked for a scan and how long to get results?

Thanks for any advice.

mber
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483733 tn?1326798446
Right now MedHelp is having technical problems around the male/female thing so not your fault.  

My recovery was good.  Because we had planned on doing a total hyesterectomy (operations in that area are risky for me) I was given epidural anaesthesia (no, not awake).  When I woke up I still had pain in my upper abdomen but once I was able to move around in bed the epi hit that area.  I had the catheter in for a few days until they took the epi out and waited for the freezing to come out.  The epi was so strange.  They gave me morphine through it and it froze but did not freeze.  I could walk but couldn't feel my legs.  Very strange.  I was up and in a chair day after and walking the day after that.  I was in hospital for 5 days.  I've had a lot of surgeries and this was one of the easiest to recover from.  The first week  home was tough.  I was so sore and tired.  Just remember to keep on top of your pain meds, drink lots of water, walk, and drink/eat things to help with your bowels.  Ensure you bring a pillow for your trip home (under seatbelt) and you will find it good to have a pillow to hold against your abdomen when you are sleeping.  I had sleeping problems once home for the first few weeks.  Feel free to drop me a note to moan or ask questions if you need someone to talk to.

All the best, Trudie
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Avatar universal
Hi Trudie, it looks like a lot of Canadians are on this site and it's a great site. Thanks for your positive thoughts. I'm not post-menopausal and the ultrasound said it was a complex cystic lesion with echogenic fluid surrounding a lobulataed solid component with internal color flow--mainly gibberish to me. I've interpreted it as partly solid, partly liquid and suspicious.

You mentioned you had a cyst removed in June 08?  how was recovery? I'm also getting a vertical incision but I don't know what to expect afterwards, except pain and discomfort. Not looking forward to it, but just want it over with so I'll know how to deal with it all.

I saw your previous post about updating your profile and I apologize about mine. It says I'm male! I never really noticed it when I signed up, but I've tried updating it twice and it won't change..maybe I need to wait 24hrs?

mber




Helpful - 0
483733 tn?1326798446
Hi there.  Nice to see another Canadian.  I live in Ayr (near Cambridge).  I think you may be worrying unnecessarily.  More than 95% of all cysts are benign and if they thought your cyst was suspicious they would be having you into surgery quicker.  I had a 16 cm cluster (they thought it was one cyst going in) removed in June.  What type of cyst do they think it is?  Are you post menopausal?  I can't advise on the PET.  There were a lot of delays in me getting a CT here and I had looked into getting one in Detroit.  For that test it was going to be a week.  At the same time I was back at my doctor due to increased symptoms and pain and he managed to get the local scan moved up so I never got to Detroit.  Good luck with everything.
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