Ovary problems

[Captain Jack]

OK guys, I'm new here, but I just got some really weird news today and wondered if anyone could share advice or whatever...
I'm pre- hormones, and I was due to start oestrogen blockers in a few weeks. Before that though I had to go and have a regular ultrasound just to check everything was OK down there. When I was lying on the table thingy the doctor prodded me and said 'have you always had such a bloated stomach?'
As far as I knew I always had, but I'd assumed it was just a premature beer belly or something; despite repeated gym sessions it wouldn't shift so I just learned to live with it. After I'd got off the bed she told me to sit down and said 'you have a large cyst on your left ovary'.
When I asked how big, she said about 20cm x 30cm x 12cm, and that it must have been there for years to get so large... Which was a bit of a nasty shock tbh 0_o So I'll have to have a pretty big operation to get rid of the thing and my oestrogen blockers will get delayed :-/ I'm kind of nervous 'cause I've never had such a large op before, and I'm told it'll leave a pretty big scar (although that's fine if they get rid of it). Basically I just wondered if anyone had had a similar thing before? And if so, how long did they have to wait for the op (I live in England- land btw ) 'cause no one seems to know and obviously I want rid of it soon as
Anyways, thanks for reading (if you got this far)

[LordKAT]

Now if only a complete hysto went with that. Then no need for blockers.

[Crow]

Uuugh, ovary issues. I had to have emergency surgery a couple months ago because of an ovarian torsion (basically, onbe of my ovaries had a cyst, the tube got twisted up, and all the tissue died). The surgeon went in thinking it was appendicitis and didn't realize my ovary was the issue until mid-surgery! I wish the surgeon had just gone ahead and taken out the other ovary while he was at it

At least you know in advance what you're having surgery for instead of having an unpleasant midnight emergency room adventure. It sucks that it means a delay in estrogen blockers, though.

[Jamie D]

Here is an article with some information.

http://ovariancystfacts.com/ovarian-cyst-removal/

[Captain Jack]

Aw thanks guys- good to know I'm not the only one  and yeah I wish I could just have a hysto but don't think the NHS is gonna go for that one. Thanks for the link though- I've been scaring myself ->-bleeped-<-less trawling the internet and finding cyst horror stories

[D0LL]

I'm always worried about what ovary problems may pop up, and how they might affect transition. I haven't been diagnosed by a dr. with PCOS, but I have enough symptoms to be diagnosed without actually having cysts on my ovaries. Still, the fact that I've never been checked for cysts before worries me. I basically have no idea what's going on in there. :/

Were there any other symptoms, such as pain? Since I stopped taking female hormones, I've been getting on and off pains from my ovaries, completely unrelated to my cycle (which, has basically stopped as well). As a poor person (and by poor, I mean VERY poor), I try to avoid unnecessary doctor visits as much as possible, but for something internal like that, it's hard to tell when it really is time to see someone about it.

I have a cyst on my spine, by the tailbone. It was so huge and painful by the time I went to have it drained that I couldn't even lie on the hospital bed. After that horrible incident and my experience at that particular hospital (they didn't numb me properly so I felt them slicing me open with a scalpel), it makes me worried thinking about ovarian cysts that might be down there.

Good luck to you. I hope all goes well.

[Captain Jack]

Funnily enough the only real symptom was the large beer belly I seemed to have acquired- looking back it's ridiculous that I didn't really pay attention to it, because as my doctor so kindly pointed out, it made me look about 4 months pregnant. Like you however I am always super reluctant to get these things checked out. Sorry to hear about that cyst on your spine, sounds really painful. I actually had a similar one on the back of my leg a few years ago, although I got that dealt with straight away as I couldn't help but notice the searing pain every time I sat down. But honestly I would get your ovaries checked out, especially if you've been having hormone treatment. It's never too soon to get these things dealt with after all.
In fact now that I think about it, I did notice an occasional difficulty in emptying my bladder (sorry if TMI) meaning that I would be running back and forth between the toilets every 10 minutes or so...