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This follows my first post about my ovarian cyst story and the symptoms to look out for. If you haven’t read my full ovarian cyst experience and are searching for complex ovarian cyst stories I recommend starting there first.
As a quick recap, I was diagnosed with a football-sized ovarian cyst in October 2017. I underwent a laparotomy to have the cyst, my left ovary, and fallopian tube removed. Now that it’s been over a year since that ovarian cyst experience, I thought I would write an update to my previous post for those interested and/or experiencing the same thing.
While the surgery and prospect of cancer are scary, I hope by sharing my story I’ve helped some women get diagnosed quickly and cope with the process.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. Everything I write about is based on my own personal experience and research. Always consult a doctor if you suspect something is going on.
THE PHYSICAL SCARS FROM A LAPAROTOMY SURGERY
In my previous post, I wrote about the healing process during the couple of months post-surgery. The first three weeks were the toughest for me. Having a laparotomy is a lot more painful and slow to heal than laparoscopic surgeries. Some women are lucky when their cysts can be removed with 3 small incisions. However, if the doctors suspect cancer they will usually perform a laparotomy to get a better look and perform other tests.
My incision went from my pelvic area to about two inches above my belly button. It was stitched inside and stapled outside.
While I was still stapled I kept reading forums online about the same surgery I had. Most of the posts involved complications post-surgery. Because of that, I was worried about the incision opening up after the staples were removed but that never happened. I now know that most people who have a good experience (no complications) aren’t the ones writing in the forums.
Within two weeks I had the staples removed. It wasn’t painful at all, just tugging. The staples left no scarring either.
The incision left a nice (or ugly depending if you’re a half-empty person) purplish scar up my abdomen. They say it fades with time but here is my scar 1.5 years after surgery…
LACKING AN OVARY DIDN’T AFFECT MY BODY AT ALL
One thing I was concerned about, and I think a lot of people are, was how my body is going to produce enough estrogen with a single ovary. Most sources of medical information say a single ovary is enough to produce the hormones you need, though you are still at risk of early menopause.
Before the surgery, I already had a hormone imbalance, however, I’m not sure of the cause. I was hoping the imbalance would have decreased or disappeared completely post-surgery. They didn’t.
I continue to have:
- Excess facial hair
- Depression/anxiety
- Painful periods/ovulation
- Weight gain
- High heart rate
- Fatigue
When I bring it up to my doctor she simply tells me “it’s probably a hormone imbalance”, like it’s normal. I asked her for a thyroid test and she went along with my request, but the test came back negative.
The next steps I will be taking is testing my testosterone levels, but I need to build up the courage to visit the doctor again.
I continue to have regular menstruation despite having one ovary, so as long as that keeps happening we know I’m still producing estrogen.
SIDE-EFFECTS OF INVASIVE ABDOMINAL SURGERY
The side-effects from my laparotomy are surprisingly very minimal. Other than the scar I was left with I have very few complaints.
The biggest issue I have post-surgery is my weight. It may be related to my hormones or my unhealthy habits, but I have found it really easy to gain weight since. Post-surgery I lost 15 pounds. Since losing the weight I have gained approximately 30 pounds back! Some people might say I just need to eat right and exercise but I think my body is working against any effort I make.
On a positive note, since fully healing I have had NO pain. Doctor’s like to tell me I healed so well because I’m young. I would secretly roll my eyes every time they said it haha.
I CONTINUE TO FEAR THAT I WILL GET ANOTHER OVARIAN CYST
Over the last year and a half, there have been some pervasive concerns stemming from my ovarian cyst experience.
I will always be afraid that I will get another cyst and have to go through that all over again. I was strong the first time I was diagnosed but I don’t think I could be strong a second time. Part of this fear is not wanting to be in premature menopause in my 30s! I understand the long-term side effects and risks of not producing any estrogen and I don’t want to deal with that.
Fortunately, the type of cyst I had (teratoma) develops slowly and doesn’t usually recur once removed. My doctors don’t have me going for regular ultrasounds to monitor any new growths. I was told it’s all done and to continue with my regular life.
Lastly, I worry about getting a hernia. Since the area of my incision has been weakened from the surgery I will always have a higher risk of developing a hernia. Being overweight doesn’t help either.
FINAL WORDS ON MY OVARIAN CYST EXPERIENCE
Some of my post-surgery concerns might seem like I’m not happy with the result, but that’s not the case. I couldn’t wait to get the giant cyst out of my abdomen and a lot of good things came from not being able to work (eg. this blog).
What I mentioned in this post is what I experienced a year after the surgery in relation to getting a laparotomy and salpingo-oophorectomy.
It might be different for you, or you may have a similar experience.
If you can relate or just been diagnosed I would love to swap stories. Comment below (or if you prefer to be private you can send me an email at sarah.fournier@caffeineandconquer.com)
This is a good post. Everyone needs to read your original post first to understands what you went through.
Agreed
Reading your story gives me a lot of hope. Two weeks ago I had a cyst, my right ovary and tube, and appendix removed after a weekend in extreme pain. I never acknowledged the symptoms in the months i now realize i had the, so by the time I got to the ER, the cyst had grown to 32cm in diameter, it reached from my stomach to my back, and from right below my chest into my pelvic cavity(for for reference, i was wearing a 22 in pants and I am 5’10” with a long torso). Essentially this sucker was crushing all of my organs and was weeks away from shutting everything down. I lost 74 pounds from my week in the hospital. My results came back borderline as well and they will monitor me over the next 5 years to make sure it doesn’t happen again. The thought of going through this a second time scares me. The thought of not being able to have children scares me. The thought of having cancer scares me. However, Reading your story and knowing I’m not the only one, gave me more peace of mind then I’ve had in a while. Thank you for being vulnerable enough to share!!
Thank you for sharing your story with me! I still can’t believe how common this is among women.
Hello, thanks for sharing my surgery is schedule for August If i I’m happy finally I got one huge cyst on my left and another on my right not so big,my doctor told me she will try to preserve as much as she can my fertility I just have one kid and I’m 32,so she told me she will try to fix the tissue that is left from my ovary and the right side she thinks is in better conditions. I don’t know how high was myva 125 but it was she didn’t referred me to a oncologist I’m also scared about the cancer thing but I’m positive and think that it’s not. (I pray and hope to god) cause right now I just have positive though and I’m happy cause I’m gonna take that thing out which is causing me so much pain, so I’m having a Exploratory Laparotomy and Cystectomy.
Thank you for sharing with me Grace. I wish you the best of luck with your surgery in August! I’m 32 as well and feel like our age is a good thing – our chances of it being really serious are very low.
So glad I’ve come across this blog! I’m currently going through some tests to get a full diagnosis on the cyst that’s been found in me. It’s been quite scary and most people will jump to the worst case scenario.
This post and your original post about your procedure has been very helpful and positive. Thank you!
Ughh I remember that time in my life like it was yesterday. Wishing you the best of luck and good health Naomi!
Reading this gives me so much hope. I’m having surgery Tuesday to remove a large cyst and I have been a mess of emotions since I discovered it (on my 34th birthday, talk about a terrible birthday). The thought of cancer is terrifying. I’m trying to stay positive but it’s really hard. And adding Covid into the mix is going to make a hospital stay even harder. Thank you for sharing your story and bringing more attention to something that more women should be aware of.
Sending positive vibes your way!
Thanks for sharing! Cyst similar, but diagnosis, amounts, and sizes varied. The day before my husband’s bday, I wasn’t feeling right: chills, nauseous, ovulation pain for a few days. Urgent care sent me to ER for full scans and tests. 8 hours later: lemon sized cyst on left ovary and a little smaller on right. Referred to OBGYN/ Surgeon. He preferred laparoscopic excision(removal of cysts) 125 labs was within normal range. Also stated I had multiple cysts on left ovary hiding behind the lemon one. Surgery 11/17. 11/16, WA re-enforcement of COVID protocol, so husband has to drop me off and pick up, no visitors allowed at all. I had an excellent team of medical staff. Excellent! Surgery took 1.5 hours from lights out to recovery room. 4 small incisions. Follow up 12/3 with surgeon. I have pictures! Recovery not too bad(I’ve had 2 c-sections and those were painful for 4 days), I’m just tired and minimal appetite. I stopped pain meds after 4 days. Avoided having pains with gas-x and sleeping propped up. Excited for life without these unwelcome guests. Flash back to Dec 2018: I told gen practitioner I had PCOS but labs were “normal”, had ultrasound and forgot to go back to follow up ultrasound. Listen to your bodies ladies and advocate for yourself!!! Be well.
Thank you for sharing and I’m sorry you had to go through that in addition to Covid protocols. I had small cysts inside my fallopian tube they found during surgery. Have always questioned if I have PCOS (I have other symptoms) but think they would have diagnosed me after seeing my insides. You’re lucky to have had yours removed laparoscopically! I wish you a healthy 2021!
Thank you so much for sharing your story. It really helps. I am scheduled for laparoscopic surgery for a cyst on my right ovary. I’ve been reading over and over articles on trying to decrease the size of one with home remedies. I would love for this to work because in my head the smaller the cyst, the smaller the worry 🙂
Did you ever try anything while waiting for surgery?
Thank you
No I didn’t try anything at home to decrease the size. It’s hard to know what can help when there are so many different types of cysts and they only know what it is when they take it out and examine it. I had a teratoma and it happened to be very large when I learned it was there. The best thing to do is see a doctor and get surgery if they recommend it.