It’s Probably Nothing…

by Kathy on February 24, 2011 · 7 comments

in Fear, Loss, My Ovaries, Pain, Ultrasounds

…but just in case I decided to call my OB/GYN.

In the middle of exercise class this morning I started feeling discomfort in my left ovary. In and of itself this is not abnormal for me, I usually feel this type pain in my ovary around the time I ovulate every month. However this is the second time this menstrual cycle that I have felt like this (the first time being well before and now approximately a week after ovulation). So I started to wonder and worry a bit.

During Abby’s nap I spoke with one of the nurses at my OB/GYN’s office who in turn spoke with one of the doctors in the practice. She apparently recommended that I have a pelvic ultrasound (u/s) done. My best guess as to what is going on, is that I may have an ovarian cyst. At least that is what it sounded like to me after consulting with Dr. Google earlier today.

The nurse told me to call our local hospital’s central scheduling department to make an appointment at the Imaging Center for the pelvic u/s. When I spoke with someone from the department, the soonest they could see me was March 18. I was not pleased to hear that. Having the tendency to be a hypochondriac, having to wait almost a month wasn’t working for me. The woman then told me I could call my OB/GYN and they could have one of my doctors contact the u/s technicians directly to request an earlier appointment.

When I followed up with the nurse at my OB/GYN’s office, she suggested that I could also just come to their office and the u/s tech (who I know well after all the years we were trying to conceive which included our six pregnancies and four losses) there would do it. But initially when she looked at their schedule the first opening they had wasn’t until around March 3, when my period is due and they don’t like to do trans vaginal u/s when you are menstruating. So then she was moving further into the month of March and I asked if we could try the option of having one of the doctors call the u/s techs at the hospital’s Imaging Center directly. Instead she said that she would check with their u/s tech and see if he would be willing to fit me in sooner.

I was very pleased to find out that he told her I could come in tomorrow morning at 9:15 a.m. How is that for service?! I guess when you spend enough time with medical professionals and they get to know you and/or you are persistent, sometimes they are willing to make exceptions to accommodate you and your overcautious self. At least that was my experience today.

So when I wake up tomorrow morning I will be eating breakfast and then emptying my bladder at about 7:45 a.m. Then I will get to drink 32 oz. of water and proceed to “hold it” until after the trans vaginal u/s at 9:15 a.m. How fun does that sound?! Definitely reminiscent of my days doing IVF (when I needed a full bladder for the embryo transfer procedure) and having early u/s during my subsequent pregnancies after our losses (when I had many trans vaginal u/s).

I imagine that everything will likely be just fine, but after years of ending up on the wrong side of the odds (and the right side many times too), I would rather be safe and get myself checked out sooner, rather than later.

I will report back sometime tomorrow as what, if anything, they find. But I realize, that it is probably nothing.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers as I prepare for the exam tomorrow. Also, if any of you have any experience with ovarian pain (other than that related to ovulation and menstruation), please do feel free to share.

{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

1 It is what it is February 24, 2011 at 5:22 pm

Best to have it looked at and since you are post ovulating this month it could be an unresolved follicle that has filled back up with fluid creating a cyst.

I have the same type of pain and have been trying to have an u/s since January but have had to keep rescheduling for one reason or another. Some months it is quite painful, multiple times throughout the month and other months things are very quiet.

Good luck and I hope the u/s gets to the bottom of it (b/c there's nothing like having unexplained pain).

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2 Stacey February 24, 2011 at 7:00 pm

Hi there, I am new to your blog. First let me say how beautiful your family is, and I'm so sorry for the loss of your precious Molly. Sean and Abby are pretty darn adorable! I hope your appointment goes well tomorrow. I have PCOS and some experience with those pesky cysts. Good luck tomorrow, I hope it turns out to be nothing!

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3 Knock knock - it's cancer! February 24, 2011 at 7:29 pm

Kathy – if I had your number I would call you right now!! You do not need this stress.

You know I am very proud of the fact that you kept persisting to be seen sooner. And it paid off, indeed. I will be thinking of you tomorrow morning (on my way to my oncologist apt myself)

It reminds me of my ovarian problems… I have terrible pains in my ovaries, they are cysts. Last time I ended up with a huge cyst filled with blood inside my ovary, they ended up doing a laproscopy and cauterizing the cr@p out of my ovaries and the uterine lining… now they tell me I have endometriosis.

Remember the age old saying 'cancer doesn't hurt'. Cysts do.

I'll be checking in with you tomorrow.

Your kindred spirit,

Michelle

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4 Kathy February 24, 2011 at 8:30 pm

IIWIS – Thank you for the validation, for sharing your experience and the good luck. I agree that unexplained pain is very disturbing and allows my imagination to run wild.

Stacey – Welcome and thank you for your kind words about my family, (especially Molly)! It means a lot to me when people acknowledge Molly's existence, as I don't get to hear people say her name or have them mention her very often these days.

I am sorry to hear that you have PCOS and a history of dealing with cysts. That's not fun. Thanks for the good luck and for commenting. I look forward to visiting you/your blog soon.

Michelle – You are so sweet! I am not that stressed about it, but I am definately not one to wait things out. If I have a concern I follow up on it, as I never want to think, if only I had gotten it checked out sooner…

Thank you for being proud of me! I definately felt like I was channeling you a bit today. Knowing how proactive you are dealing with your cancer is very inspiring to me.

Thank you also for sharing about your ovarian issues. Like so many things in life, I am always amazed how common certain things are that were totally not on my radar until I experienced them (such as miscarrages and now possibly ovarian cysts).

Thank you for thinking of me tomorrow my kindred spirit, I will be doing the same for you and wish that you were "only" going to have a little u/s test vs. having a meeting with your oncologist.

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5 embracingtherain February 24, 2011 at 11:05 pm

Glad you are getting it checked out. I hope you are able to get some answers about what is going on. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

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6 Knock knock - it's cancer! February 25, 2011 at 10:23 am

I am thinking of you… You should be in the middle of your appontment by now or just about done ( it's morning on the west coast)

I am sending you lots of positive thoughts and hope it's nothing more than a cyst.

Hope you treated yourself to a nice yummy lunch when it was all over 🙂

pffft…. I SO need your number, this posting comments and waiting for comments is so not instantly gratifying – haha

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7 Kathy February 25, 2011 at 11:59 am

Michelle (from Embracing) – Thank you! I am glad I got it checked out too. I guess I did get some answers (that things look fine), but no explanation for the pain yet. So we'll see.

Michelle (from Knock, Knock) – Thanks and I hear you on the instant gratification point, a few times recently I have gone to your blog and hit refresh waiting for your next update, knowing full well that when you do post something new it will show up in my reader…

So we still don't know why I am in pain, but at least the "all clear" seems to rule out a lot of things that were concerning me.

Ooooo, treating myself to a yummy lunch is a great idea! Too bad I a home already and Abby is napping. I think I will go make myself a good salad or something?! Looking forward to hearing about your appt. today. 🙂

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