Emergency Room Visit = Ovarian Cyst

Here’s my health story. I went to the ER (emergency room) Wednesday.

Monday night I couldn’t sleep. I kept waking up every so often due to hurting in my abdominal/pelvic region. To be more specific, I was hurting in my left ovary and at times I would have pains there as well. At the time, I didn’t think it was my ovary, but in a way I felt like it was my ovary bothering me. However, I figured it was my bladder and that I had to urinate, since it happened in the middle of Monday night. On Tuesday, I was still hurting and still having pains all day long. It was going on for 24 hours, even while I was at work. (For those of you who don’t know, I work at a nursing home as a Certified Nursing Assistant. [CNA]) I got to thinking maybe I had pulled a muscle from lifting at work or maybe I was constipated for some reason. I’ve never hurt in this area of my body before. I started getting sharper pains and it was a bother to me because I was trying to get my work done. When I came home Tuesday night, I told my mom about it. She thought the same thing I did.

Wednesday morning, I get up and start my day. I’m still hurting and having pains in my left ovary. Mom told me since it’s still bothering me to go to the ER and not to go to work, so I done that. The doctor at the ER, Dr. Ross, had them to do a urine specimen and an ultrasound on me. Dr. Ross said that nothing showed up in my urine, but I might have a small UTI (urinary tract infection also known as a bladder infection), which I have had before, but it was contaminated, so he couldn’t tell. I have had a kidney infection before too. He told me he didn’t think it was a UTI causing me to hurt and have pains. He had an ultrasound done on me. After doing the ultrasound, I went back in my ER space and Dr. Ross came in. He told me nothing showed up and everything was fine. Then, He left and came back in 15 minutes. He told me that the Radiologist called back and said that he did find a small ovarian cyst on my left ovary, after looking a second time at the ultrasound. He said it wasn’t anything to worry about, since it was barely noticeable. He said that alot of women have them, but if the hurting and pain gets worse, to go see my doctor. He said they may have to operate if it does get worse or if it grows.

I’m going to share some information about ovarian cysts, since quite a few women seem to have them. Here are a few links with quite a bit of information on ovarian cysts.
About Ovarian Cysts
Ovarian Cyst on Wikipedia

The information below was taken from: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/reproductive/gynecologic/279.html

What is an ovarian cyst?
An ovarian cyst is a fluid-filled sac in the ovary. Many cysts are completely normal. These are called functional cysts. They occur as a result of ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovary). Functional cysts normally shrink over time, usually in about 1 to 3 months. If you have a functional cyst, your doctor may want to check you again in 1 to 3 months to make sure the cyst has gotten smaller. In certain cases, your doctor may want you to take birth control pills so you won’t ovulate. If you don’t ovulate, you won’t form cysts.

If you are menopausal and are not having periods, you shouldn’t form functional cysts. If you do have a cyst, your doctor will probably want you to have a sonogram so he or she can look at the cyst. What your doctor decides to do after that depends on your age, the way the cyst looks on the sonogram and if you’re having symptoms such as pain, bloating, feeling full after eating just a little, and constipation.

What is a sonogram?
A sonogram (or ultrasound) uses sound waves to make “pictures” of organs in the body. It’s a good way for your doctor to “look” at your ovaries. This kind of sonogram can be done 2 ways, either through your abdomen or your vagina. Neither type is painful. The sonogram usually lasts about 30 minutes. It will give your doctor valuable information about the size and the appearance of your cyst.

Do I need surgery for an ovarian cyst?
The answer depends on several things, such as your age, whether you are having periods, the size of the cyst, its appearance and your symptoms.

If you’re having periods and the cyst is functional, you probably won’t need to have surgery. If the cyst doesn’t go away after several menstrual periods, if it gets larger or if it doesn’t look like a functional cyst on the sonogram, your doctor may want you to have an operation to remove it. There are many different types of ovarian cysts in women of childbearing age that do require surgery. Fortunately, cysts in women of this age are almost always benign (not cancer).

If you’re past menopause and have an ovarian cyst, your doctor will probably want you to have surgery. Ovarian cancer is rare, but women 50 to 70 years of age are at greater risk. Women who are diagnosed at an early stage do much better than women who are diagnosed later.