210 posts shown.
Chloe Gomez6 said:In what way does it mess things up 😁? Like, is it gonna miss an actual change or just give a fake reading?
I guess I'm kinda overthinking this now😕😁.
To be totally real with you, I don't know 🤷. I didn't get into the weeds with my OB-GYN; I just asked once and she basically told me to skip sex the day before any Pap smears or swabs.
melloworca6 said:This is why I love this board, always picking up something new. 🙂
I’ve had both swabs and Pap smears done, and my doctor never once mentioned skipping sex before the appointment. Honestly, they really should mention it, especially if they're swabbing for stuff like STIs.
Look, maybe it doesn't totally mess things up, but why even take the risk? I mean, we can probably manage one day without sex, right? 😁
Seriously, don't go having sex before your Pap smear . You gotta wait at least 24 hours—I usually play it safe and wait two full days 😁. That’s what my OB-GYN told me, anyway. Apparently, sperm can mess up the results, and even the lube on condoms can throw things off
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If you’re just doing a standard physical exam where they're feeling things out, then I guess sex doesn't matter
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Alexander Wright said:1. You don't always need an intubation for general anesthesia... for a ton of minor stuff (like plastic surgery, small ortho jobs, etc.), a laryngeal mask or an i-gel works just fine.
2. Upper airway inflammation shouldn't really mess with the ability to intubate unless it's super intense. Honestly, if I had to anesthetize someone with upper airway inflammation, I'd definitely intubate them just to make sure secretions don't slide down into the lower airways.
3. If a patient has a respiratory infection, I’d absolutely push back an elective procedure... it's not an emergency, so the surgery can wait. Patient safety comes first, comfort comes second.
Thanks for the advice. 🙂
Just wanted to give a quick update. The doctor decided my cold wasn't bad enough, so they went ahead with the procedure anyway. It was a cyst puncture with sclerotherapy. The whole thing took about 25 minutes. They gave me anesthesia through a mask (not sure what the technical term is 😁) instead of intubating me, and before that, they gave me some injection that made me feel incredibly dizzy. Everything turned out okay, though I was pretty worried.
Hey Sandra Anderson31, congrats, finally some good news, nice one 👍 🙂
Sandra Anderson31 said:GREAT, GLAD EVERYTHING WENT WELL.
The only thing I don't get is the bleeding afterward, because I didn't have any at all......
I mean, my doctor said that's totally normal 🤷 Like, after my laparotomy, I didn't bleed one bit, but the woman sharing my room did. I guess it just depends on the person.
I bled a little after this procedure, but not for long, just a few hours. Now? Nothing. Not even a drop. 🙂
Any updates on your end, hun? Did you end up getting a second opinion?
Sophia Wells72 said:So glad everything went smoothly, copperraven53, and thanks for sharing your experience here so other women can see what this procedure is actually like. 🙂
Yeah, just so if anyone ends up in my situation, they won't feel totally lost like I did. If I remember anything else, I'll post it. 🙂
Angela Wright said:I was just wondering how everything went.
Fingers crossed everything stays healthy until that positive test shows up 🙂
Catch ya on the pregnancy boards 😍
Thanks 😁
Me too. I want a baby so bad, like, seriously bad 🎉🙂
Hey girls, checking in after my procedure to share how it went 🙂
So, I was supposed to go in on Friday, October 1st, but they pushed me back because there wasn't an open bed, so they just sent me home for the weekend. I got back to the hospital yesterday morning at 7 AM. Changed into a nightgown and just hung out in bed waiting. They took me in for the procedure at 10 AM, and I was already back in my room by 10:30. Basically, the whole thing takes about 20-30 minutes. They did it in the OBGYN clinic at the department, using the same position as a standard exam (legs up in the stirrups). The anesthesiologist gave me this injection that made me feel super dizzy, and then they put me under with gas through a mask. So yeah, they didn't do local anesthesia, it was general. Oh, and I did mention I had a cold, but they were like, "It's fine, as long as you aren't seriously sick," and they didn't need to intubate me.
I gotta say, I handled this anesthesia way better than the IV one I got during my laparotomy last year—that one left me feeling incredibly nauseous and miserable all day long.
I don't remember much after that, but basically, while they're watching with the ultrasound, they puncture the cyst with a needle and drain the fluid. Then they inject 96% ethyl alcohol into the empty cyst sac, which destroys the cells on contact and makes the walls stick together. The alcohol stays inside for about 5 minutes, depending on how big the cyst is, and then they clear it out.
When I woke up, they took me back to my room. You have to lie there for about 2 hours without getting up, eating, or drinking anything. As for pain, I didn't really feel anything while lying there; I felt a little twinge in my right ovary when sitting up or coughing, but otherwise, it was great. It didn't even feel like I’d been "operated" on.🙂 I had some bleeding afterward, which is totally normal, so definitely bring pads with you to the hospital. The bleeding was kind of heavy, like a period, but by that evening it had mostly stopped and turned into just a little spotting when I went to the bathroom.
They discharged me this morning for home recovery. Just a few days of rest and an oral antibiotic, and then I can get back to my normal routine—I can even lift heavy stuff, which isn't necessary like it was after the laparotomy.
All in all, the procedure wasn't traumatic at all. 😁
Now, the other question is how successful it actually is. There's no 100% guarantee that the cyst won't refill. With small cysts, the alcohol destroys the walls, so recurrences aren't really likely. But with cysts larger than 100 mL, the alcohol probably doesn't hit the entire wall, so sometimes they come back.
Sandra Anderson31, maybe that's why yours refilled. 🤷 Mine was 3.5 cm, so even for me, there's no telling what happens next or if it'll fill up again. 🤷
But hey, let's just say it's cleared out for now. Now I have some time to try to get pregnant. My doctor told me not to try this month, though, since we aren't sure how the ovulation will be or how the egg will react to all that strong alcohol. But he told me to get to work starting next month. 😁
So, starting in November, I'm gonna be having sex like rabbits 😬 and fingers crossed for a positive result ASAP, so we can stay ahead of the endometriosis. 🙂
Thanks for the support, kisses!😘
I've got a procedure scheduled for tomorrow, and I might be under general anesthesia or just local. The doctor hasn't really decided which way we're going yet.
Since I had surgery under general anesthesia about a year ago—where they actually intubated me—I was wondering, do they always go through with intubation if you're under general?
The thing is, I woke up today with this super sore throat that's honestly getting worse as the day goes on, and now I'm starting to cough. I guess I'm wondering if that could be an issue during intubation? 🤷 I really don't want them to push back the whole thing because of this. 😢
ironsurfer8 said:Look, endometriosis and cysts aren't even the same thing. Sure, a cyst can be caused by endometriosis, but they don't always have anything to do with each other. I guess.
When I mentioned cysts, I was talking about endometriosis cysts.
Alright, here’s the fix:
Endometriosis is still this total mystery. Honestly, nobody actually knows what the real cause is, I guess.
Endometriosis cysts. Just great. The real nightmare is when those fibers start forming—figuring out how to stop that from happening is the worst part, I guess.
Sandra Anderson31 said:Anyone else dealing with stuff like this?
Really hoping someone chimes in here.
Anyway, I was reading that article about the procedure, and apparently, some patients ended up with cysts that just... filled right back up later. 😢
Sadly, nobody actually knows why that happens.
I guess endometriosis is still one of those total mysteries. Nobody really gets why these cysts show up or how to stop them from coming back, which is honestly the worst part. 🤷
Sandra Anderson31 said:My bad,
this is actually a different thread, I totally posted this in the wrong spot by mistake.
It’s all good, you’re doing fine. Honestly, my OB-GYN told me they don't really recommend laparoscopy if there's already scar tissue involved—like, I had surgery when I was basically a baby, and you've got that vertical scar from your C-section. Apparently, once tissue is cut, it never heals back exactly the way it was before, and for laparoscopy, you need everything to be super precise.
ironsurfer8 said:So I’ve got this cyst on my ovary. When my doctor suggested laparoscopic removal, I asked her about sclerotherapy. She basically told me that's not really a thing anymore—not here in the States or anywhere else, really. Apparently, Mercury used to do it back in the day, but she said there are too many risks involved. She thinks it's way safer to just go with a laparoscopy or even standard surgery, mostly because you need that tissue analysis. So yeah, she's definitely pushing for the laparoscopy.
Here’s the link to that study on the procedure.
That link is dead, but I'm guessing you were trying to get to this article instead:
I think your gynecologist might have gotten that wrong. Mercury Hospital still does that procedure—I mean, I’m actually scheduled for my appointment on October 1st, so they definitely wouldn't book me if they weren't doing it anymore. 😁 So, about that tissue analysis thing you mentioned—they actually do that during a biopsy too. They just send whatever they pull out from the needle straight to the lab for testing. I guess.
Look, risks exist. Obviously. But you're gonna find them with laparoscopy or an open incision too. No surgery is ever a sure thing, no matter how routine they claim it is. I guess that's just how it goes.
Of course my OBGYN would want to do a laparoscopy on me—he already brought it up—but I can't actually go that route. I had surgery when I was basically a baby, so I ended up having to go under the knife for a full laparotomy during my first cyst removal.
So, my doctor in New York City wants to skip another laparotomy. Since they took both ovaries during my first surgery, the scar tissue isn't exactly behaving like healthy, non-adherent tissue anymore. He’s worried that if he starts cutting around there again, it might tank my chances of getting pregnant—or worse, he might have to remove an ovary entirely. So, he suggested this procedure instead, and said I should try to conceive as soon as possible afterward. Which, honestly, is exactly what I'm praying for.
Of course I'm worried. It's not exactly a routine procedure, so I guess it'd be great if more girls who've actually been through this surgery would chime in here.
Check this out.
I was digging around online and stumbled upon the medical fee schedule released by the American Medical Association. It basically lists the baseline rates used to set pricing for private practices, clinics, and state-run hospitals.
Transvaginal ovarian cyst puncture - $167
Diagnostic laparoscopy - $500
Surgical laparoscopy - $833
http://www.pedijatrija.org/Download/...uga05_2005.pdf
So, obviously, that cyst puncture is cheaper than doing a laparoscopy, which makes you think it’d be the go-to move more often. 🤷
But, like Sandra Anderson31 mentioned, that procedure doesn't actually get rid of the whole cyst—it just drains it and hopes for the best. With laparoscopy, they actually take the whole thing out. I guess that’s probably why so few girls end up having that puncture done.
So, another girl reached out to me about heading in for that procedure soon. I guess there are actually a few of us out there after all. 😉
Honestly, I felt pretty isolated when I was first digging around for info here—nobody really hit me back, and finding anything useful online is basically impossible. 😢
That’s why I’m calling on anyone else facing this surgery to please jump in and share what happened. We need more info on this way of treating ovarian cysts so other girls stuck in the same boat don't feel so lost.
I’ve already posted about why I need the surgery, so next up, I’ll be sharing how the recovery actually goes.
Finally, I think this forum is also just a place where we can lean on each other, which honestly helps sometimes more than any actual meds. 😉
Sending love to everyone prepping for the procedure—please, speak up! 🙂 😘
Hey Sandra Anderson31, I already sent you everything in a DM so I won't bore you by repeating myself, but thanks for the advice anyway. And man, I'm sorry to hear your cycle is acting up again—that's honestly my biggest fear too 😢
I guess I’ll just have to start trying for a baby the second I get this procedure done, just so I can get pregnant ASAP 😁
Sandra Anderson31 said:HEY
I HAD THIS SURGERY BACK IN FEBRUARY
Please, please tell me what happened for you—how was the actual procedure? Did it hurt much? Did they actually manage to get the cyst out... PLZ!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
dustycrane8 said:Just tell them you started this thread. I bet they'll at least keep you around for a chat. 🤣
Is there any chance you'll run into him while you're headed that way? If so, just call him for coffee. 😁
Totally.
Get some guts and ask him out for coffee. If he tries to bail, tell him you're throwing in sex too—let's see him try to say no then. 😁 😉
Solid topic. Makes me think of this one OBGYN over in 🙂
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