Hello jembers, I wrote on your first post as I also have an incidental mass very similar. 
when I had my CA125 test I was told it is very likely for a raised amount even if only a cyst as it can signal other things like pelvic inflammatory. The levels can be in their hundreds just on a period so actually the fact that you went to the docs with some post menopause bleeding might actual explain the higher level.

when is your MRI? I am also awaiting mine, I had to have further bloods taken on wed and awaiting my MRI now. 2-4 weeks. 
more waiting…..

keeping everything crossed for us! 

Hi cloudy1986, thanks so much for checking in with me, it means a lot. I've been given an appointment for 23rd December (Merry Christmas!!) I'm clearly on an urgent 2 week wait due to the nature of my cyst, my age and my blood test results. It's very hard not to fear the worst. I'm trying to remind myself that my situation could be completely benign, but due to my terrible habit of googling, I've convinced myself that it's something terrible! I am genuinely sending as many positive thoughts to both of us as I possibly can. X

Ulgh they are horrid things dermoid cysts. It’s funny to think we are wishing for them to be those horrid gremlin things! 

It's very kind and generous of you to keep checking in with us Lyns21. Many people disappear once they get the answers that they need and we never get to find out the full story. Essentially, we all join forums like this to find some reassurance, and even though we only get that reassurance once we know we're safe, it still helps to give us a glimmer of hope. Your circumstances have been difficult, but I'm so glad you were ok. x

I wouldn't assume your appointment has necessarily come sooner because your blood results have changed. My consultant told me I'd get my MRI within two weeks before she'd even done my blood test! So, either it's standard practice when their dealing with a large complex cyst, or mine looks dodgy!!! My MRI just says MRI pelvis with contrast. Just like you worrying about why is says abdomen, I've been worrying about why mine says "with contrast" Apparently the contrast helps show up the tissues more clearly. Doesn't stop me bricking it!

Oh mine isn’t with contrast. Isn’t it funny how we have very similar stories and symptoms but our treatment is different. 
I have started to bleed in the mornings a little bit with so much pelvic pressure. I can’t figure out if I’m imagining the pressure or if it’s just always been there. 
how are you feeling about your MRI? I hate them I’m so claustrophobic, but needs must. I’ll be panicking the whole time in there. 

I wonder what will happen after then for us? Have you any idea when you are expecting to hear from someone? 

I'm not too worried about the MRI itself, it's what they might find that's terrifying me! I keep clinging on to the fact that the consultant said they think it might be a dermoid. However on my scan notes it says that the exact nature of the lesion is unclear and that a dermoid cyst is a possible differential diagnosis. I've looked up all the terminology they have used about it and a lot of it does point to a dermoid cyst, but who knows. I've read that an MRI with contrast is an excellent choice for diagnosing indeterminate complex cysts. They're also used to determine what type of treatment will be necessary afterwards i.e. keyhole or open surgery. Having a raised blood test is making me very nervous, even though I know it can occur for benign reasons. I think because I'm postmenopausal, I feel this could be more of a problem. I have no idea when to expect results. My letter from the consultant just says that they will write to me with the results of my MRI. My hospital appointments and results letters come through an app called MyMFT which is the Manchester University NHS foundation Trust. I'm sure other regions must have their own app too. I get emails to tell me when I have a new letter and then read the details via the app. I feel sick wondering what news I might receive. My appointment is at 10.20am tomorrow. I will be thinking of you. X

My MRI is 4pm tomorrow I will be thinking of you tomorrow morning. Keep me posted when you hear something after it. 
I hate that I feel Xmas and new year are just inconvenient days that no one will be working this year, I wish I could get a bit more excited. Very hopeful to hear soon, although actually maybe not as perhaps that’s not good news.
I am in the north of Scotland, we don’t get such a thing as an NHS login, I haven’t seen one letter or anything that’s been written, only one phone call from a gynae surgeon saying she had had a referral and needed a new MRi to see properly. I don’t know if that’s better or worse, I would do exactly the same and google every word written. I do feel very in the dark though. I am going to call the gynae secretary on Xmas eve and just ask if I am likely going to waiting until the new year.
I had new bloods but no one has been in touch since then.
fingers crossed for us tomorrow and that we manage to enjoy the festivities x  

I'll keep you posted. Make sure you let me know how you get on. Christmas is just this vague thing that's happening in a few days time. I'm not remotely interested in it and I'm lucky that my kids are both grown up and not expecting all the magic and excitement that they did when they were little. I'm keeping absolutely everything crossed for us both...including my stupid cyst!!! X

PS - Have you looked up something called Patient Hub? It's a portal where patients can get access to their medical notes and appointments etc. As far as I know, it's something you can join and securely log into to keep track of stuff. Could be wrong, but maybe have a look. X

Thank you I downloaded patient hub and it turns out my doctors isn’t registered so nothing there! 
how did you get on today? I am just out, I ended up getting a contrast too. It just didn’t say on my letter. 
she said a few weeks for results but I’ll call probably before the new year to ask next steps anyway. 
glad that’s over I really hate an MRI I am so claustrophobic! 45 mins though and done. Hope we get some speedy answers x 

Hey, how you doing? I was told to arrive at 10:20am but got there 10 minutes early and at 10:45 I was still waiting! Eventually a nurse came to say they were running late and took me to another waiting area because they were going to do the scan in a mobile unit they have outside! Anyway, it was done within about 25 minutes. I wasn't give any indication of when I'd get my results, but according to the NHS website it's usually within 1-2 weeks. Fingers crossed it won't be too long. It's one of those weird situations where you want answers but you're also scared to get the answers. Keep in touch and I hope Christmas brings us the distractions that we both need. X

Hey, how you doing? I was told to arrive at 10:20am but got there 10 minutes early and at 10:45 I was still waiting! Eventually a nurse came to say they were running late and took me to another waiting area because they were going to do the scan in a mobile unit they have outside! Anyway, it was done within about 25 minutes. I wasn't give any indication of when I'd get my results, but according to the NHS website it's usually within 1-2 weeks. Fingers crossed it won't be too long. It's one of those weird situations where you want answers but you're also scared to get the answers. Keep in touch and I hope Christmas brings us the distractions that we both need. X

Hello! I just found this chat as I'm in a similar-ish place. I was in hospital due to a gallstone and the CT scan showed a mysterious cystic mass near my left ovary. I also had my gynae appointment on 23rd Dec!! It's only 3cm but even with a CT they cannot tell what it is. I've had cervical cancer before which makes it a more scary waiting period. They've booked me in for a PET scan to be fully sure if it is or isn't cancer and I'm booked in for surgery on 8th Jan to remove the beast. I've had loads of simple and hemorrhagic cysts before but this one is seemingly not that. I'm swinging between feeling numb and panicking like a pro here! 

How strange we all had appointments on the 23rd. Do you think your appointment to get your surgery is so quick because of your previous cancer? I was told I might be waiting months for surgery as the waiting list is so long even if they suspect something sinister. 
I cannot wait to get this mass out. 
have you had bloods? When are you likely to find out? When is your pet scan? Why not MRI? I wonder if it won’t be until after the surgery and the my test the mass that you will know? Sorry for all the questions, I do wonder why we have some differences in our care when it’s similar stories. 
hope you are doing ok. I think myself and Jembers are both still in the waiting game. The amount of public holidays and weekends seems crazy at the moment, usually I would enjoy that, now I just feel like the waiting is endless! 
good luck for your surgery and getting some answers. 

They tend not to give PET scans to people who haven't had a definite diagnosis of cancer I think because it's avoidable radiation. It's not normally a diagnostic tool per se but more to decide treatment management. It doesn't mean jeh's cancer has spread but will be more informative for treatment plans if it has. There's so many variables in what decisions they make that it's really individual. I sat a metre and a half from my partner during some of his PET scans because it's so radioactive I had a geiger counter on me. One isn't a huge issue but it's like having too many X rays at once. They'd rather you not.

I'm sorry you've had cancer and are in this boat Jeh. I hope it's just a nuisance cyst.

My timeline is just a bit weird as I had the CT already before even speaking with a gynae consultant! My previous history (2013 stage one cervical cancer) has meant they've moved fast as they can't tell if it's an ovarian cyst or a recurrence. So I'm a bit different to you both there. They want to get it out quickly so they can biopsy it and decided to run the PET scan concurrently rather than he me have surgery, wait weeks for results then wait for a scan date if it is a recurrence. The PET scan will hopefully be in place before the surgery so if it does show active cancer they can just biopsy the cyst to determine treatment. All a bit of a random order but I'm just going along with it .

Thank you! I'm hoping for a really weird cyst with teeth and hair and nails haha. And if it is cancer, then I can always be thankful my gallstone picked it up as I have had zero symptoms!!

I've had bloods done and my ca-125 was 17 but the consultant said it's a terrible test so don't read too much into it either way.

And sorry I missed answering this one - I don't know when the PET scan is yet but it needs to happen in the next week so be in place before surgery.

When I had my original cancer in 2013 I had an ultrasound and an MRI but no PET scan so it's a first for me.

Being back in the waiting game with scanxiety ain't much fun after ten years though!

It's only when there's been a primary cancer and they're worried about recurrence or metastases. Tbh, the time gap seems unlikely to me but I'm glad they're being cautious because if they see anything on it they can give you good treatment options asap. Scanxiety is the pits. I also imagine the fact PET scans were traditionally more expensive than MRI factors in how they handle them. Plus you got to stay away from pregnant women and young kids for 5 hours after it. They take time for the radioisotope to get through your system so you're sitting for an hour before the scan is even started.

My partner will be receiving them regularly even though his cancer seems to be under control just now because you can never be too careful with metastatic cancer. Trying to be cautiously hopeful about his future but he was diagnosed with stage 4 two years ago with no hope of cure but the pet scans show nothing active just now. It's really hard to process. Brains are totally not built to understand cancer intuitively in any sense. It's just too much to comprehend properly. I wish we could just conquer it for everyone.

These pesky ovarian cysts are a nightmare aren't they! Fingers crossed for all of us that they'll just be something that needs taking out and that will be it. I'm still waiting for results and this whole situation has consumed every minute of every day since I found out about it. I've had no symptoms, although now I know about it, I keep getting little aches and twinges that are probably psychological. My blood test was elevated which makes me even more worried and I'm constantly trying to tell myself that it doesn't necessarily mean anything sinister, but it's so hard not to think the worst. I imagine that given your circumstances, your concern is high. It's good to hear though that these things are taking seriously and the NHS will sweep in a get things organised in a timely manner to keep people safe. X

Thank you for answering all my endless questions, I’m a first timer here and so interested in people’s stories. I am so glad for you that everything is moving so quickly. It seems you will have answers pretty soon. Is it minor surgery you will need to get it out? Outpatient? 
hope it goes smoothly, keep in touch when you know more and good luck for your scans x 

I had no idea PET scans had so much radiation. I am sorry to read about your partner, I didn’t realise as we had only previously discussed your own story. I’m glad you still visit this site, you are a wealth of knowledge here. What cancer was he diagnosed with? Thank you for all your answers, I have really appreciated the time you take to reply x