The waiting is too much...

Hi, 

Less than 8 weeks ago I spoke to my GP about some pain in my left ovary area that I'd had for about 6-8 weeks and varied between a dull ache and a severe pain that made me have to stop what I was going and sit down. My GP was amazing and because I'd had a dermoid cyst removed 21 years ago and compared the pain to that she did a referral for an ultrasound. I had ultrasounds (abdominal and internal) on 23rd July which found a large mass 17cm x 12cm x 9cm. The sonographer said she could not be sure it was dermoid and would do the report for my GP and for me to call my GP the next morning. I was referred as urgent but not in the two week suspected cancer category. I saw the consultant gynaecologist at the hospital on 12th August who took bloods for tumour markers and said he was referring my case straight to the Malignant MDT to be discussed at their next meeting on 19th August. He said until they can confirm what it is, it will be treated as suspected cancer. Yesterday, someone from the MRI department called me and said there was a letter in the post with a date for an MRI on 9th September but he'd been called by MDT and told it needed to be sooner than that - so it's now on 3rd September. I can't sleep or function with the worry about all of this. I've been told that the mass needs to be removed regardless of whether it is cancerous or not and that it will be in weeks not months. In a way everything has happened so quickly, in other ways, I feel like my life has just been on hold since the scans - every day I'm just waiting for the next thing and it seems like forever. I'm an awful overthinker - how long after the MDT are most people contacted? I really hope it will be Monday. 
I have named my mass Donald - I'm not overly political, but I do know I want him out! 
Thanks for reading x

  • Sorry to hear about your levels of worry. It can be crippling. I'm not in your position, but have Post menopausal bleeding which has not been resolved. Lots of hysteroscopies, scans, biopsies, MRIs, you name it.

     

    I really hope you get a good set of results. Kudos to you for calling the mass Donald. That really tickled me! 
     

    Best of luck.

  • How I feel for you.   In the waiting game too - on one hand everything is going quickly as my squatter was only first detected on an MRI scan on 29th June so only 8 weeks today - have had urine collection thing 4 weeks ago, blood tests 2 weeks ago and then a CT scan last week - bounced from general surgery team to Sarcoma MDT back to general surgery dept and then now onto Endocrine MDT who are the ones I will hear from next.  Part of me just want to have everybody on speed dial to hear what happens next, other part realises that there are waiting times for everything.  As far as time lines go, the first MDT referral was 2 weeks, the latest letter from Endocrine MDT suggests 8 weeks (from 5th August) but wording suggests still an urgent case.   I hope you hear something today and get rid of Donald soon - a big useless lump who shouldn't have been in residence in the first place.    Enjoy your lovely looking pal on the red cushion  in your picture !

  • So I had my MRI on 3rd September - by someone I know which was a bit strange! My consultant rang me on Friday. The MRI was inconclusive and although Donald has some dermoid traits they are not happy to confirm that it is definitely that. I am now going to have a CT scan of my chest, abdomen and pelvis to see whether the ovarian mass has spread to anywhere else or has come from anywhere else. My surgery will be as soon as possible and currently the plan is to remove Donald, and that ovary and Fallopian tube. That may change depending on the results of the CT. So I suppose I still don't know anymore but I'm happier now that there is a plan in place and I know exactly what's planned. They will do a biopsy when they remove so I won't really know if it is cancer or not until after that. More waiting, but I feel a lot calmer than I did a few weeks ago... 

  • Good to hear it is moving along - albeit slowly.  I had the CT Scan with contrast as well - result is apart from my squatter there is just a tiny nodule in one of my lungs that the consultant wasn't concerned about.  He thinks the mass may be an adrenal adenoma (which I understand are usually benign) but again won't know for sure until the beast is out.  Seems to have grown a bit between MRI on 29th June and CT scan on 19th August so it's going to be evicted (this seems to be the only certainty so far).  I'm waiting for a few more tests and something in writing confirming journey so far and what's to come next so the waiting continues.   I hope you get your CT scan appointment through quickly and won't be left hanging around too long for the surgery - am sure Donald gets heavier and uglier by the day !  Take care xx