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Scared after Ultrasound

nicnac11
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I'm feeling absolutley petrified right now.

I've not long returned from an ultrasound that I thought was going to show polyps as I've had these removed in the past but now am absolutley petrfied I have Cancer.

Background:

I've had issues with my periods for a while now- clotting, back ache and spotting in between periods. More recently, needing to go to the toilet in the night but put this down to peri-menopause. After numerous calls, my GP referred me for an ultrasound.

Ultrasound Day.

The sonographer was lovely but explained that she was unable to give results, however, explained that she could see I was constipated and mentioned that she could see from my notes that I'd contacted my GP numerous times and had been let down. This immediately started alarm bells ringing especially when she said 'do you feel that your GP is reliable and will they follow up?' and then asked that I chase my GP if they haven't been in contact after 7 days?!

I said that I'm now beginning to worry, to which she replied 'why? worrying will not acheive anything?! it's important to look for solutions?!'. 

I could see on my scan, a black circle on the ultrasound imagery so my brain has gone into overdrive and I've done that thing that I shouldn't do, of googling 'ovarian cancer'. I have most  of the symptoms.... and with the urgency that I felt was verbalised by the sonographer, I'm trying to prepare myself for the worst.

I don't know how to feel right now but I guess my question is; can an ultrasound detect ovarian cancer?!

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    Hello nicnac11 and welcome to Cancer Chat, 

    You are totally right, googling 'ovarian cancer' will only bring up worst case scenarios and make you feel more anxious - it will only send you in a spiral of uncertainty which will only lead to more googling (and more confusion!). I can understand why you feel worried though and it is easy in a situation like this to try and read into what the sonographer said for example or to try and figure out for yourself what that dark circle on the ultrasound imagery was. The truth is all you can do at the moment is wait for the results and to talk to a medical expert who can explain fully what they mean. You should be getting your results within 1 to 2 weeks so hopefully it won't be too long now before you get some clarity on all this. 

    You might be interested in reading our section on tests to diagnose ovarian cancer and you can also find out more about the ultrasound scan. I hope this will help you understand what they look for with the ultrasound scan. 

    I know it is really hard but try not to worry too much or anticipate what it might be. The best thing to do to avoid thinking too much about this is to keep busy and distracted if you can. I can imagine it is hard for you to do this at the moment but it will help you feel a little less anxious. 

    I hope you will also hear from others here who have been through all this before and that they will be along soon to share their story with you. 

    Keeping everything crossed for you that everything turns out fine. 

    Best wishes, 

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

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