I had a pelvic ultrasound in March (abdominal and vaginal both) which showed 'something' small on my left side. I had a follow-up one last week and they say there's nothing there. Normally I would just shrug it off as maybe being a cyst that simply resolved itself, but they didn't think it was a cyst - in fact, they didn't know what it was or exactly where it was, just that it was 1 cm (about half inch) and showed up on the films.
I guess I'm not comfortable with the line of thinking that 'Hey it's gone now so don't worry about it', especially when nobody can tell me what it was. I asked my doctor what the chances were of whatever it was simply being 'missed' the second time around, and he said very unlikely. I had the first test done in a doctor's office and the second one last week done in a hospital, and he said that in his opinion, a hospital ultrasound is probably a better test and a little more accurate than one done in a doctor's office, and his opinion was that possibly the first test saw something that wasn't really there, what he called an 'artifact'. Has anyone ever heard of this or experienced this? Part of me wants to be relieved and say great and not worry about it anymore, but another part of me keeps asking But what WAS it?
The first one that was done in the doctor's office wasn't a very good test, there was alot of 'gas spattering' which made it hard for the technician to see things, but would that cause a flaw in the test and cause sound waves to bounce back showing something that wasn't true? The second test in the hospital was done very well, showed both ovaries and their size, and it also said everything looked normal and nothing else was seen. But could that test have been inaccurate, say, if the technician was new or didn't do it right or something? Or is that unlikely as my doctor said, especially when they could see the actual ovaries? The first test report never even mentioned my ovary because she couldn't see it, all it showed was this 1 cm object, and the second test was just the opposite - showed the ovary but not this other thing, so in my doctor's opinion (he's a surgeon) either it was truly there but it's gone now, or it was never there in the first place because this second test looks just fine.
I'm going back and forth between having a third test done just to confirm this second one being ok - is that a normal thing to do? I'm just really unsure what to do at this point so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I would tend to agree with your doctor. The tests in the hospital are traditionally a little better and if it was something, like cancer for instance, it wouldn't just shrink and vanish. If it were something I agree with your thought of it being a cyst. Or maybe just a mistake the 1st time.
Good luck!

Thanks Suzi. My husband had said the same thing, that if it were a tumor or something to be worried about, wouldn't it have gotten bigger since the first test then? I didn't really think it could be a cyst because I'm in my 50's and no longer have periods, and when you no longer ovulate, you also no longer get cysts. I wonder if anyone on here who has already gone thru menopause has ever had a cyst? I suppose it's possible. In my case though, what they saw didn't look like what a cyst usually looks like on films, and the radiiologist and surgeon both had no idea what it was or even where it was.

so, if you were me, you wouldn't consider a third test?

no, I don't think that I would consider any other tests. I tend not to be a worrier though (not saying that you are). I am 25 and when they found a softball sized mass in my abdomen 2 years ago I really didn't think it was anything to worry about. But it ended up being cancer and even though I know it can, and probably at some point will, take my life I don't find it worry-some. So anyways my point is that I would feel okay with what they have already told you. I wouldn't seek a 3rd test..... but of course, that is just my opinion.

aw geez, I am so sorry, I didn't know. You're so young, I wouldn't have thought anything about it, either. Weren't you having any symptoms? 25, my gosh. But you know, people my age tend to think of cancer right away but not people in your age bracket. When I was pregnant with my daughter in 1974, I was only 21 at the time, and when I went to see my doctor for a pregnancy test, he too felt a large mass in my abdomen. I remember he became quite concerned and had me admitted into the hospital. Everyone wanted me to terminate the pregnancy so they could do tests or exploratory surgery, and I refused. I remember everyone seemed to be a whole lot more worried about it than I was, but like you, I was young and never once thought it was serious. My mother-in-law even said something to the effect that if I didn't take care of it now, I may not be around to raise my child. I said I'll take my chances then, but they're not touching me and I'm not terminating the pregnancy. So basically I layed in a hospital bed for a week-end doing nothing while doctors came in and felt my abdomen trying to figure out what it was. They finally discharged me because I wouldn't consent to anything. And you know, I went home and not once during the next nine months did I ever think about a mass in my abdomen, and after I had my daughter and went for my 6-week check-up, I asked him afterwards about the mass, and he got this really funny look on his face and said 'It's not there'. And I kind of blinked a few times and said, 'What do you mean, it's not there? Where'd it go?' and he said he had no idea but it was gone and I was perfectly fine.
Anyway, I just wanted you to know that like you, I didn't worry about things like this in my 20's either, or even in my 30's. But as we get older and our risk factors rise, little things suddenly become big things, and we tend not to accept things at face value if we're not comfortable with it.
Thanks again for your help, it's much appreciated. And I wish you love and prayers.

it is funny that you had your mass when you were 1st pregnant. That is when mine was 1st detected. They decided that they thought it most likely was a fibroid tumor on my uterus and not to worry about it until after I had my daughter. I am so glad they thought that or they would have been telling me the same thing. That I should terminate and I would never do that. Whether I live to see her grow or not it doesn't matter because I know that she needed to be here and if I hadn't gotten pregnant they might have never found my cancer. Good things can come in diguises.
Anyway, good luck with everything and I am glad I could help.