Ovarian Cyst on right side--pain on left - Women's Health Message Board

Angela1975 · 09-17-2003, 05:55 PM

Hi,
Has anybody ever had an ovarian cyst on one ovary and only felt the pain on the other? I had an ultra sound after weeks of pain and they found a cyst, "a little bigger than normal", on my right ovary. They said it hadn't ruptured and looks like a normal cyst that will go away "in a few cycles". But the pain is debilitating on my left side. The doctor wasn't able to explain this and has me coming back in a week.
On 3 occasions I've had what I guess one would call an attack. It starts out feeling like an upset stomach. Then seconds later you feel the pain grow. Then it becomes clear it's not an upset stomach. It consumes my entire midsection and I become immobilized with pain. It's terrible pain and pretty scary. If I move at all during this attack I feel like my insides will be torn apart. 2 out of 3 only lasted 2 to 5 minutes. One lasted what seemed like an eternity. The wierd thing is--when it ends--it ends as abruptly as it starts. Relief washes over me and I feel like nothing ever happened (at least for a little while).
Now I have some sort of pain at all times primarily on my left abdomen and my lower left back side. I'm tired and nauscious and urinating a million times a day. Is that sharing too much

Oh, before I stop sharing, my stomach is so distended I can't even wear my pants.

...anybody have any idea?

Thanks for reading,
Angela

btw, I'm 28 and have never had any health problems before...

jkang · 09-19-2003, 08:13 PM

Hello.

I have some information that might help you out. I just recently got out of surgery for removal of an ovarian dermoid tumor. Pretty much, my left ovary was "taken over" by a dermoid. My dermoid was pretty big, it was 10cm x 10cm, bigger than a grapefruit.

Before surgery, I was having pain on both sides. I thought this was weird because the dermoid was on the left side and I was having pain on the right also. I was also urinating alot more often. The reason for the pain on the opposite side and constant urination was because the dermoid was too big and displacing (also, pushing them smaller) my uterus and bladder to the right. Since it was so big and displacing everything, I had to have this surgically removed.

If you are having pain like that consistently, you should consult your doctor or at least have frequent check ups to monitor the growth or depletion of this cyst. This is not to worry you, but to be safe than sorry. If you want to talk more, feel free to email me.

Good luck!

mandawalker18 · 09-26-2003, 01:45 PM

I can relate to you. When I was just 13 years old I got sick feeling one night, but i was getting sick because of pain on my right side. I fainted in the shower and had to go to the er. My family didn't know what was wrong.

Well a few days later I had an ultrasound that revealed a HUGE cyst on my left ovary.

ok so to a 13 year old this is traumatizing.

the doctors never could tell me why my pain was on the other side. it just hurt on the opposite side.

it's kinda crazy i guess that it works like that.
the pill helped mine a lot. it shrunk and the pain was gone.

LinseyM · 09-27-2003, 09:12 PM

I thought that i had a cyst (and so did the doctors) but it ended up being something else...long story. But anyways, I remember my dr saying that if it was a cyst, if it was extremely painful and caused problems, we would consider surgery. If your doctor has an "on call" doctor through the weekend, I would call them and tell them the symptoms you have told us. If you are truly miserable, they should do something. It isn't right that you should be in so much pain. If your doctor won't do anything about it, find another. Healthcare is supposed to help you out and keep you healthy and out of pain. You shouldn't have to live like that. They could probably do it with a laparoscopy and I just had one...they are easy as pie and I really feel you would benefit. Call your doctor and don't stop til you have an answer!

sdubnow5 · 09-28-2003, 12:06 PM

Angela 1975:

I had an ovarian cyst on my right ovary when I was 18. I noticed some discomfort on my right lower abdomen, but I ignored it,I also thought it was indigestion. But it persisted and I saw my doctor, who ordered an ultra sound. My cyst was larger than a baseball, and I had to have emergency surgery to remove it. Not to scare you, but there are many different types of cysts and I was told that I had to have it removed immediatly because it could've been cancerous, it was not it turned out, but they did not want to risk it. I have been paranoid ever since, I don't want to have surgery again!! But I got off birth control after two years(which helps them shrink and stops other ones from forming) and my doctor found a small one on my left side. I got on birth control again and two days later woke up with unbearable pains, like the worst cramps in the world. Much like the episodes you described. I called my nurse, and she said any pain like that you should go to the emergency. I did, and it turns out my cyst ruptured. I felt sick for a week and was on my bed with pain killers. I too had a very bloated stomache. You should go immediatly to your doctor or emergency next time you have pain, or before. You don't want it to rupture, but it sounds like it may have already. You shouldn't have to live with that pain, and your doctor should discuss with you surgery options if it hasn't ruptured already.
PS I too felt pain on both sides, it's a normal symptom. I think because your other ovary cramps more from the pressure, especially if you have a large cyst.