I woke up on Easter Sunday in extreme discomfort. What felt like intense menstrual cramps quickly turned into sharp pains in my right abdomen and back. The pain continued in waves throughout the day. After dinner I decided to go to the emergency room to get checked.
What I thought was going to be kidney stones turned out to be a urinary tract infection and a couple of ovarian cysts. After seven hours of tests and waiting, I was discharged with a prescription of pain medication, antibiotics and anti-nausea medicine. I spent the next four days in pain, popping pain medication around the clock. Who would have thought that a UTI and a couple of cysts could be so painful. I returned to the emergency room Thursday morning still in pain. The doctors once again confirmed a UTI and ovarian cysts.
So, today I met with my gynecologist. It was confirmed that I have four ovarian cysts on the right side and two smaller ones on the left. Holy sheesh! She ordered a blood test (CA-125) to test for tumor markers.
Tumor markers are substances produced by tumor cells or by other cells of the body in response to cancer or certain benign (noncancerous) conditions. These substances can be found in the blood, in the urine, in the tumor tissue, or in other tissues. CA 125, is sometimes used to screen women who have an increased risk for ovarian cancer.
I will wait for the blood test results and proceed from there. The gynecologist wants to see me in 30 days to see if there are any changes. If the tumor marker comes back high (anything above 35), then she will refer me to a Gynecologic oncologist for further testing.
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