Ovarian infection? (continued saga)

x_Trish_x · 11-15-2006, 01:28 PM

That's what I was told today...

It's a long story so i'll just post the link where it started. (figured this was a more appropriate place for this issue)

posts #1, #13 and #20 are the story behind this post

Not sure where to put this - P & PT please...

Let me just say that I'm very confused now. I've had a CT done in ER and 2 ultrasounds with 4 different opinions from the 3. The latest opinion from the new U/S is ovarian infection. It was a tech that did the U/s this time and the Dr on call just looked at the pics from it. She said the thought it was an ovarian infection. So far I've been told it's 2 masses. Then I was told it was a simple cyst and very enlarged ovary. Now this lady says infection. I don't know who the hell to believe but in the mean time I'm left in pain (sometimes just sore and sometimes it feels like my insides are going to fall out of my vagina) and wondering what it could be...like cancer...kwim?

No one has checked my white blood cell count since I was in the ER. My GP did check me for STD's and I don't have any (good thing or DH would have been in deep sh!t) I've had 4 different antibiotics - one bag in ER, one big shot in butt at Gp's office, a liquid to drink that same night and then one 10 day round to take starting the next day. I have one pill left of that.

How in the hell can 3 different people looking at the same thing have FOUR different opinions? Let me just say the specialist on Monday was of no use. She didn't really listen to was I was saying. She was in such a hurry I barely got to speak with her. I just don't understand. Any ideas where I should go from here?

Danger Kitty · 11-15-2006, 01:59 PM

Trish,

So sorry to see that you're going through diagnostic hell. If you've finished all of the antibiotics, and you still have "something" in there, I think that the only definitive way to see what is going on is to have diagnostic laparascopic surgery so that they can actually get in there and see first hand what the heck is going on. With all of the antibiotics that you've been on, they should have knocked out a run-of-the-mill infection.

More worrisome is if it IS an infection, why haven't they tried to figure out and tell you just HOW you got the infection - did the ovary torque on the tube and lose bloodflow? is there something else going on in your body that made your ovaries more susceptible to infection? See what I mean?

All of the different scans **could** be partially right - they're just focusing on something different - what's the old story about blind men touching an elephant? All of them were touching the same thing, but each of them thought it was something different. But even as advanced as imaging technology is these days (CTs, U/Ss, MRIs, etc.), they still only interpolate different types of data that's being bounced back to the machine. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to visualize the ACTUAL problem.

If it is a cyst, or something is infected and the antibiotics haven't resolved the problem, they can take it out at the same time. And for me, that would be so much more stress and worry relieving than continuing to get more and more possibly incomplete - or worse yet, INACCURATE - opinions.

In the "bad old days", if you had this kind of thing going on, they would have to do a large incision and open you up for exploratory surgery - that could means weeks of recovery time, and quite a bit of pain. Now, they can do the exact same thing with a few well placed, small incisions, a camera on a tube, and micro-instruments - and your recovery time is very, very short.

If I were still in pain, and this has been going on as long as it has, I would go and find the most experienced endoscopic / laparoscopic GYN surgeon I could get my hands on, and have them take a look at things.

HTH,

ann
lots of experience with doctors and botched diagnoses.

x_Trish_x · 11-16-2006, 09:11 AM

I called the Dr. yesterday to get her opinion. I was told that they would call me back by Friday. I'm calling again today and I'm also calling my GP. This waiting game is killing me.

Danger Kitty - I agree that a lap is the only definative way to find out what's in there. I've had 3 of them and they weren't that bad. The specialist said something about surgery BEFORE this last U/S but said she couldn't do it until after Thanksgiving. She's OB/GYN but does more OB than gyn. I guess I'm going to have to go back to my GP and get a referral to a different Dr. My Tricare insurance ends today and DH's new ins. picks up so I will need a new referral anyways. Also, i'm going to press the GP to do more bloodwork. Thanks for your advice!

Thankfully DH will be home today and he's not a quiet man when he gets the run around. I'll let him do the calling