"Watchful waiting" is a term used by doctors when an ovarian cyst is discovered that is very small and doesn't appear to be growing. This practice is based on a study that found it best to avoid surgery and its complications until the nature of the cyst changes.
What can this mean for you?
If the cyst is small and you are not menopausal, it may go away in time. Chinese herbs and nutrition can help to accomplish that. If you have had the cyst for 20 years and are postmenopausal, the implications could be entirely different.
One of the symptoms of ovarian cancer and benign cysts is weight gain not attributed to overeating. I have a client who has gained 60 pounds and the extra weight has raised triglycerides and blood pressure, so now, in addition, she has cardiovascular issues. What is happening is that the body in its fabulous intelligence is holding fluid to dilute poisons given off by something that does not belong there.
Surgery for her would be a minimally invasive laparotomy and yes, the pounds would disappear quickly.
Kaiser refuses to remove it until it changes or grows, nor will they do a biopsy. Other insurance companies may have a different policy and operate according to the patient's wishes.
Is that an insurance issue or simply balancing the risks against the benefits? Some would say it's a gamble, as it is generally agreed that cancer is easier to treat in the early stages than later.
If your gynecologist can look at you and promise you that there are no cancer cells in a cyst that small, then you might sleep better at night. But she/he can't do that. She doesn't really know. If you have an ovarian cyst, and your doctor is watching and waiting, consider your case very carefully and decide what is best for you.
My client has a very fine surgeon in another country and is making the decision to go there.
" About 21,750 women this year will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer. About 13,940 women will die from ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. A woman's risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 78."
Reproduced from cancer.org
If this post speaks to you, then ask the question? Doctor, are you absolutely sure that my cyst is not cancerous? It's your life.
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