Hi, I have a history of ovarian cysts. In 2012 I was admitted to A&E with acute urinary retention and they found a whopper of 10cm diameter which I had removed via open surgery (too big for keyhole). I've since had a baby (March 2013) and recently have begun having some symptoms that I had before the A&E admission; bladder pressure and abdominal bloating. I had previously ignored these symptoms and put them down to cystitis (although there was no burning sensation) and pre-menstrual bloating. 2 weeks ago I went and had a UTI test which came back clear and then saw the GP who said without my history he would've not had any concerns but even with my history his advice was just to keep an eye on things and if I have urinary retention or pain to go to A&E. He wouldn't send me for a scan. My periods are normal and I have a coil fitted so pregnancy is unlikely. I would like more investigation of the causes for my symptoms and ideally a scan to assess what cysts are present. At my normal pregnancy scans last year they said I had a couple of 3-4cm ones. I understand that whilst cysts in themselves are not usually a problem, large ones can cause problems as outlined above and sometimes they can rupture or twist causing extruciating pain needing emergency medical care. I also understand that NHS resources are tight and unnecessary scans are expensive, but I would really like to be preventative about needing emergency medical treatment (also expensive) especially now I have a baby to care for, so am really wanting a diagnosis and treatment if necessary. What can I do? Do I need to keep going back to the GP and pestering him about my symptoms? Get a second opinion? I was discharged from the gynae ward so not an outpatient there to seek their help.
Definately need to pester the gp. The first one i saw was useless and the second one was better and booked me in for a scan. Theultrasound scan wasnt until about a month later though and i ended up in a and e before then due to the pain i was in. The hospital was great though they did blood tests, x ray which was where they saw the mass and then swabs and kept me in over night so i had the ultrasound the next day. If you think something is not right i suggest going straight to a and e if it doesnt settle x
Thanks so much for your reply. I went back to the GP (it's a different dr each time) and this one gave me a referral straight away to get an ultrasound. I think it will be a long wait but at least I get to find out what's going on with them
No problem at all hope it is nothing to worry about and gets sorted love x