Operation Update: The Results of My Cyst

Operation Update: The Results of My Cyst and General Diagnosis | Not Dressed As Lamb

Just a quick update post this evening as so many of you have been kindly asking after me and how I’ve been following my operation to remove a cyst last month.

You’re all so lovely to care, I can’t tell you how much I’ve appreciated all the well wishes and love sent my way! I had my follow up appointment with the specialist this morning and I thought I’d share what the results were. It’s been three and a half weeks since the operation to remove a cyst (the size of a large grapefruit, eep) from my abdomen and in a nutshell I’m absolutely fine now. The cyst has been examined and I went in to find out what its beef with me was.

(To recap VERY briefly: the cyst was in my abdomen and pressing on the nerves, causing pain and numbness in my right leg for the past two years. I had keyhole surgery last month where it was drained… I have the tiniest wounds – if you or someone you know is having keyhole surgery do NOT worry about scars being left behind. There is practically nothing to see, though I would have liked SOMETHING of a battle scar to show for it…)!

As far as my recovery went, I was very groggy the first week, which was to be expected; the second week I felt somewhat better but then had a really bad couple of days meaning I cancelled both a day to London for a blogging summit (boo) and a blogging assignment in TOKYO of all places (even bigger boo), but for the last week I’ve felt completely normal.

 

The results

The good news is that cyst was not, is not, and will never be, cancerous. Phew. The not-so-good news (or rather, the cautious news) is that it was a benign tumour (tumour simply meaning a swelling in the body caused by an abnormal growth of tissue, so don’t be frightened by that word!) that filled with fluid and was pressing on just about everything in my abdomen – there’s a 50/50 chance that it may fill back up with fluid again. It may have filled back up again already, it may fill back up again in six months, it may never fill back up again. There’s just no way to know what it’ll do.

So I’ll have another MRI scan in a few weeks to see what it’s doing now, and if it looks fine and I don’t have any more leg pain I’ll have another one six months after that. However, what might happen is that the tumour needs further investigation, especially if it’s a persistent bugger, and in which case I’ll need to go up to London to see an even more specialist specialist as we don’t have someone of that expertise down in the South West.

What did happen straight after the op was that I got an awful lot of the feeling back in my leg and bum (I HATED having a numb bum cheek and groin, I’m SO glad that got sorted), but the numbness has stayed just above the back of my knee. There’s every chance that could be permanent due to damaged nerves, however the leg pain has gone and I can sleep and sit in chairs comfortably for the first time in two years. The relief of that alone makes a numb patch at the back of my leg more than bearable.

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Now we know I have it we can keep an eye on it, so if I get any leg pain at any time or the numbness spreads again then I just need to get back in touch with my specialist and he’ll see me straight away. But I can now start exercising properly and think about when I’ll start running again… I asked him when I could run again and he said “You can do what you like” – hurrah!

The tumour I have (it’s called a schwannoma* if you’re interested in that sort of thing) is apparently very, very unusual. My dad always said I was one in a million, but I think he meant it in a different way (probably in a “is she ever going to get any quieter” kind of way ๐Ÿ˜‰ )

*not to be confused with schawarma, one of the greatest scenes in cinema ever, lol…

WHAT STORY DO YOU HAVE THIS WEEK THAT YOU WANT TO SHARE? TELL ME IN THE COMMENTS…

LIKE THIS POST? YOU MIGHT ALSO WANT TO READ…

Operation Update: It’s All Good
A Final Medical Diagnosis, Two Years On
– Sharing My Medical Misdiagnosis and the Importance of Getting a Second Opinion

 

53 Comments

  1. 21 February 2018 / 6:51 am

    Well, what a relief that must be Catherine to get the all clear. I know it’s not the end of your troubles, but at least you’ll be getting regular check-ups now which must be reassuring. I recall you saying how you had plans for a big trip soon after your op and I did wonder if you’d be well enough – I’m sure you were gutted to miss it, but what’s that saying? – “What’s for you won’t go past you”, and I’m sure something even more exciting will come your way again soon.
    Sorry for my absence from your link ups – life is hectic for all of us it seems, but I’ll swing by soon.
    Take care my dear!
    Anna x

  2. Vivienne wilson
    13 February 2018 / 10:17 am

    Hi Catherine, I’m following this story with much interest. I too had leg pain also back and pelvic pressure for over two years. Lots of physio and chiropractor appointments later I eventually got a scan showing I had uterine fibroids. Still the two were not connected, after many frustrating dr appointments and paying to see a private consultant I had a hysterectomy last week. Luckily keyhole ( very disappointing scars ) yes I feel groggy and tired BUT no back or leg pain it’s all gone. The relief is amazing. I think the message is perseverance! Xx

  3. Karen Ball
    12 February 2018 / 6:30 pm

    That’s good news Catherine, must have been a worry waiting for the results. With advances in medicine and a good plan B in hand its all positive stuff. I cannot begin to imagine having that amount of numbness going on, I sometimes get a bit happening round my left knee area. Numbness is a strange thing as its something you can actually feel !!! my little patch has been with me and and off for 20+ years, doctors and myself are fine about it as I walk fair distances-especially when I go to the Lakes ! I bet you are really looking forward to getting outside for a run when this spring weather kicks in xx

  4. 12 February 2018 / 10:50 am

    So relieved to hear the results are so positive, Catherine! You must be delighted that you can get back to life as normal again… and get out exercising lol!
    That clip made me laugh out loud!
    Hugs
    Suzy xx
    http://www.suzyturner.com

  5. 12 February 2018 / 2:33 am

    HOw scary! I hope you have a speedy recovery!

  6. 11 February 2018 / 3:03 pm

    I’m so glad that a lot of the numbness is gone and that the cyst is benign. Sorry you had to miss the blogging opportunities – they sounded exciting!!! And I really hope that the cyst decides to behave from now on…

    Thanks for the link up & I hope you had a great weekend!

    • catherine
      Author
      11 February 2018 / 5:27 pm

      Thanks Andrea – yes missing Tokyo was SUCH a bummer, but I heard the days were long with lots of standing outside in the cold and wet so it was a good job I didn’t go… that as well as a long haul flight (plus jetlag!) wouldn’t have been good for me at all x

  7. 11 February 2018 / 12:30 pm

    I love your sense of humour Catherine and your positive take on everything. So happy that the news was such a great outcome and that you are mending. Life can be very scary sometimes and usually when we least expect it. xoxo

    • catherine
      Author
      11 February 2018 / 5:26 pm

      Aww thanks Sharon – I dunno, the name schwannoma just made me chuckle…!!! x

  8. 10 February 2018 / 10:13 pm

    Glad to hear it was not cancerous! It must be such a relief to be feeling better and at least know what you are dealing with. Hopefully it will never come back! – Amy
    http://stylingrannymama.com/

    • catherine
      Author
      11 February 2018 / 5:25 pm

      I sure hope so, Amy! thank you x

  9. Moyra Whiting
    10 February 2018 / 6:35 pm

    Greetings all the way from New Zealand! I’ve just joined this site, having been told about Style Crone by a friend….found that one, saw this as well so thought “Why not?”. Thrilled to read you are ‘all better’…hang on to that thought!! ๐Ÿ™‚ You’re all snuggly wrapped up in gorgeous winter wear over there while on this side of the globe we swing from mid teens to 30 plus…the fickleness of our Summer weather. Tomorrow I am handing my loved full length red winter coat to our Hospice shop for someone else to enjoy. What are the Winter colours now? Did I see grey and tangerine somewhere???? It’s time to break out and ‘get with it’ AND I’m going to wear HATS!!! I’m happy to wear them away from home but it’s time to be brave and not worry what the locals think! ๐Ÿ™‚

    • catherine
      Author
      11 February 2018 / 5:25 pm

      Moyra what a wonderful comment, it’s lovely to e-meet you! Thank you for the kind words, and I’m so glad to hear you’ve been inspired to be part of the #iwillwearwhatilike gang. And yes you DID see grey and tangerine, it was an outfit post from a couple of weeks ago…

      https://www.notdressedaslamb.com/2018/01/bold-colours-winter-style-pale-grey-tangerine.html

      Enjoy – I hope to speak to you again!! x

  10. 10 February 2018 / 5:54 pm

    Catherine having seen you in pain (a terrible thing to see as it left me feeling so helpless at being unable to help you!)
    I for one am overjoyed at your news!
    take care
    Ashley xxxx

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 6:03 pm

      Oh gosh yeah you saw me when it all flared up again over the summer, Ashley – that was an especially painful episode…! Thank you hon, train journeys are now a lot more comfortable ๐Ÿ™‚ x

  11. 10 February 2018 / 5:23 pm

    Pleased to hear your news Catherine, bet that’s a weight off your mind. Thanks for hosting the link up, some interesting blogs to read. x Jacqui
    mummabstylish

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 5:59 pm

      I do feel very relieved, Jacqui…! thank you thank you x

  12. 10 February 2018 / 4:44 pm

    Great to hear that the cyst is benign. When there is only a 1% chance it can turn cancerous have it removed.

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 5:59 pm

      Thanks Nicole – all for the specialist specialist to make a decision about ๐Ÿ™‚

  13. 10 February 2018 / 4:32 pm

    So glad you’re doing well! Thanks for the update!

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 5:57 pm

      thanks Suzanne xo

  14. 10 February 2018 / 4:31 pm

    Good to hear that your leg pain and numbness has gone now. Fingers crossed it doesn’t come back! Interesting that according to wikipedia there have been cases of these tumours on the penis…take away the pain but leave the swelling, as my husband would say!

    Emma xxx
    http://www.style-splash.com

  15. 10 February 2018 / 1:16 pm

    I’m sitting on my own bum wondering what it would be like for it to be numb all the time. Numb bum. That rhymes doesn’t it?? I cannot but I imagine it’s not pleasant so I’m very glad you’ve regained feeling there. But in all serious, I’m glad you’re not having to live with pain each day! Thank you for the update and for hosting this fun link up.

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 5:55 pm

      I know it’s not a laughing matter Chrissy but “numb bum” does make me laugh…!!!! thank you my lovely xo

  16. 10 February 2018 / 11:47 am

    My heavens, the body does some strange things, doesn’t it? I am glad you can feel your bum again and that you are doing well. I hope this Schwannoma behaves itself from now on!

    Shelbee
    http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 5:45 pm

      I’M glad I can feel my bum again, Shelbee!! hehe ๐Ÿ˜‰ thank you xoxo

  17. 10 February 2018 / 10:06 am

    Catherine, great news! Fingers crossed that that’s the end of it. But it’s good that you’re being cared for and kept an eye on.

    Well I had my operation on my vocal chords this Tuesday (after a wonderful week in Tenerife which softened the blow). I will do my own blog post about it because I learnt a big lesson: Go and see the doctor before something gets bad. Aka: Listen to your mum when she tells you to do something, even when you’re 50!

    I have my specialist appointment on Monday and it could mean more treatment. But I’m upbeat about it. I’m interested to read that you felt groggy for the first week post-op as I’m still feeling a bit light-headed four days after a general anaesthetic. For the first couple of days I felt terribly lazy, but now I’m aware it’s normal so I’m giving myself a break. I did have a two-mile walk along the canal in the Scottish sunshine yesterday and stocked up on decent multivitamins and magnesium tablets which may be helpful for you too.

    But TOKYO!! Omg, please tell us that this is a moveable feast and you can still go out there for NDAL.

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 4:08 pm

      I’m so pleased to hear you’re upbeat about your vocal chords, Emerald – and I’m glad your mum nagged you about it!! We definitely shouldn’t feel bad about being “lazy” those first few days, it’s vital recuperation, not laziness ๐Ÿ˜‰

      I’m afraid Tokyo was a one-off job that was taking place with a brand very soon after my op, so that was a huge bummer. Never mind, there’ll be more opportunities…! #fingerscrossed

  18. 10 February 2018 / 10:03 am

    So happy you are doing so well Catherine. What a dreadful couple of years you have had and am so glad they got to the bottom of it – excuse the numb pun! Look forward to seeing you this year, I hope, we all hope! Suzi xx

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 4:04 pm

      I hope so Suzi – I’ll do my absolute best to organise something!! thank you my lovely, so much x

  19. Anonym
    10 February 2018 / 9:52 am

    Schwannomas ate not as rare as you seem to believe. Regarding your symptoms, this is a very good result you are experiencing, what was the speciality of the doctor who removed it? In my experience schwannomas have very low risk of coming back.

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 10:33 am

      It was my type of schwannoma that was very unusual… yes they are common – apparently 3-4% of autopsies show up a schwannoma of some kind (they’re very common in the head and neck it seems), but I think it was the placement of mine and the nature of it that was so rare…! x

  20. 10 February 2018 / 9:34 am

    Glad to hear that you are well again Catherine…mysterious illnesses can be very hard to deal with and I imagine the relief of discovering what was causing your problems came as an immense release from worrying…almost as good as the physical relief . Brave girl! Run for your life sweetie โค๏ธ

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 3:10 pm

      It WAS a huge relief, Sarah… though it was somewhat weird finding out the actual cause of the leg pain when we’d wondered for so long what it was – I’d almost got used to not knowing!! And thank you, yes I’m looking forward to running again! x

  21. Danish Pastry
    10 February 2018 / 8:42 am

    Great that you’re feeling so good! You’ve done a great job of explaining (and thank you for sharing!), you really took in, understood and remembered what the doctors said, that in itself is fairly rare, so I’ll echo what your dad said…

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 10:35 am

      Thanks Susan! I drew the line of showing the picture of the cyst itself during the op, I thought that would be oversharing, LOL!!!!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

  22. 10 February 2018 / 7:42 am

    Hahaha love that clip C! Wait til I show Kiki ๐Ÿ˜‰
    xxx

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 2:57 pm

      I think it was on the DVD/blu ray only, MT… it’s so funny ๐Ÿ˜‰

  23. 10 February 2018 / 7:15 am

    Glad to read that things are,,alright,, for you and I am sorry that you could not attend the blogger events.
    Have a good weekend!

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 2:55 pm

      It was a huge bummer missing out on Tokyo, Nancy…!! ๐Ÿ™

      thank you x

      • 10 February 2018 / 4:05 pm

        Yes, I can totally understand that.

  24. 10 February 2018 / 6:53 am

    Wow Catherine, I’m so glad you have received almost total relief from the surgery. I’m hoping that you won’t have any further trouble with it!

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 2:10 pm

      I hope so too, Julie!! thank you hon x

  25. 10 February 2018 / 6:47 am

    So happy that all turned out well and the feeling has returned to your bum! Hopefully it won’t fill back up, but at least now you know what you’re dealing with. Happy weekend! XO

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 2:54 pm

      Thanks Lisa… it’s a huge relief! x

  26. 10 February 2018 / 5:10 am

    Praying for a successful recovery for you. Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful weekend.

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 2:10 pm

      that’s really kind, thank you Patrick x

  27. 9 February 2018 / 11:47 pm

    Glad to hear you’re recovering (although the lingering numbness must be terrible)! Also, this post really made me want some schwarma! ๐Ÿ™‚
    Cheryl Shops | http://www.cherylshops.net

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 2:01 pm

      I don’t think I’ve ever actually had schwarma, Cheryl – though I think I want to try some now!! thank you x

  28. jodie filogomo
    9 February 2018 / 10:45 pm

    I’m so glad your leg pain is better, Catherine. And not to make light of schwarma, but isn’t that also some food?? (I blame my hubby for having me always thinking about food…)
    XOXO
    Jodie
    http://www.jtouchofstyle.com

    • catherine
      Author
      10 February 2018 / 9:47 am

      Thanks so much Jodie – yes schwarma is Middle Eastern food – the Avengers scene is of them eating at a schwarma place, lol ๐Ÿ˜‰

  29. 9 February 2018 / 10:30 pm

    That really is good news. I can’t imagine having a numb bumb for two years!
    Laurie xx

    • catherine
      Author
      9 February 2018 / 10:39 pm

      thanks Laurie…! I’d only had the numb bum ๐Ÿ˜‰ since the summer – the numbness had spread all the way up my leg almost overnight about six months ago. But it was horrible while I had it!!

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