My Mom has ovarian mass!

[AnxiousJamie]

I am terrified! This weekend my mom told me that after some tests, it was discovered that she had several issues going on. She had 2 endometrial polyps, 2 fibroids, and 2 masses on her ovary. The other issues aren’t high on the concern meter, but the ovary masses have me so scared. One is being called a complex cyst. The other is called a solid module. The are both small. The cyst is less than 1cm. The solid nodule is around 2.5cm. There was no detected blood flow to the nodule, which I take as a good sign. Her CA-125 was 7.9, which is very low and a positive score, but I know that sometimes the cancer doesn’t make the CA-125 elevate. All of this was done under the care of a nurse practitioner. She is scheduled to meet with her dr on Sept 10. The NP wouldn’t say anything other than we have no idea what it is and it will have to be removed to determine. This uncertainty is almost unbearable. My mom seems to be taking it pretty well. Of course we shared a good cry, but she said there’s no reason to worry about it right now because we don’t know what it is. I can’t seem to hold on to that. All I’m thinking about is the possibility of losing my mother. Also my daughter has an incredibly close relationship to my mom and I can’t even think about that!! Have any of you ever been through anything like this and everything was ok? I’m want to be strong and hopeful but I just don’t think I’m emotionally capable of it.

[lofwyr]

Try and relax a bit, I know it is a scary thing to hear. That said, both my mom, my mother in law, my sister in law and my wife have all had rather large and some small cysts removed along with ovaries, and every one of them was benign. Complex ovarian cysts are a lot more common than ovarian cancer.

[AnxiousJamie]

Thank you for your response. I’m most concerned about the solid nodule. I’ve read that 30% of solid masses on ovaries in post menopausal women were malignant. I’m just so worried.

[bin tenn]

Thank you for your response. I’m most concerned about the solid nodule. I’ve read that 30% of solid masses on ovaries in post menopausal women were malignant. I’m just so worried.

Reading such statistics is really only useful / meaningful when you can make sense of all the numbers, parameters, account for medical history, etc. In my opinion, at least. With anxiety, we often don't read between the lines; we see a statistic and take it at face value. We don't think about what those numbers mean in context.

But what I just found stated that masses that small (e.g. 2.5cm) are very rarely malignant. The chances increase significantly when the mass is >= 10cm.

[AnxiousJamie]

Thank you and you’re right. That stat really stuck with me. But I should also remember we have no family hx of cancer. My mom is physically fit and very active. She eats rights and exercises daily. Her CA-125 was low, the masses are small. The one mass doesn’t have blood flow. These are all positives.

But her practitioner was very serious and so is the rest of my family. I’m used to being the one that totally freaks out. But everyone is really scared, but they are, of course, handling much better than I.

[Scass]

Sorry that she’s going through this.
I read up a lot about these when I had something similar. It’s hard not to google & very hard to forget what you read on google.
Take heart from the positives, the medical staff are the ones who know about these things, and the Ca-125 is a very good sign.
I expect she’ll see a gynaecologist now who will do another scan and possibly suggest an mri.
Try not to google any more, it’s not helping anyone. Just be present for your Mum, and try to focus on managing your anxiety.

[AnxiousJamie]

Update: my mom saw a dr who referred her to a oncologist/gynecologist. She then was scheduled for full hysterectomy and biopsy. We received news last Friday all masses were benign. We are all relieved and very thankful. I try to always come and update so if someone else is reading and scared, there are benign ovarian masses. It was a long couple of months!

[Sparky16]

That is such good news! So relieved for your Mom, you, and your family. I hope she is recovering from the surgery well.