Brian watched his wife sleep from a chair nearby. He was exhausted. She’d only just closed her eyes the first time before they were open again and she was curling up in pain. The doctors came back in and gave the remaining half of the pain medication, why did they only give her half to begin with? Brian had wondered. Brian had also taken that opportunity to tell the doctors of her recent diagnosis.
The doctors scheduled a CAT scan and Laney was wheeled from the room, when she came back she looked sleepy but there was more color in her face. She said she was feeling better and closed her eyes again, this time falling asleep. Now Brian sat waiting for the results of the CAT scan.
The doctor peeked his head in the room, and when he saw his patient asleep he turned his attention to Brian.
“Do you have the results?” Brian asked when he saw the man.
The doctor nodded. “It would be better if Laney were awake for so I could inform her too.”
“I’m awake,” Laney’s small voice came from the hospital bed in the middle of the room. “What did you find out?”
“The CAT scan results were unclear so we will be proceeding with a pelvic exam.” The doctor looked at Laney, sympathy in his eyes. “Are you ready for that?”
Laney nodded, “let’s get it over with so we can figure out what this was.”
“Are you feeling any more pain?” The doctor asked as he moved a tray of instruments towards the end of the table.
Laney shook her head, “Not since you took me for the CAT scan.” She replied as she edged towards the end of the table and put her feet in the holsters.
“Okay, relax,” The doctor told Laney. Brian watched as the man examined his wife, pressing on her abdomen, feeling her insides. When Laney winced as he felt off to one side, the doctor stopped what he was doing and sat back on the stool removing his gloves.
“Did you figure it out?” Brian asked impatiently.
The doctor nodded and looked towards Laney. “It appears you had an ovarian cyst burst.” He said.
“What does that mean exactly?” Laney asked, Brian could see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes, he was sure his face was mirroring her emotions.
“You were diagnosed with PCOS so you understand how your ovaries are producing the cyst sack for the egg but sometimes, even after release, the sack sticks around. What happened was one of those sacks grew larger than normal, took on extra fluid. This cyst burst and that is what caused your pain. Some women know when they will have a cyst burst; they feel a dull ache in the area for a few days then when it bursts there is only a mild level of pain increase. In your case, the cyst burst quickly and without warning.”
Brian watched as Laney took the words the doctor said in, he knew the painkillers were probably messing with her thinking process so he stepped in to ask questions. “Is it serious?”
“Her ovaries feel fine; I didn’t detect anything to be concerned about. I didn’t feel any more overly large sacks. This could just be a onetime instance and Laney may never have another one, or this could become something more, possibly leading to Ovarian Cancer.”
Brian’s heart started to beat erratically in his chest; it reminded him of his time before he had his heart surgery. The world seemed to slow down at the mention of cancer and the room was beginning to spin. He stumbled backwards and fell into the chair he’d occupied earlier. His eyes found Laney’s and he could see the tears forming in her eyes. He needed to be strong for her. He forced himself to stand up and move back to her side, enveloping her in his arms. He could feel her crying into his chest as he fought back his own tears.
“I know it’s hard to hear but only a handful of women that have ovarian cysts actually develop cancer. Since you are aware, you should be able to keep a better eye on things from this point out. Everything felt fine; I’d say your actual chances, Laney, are slim. I just wanted you to be informed.”
“How does this affect us trying for children?” Brian knew the question was on Laney’s mind and he wanted it to get out there, he needed to hear the answer too.
“Your chances of conceiving are still the same as they were before you found out it about the enlarged cyst. In fact, the hormones from pregnancy will only help the ovaries.” The doctor attempted a weak smile, probably knowing that neither person wanted to see a grin on his face at that point in time.
“I wouldn’t lose hope Laney, you still have a good chance to conceive. If you have concerns though I’d make an appointment with your OB/GYN to see what you can do. Do you have any more questions?”
Brian and Laney both shook their heads. Even if their brains could think of any questions, they were still too busy processing the information the doctor had left them with. Brian and Laney sat holding each other as the nurse that must have come in with the doctor but they were too preoccupied to notice, got Laney ready for discharge.
“I saw your diagnosis,” the woman spoke quietly as she removed the IV from Laney’s arm. “My friend had the same thing happen to her while she was trying to get pregnant.”
“How did it go for her?” Laney asked.
“After the cyst broke, next month, she was pregnant.” The nurse smiled and squeezed Laney’s arm.
Brian felt better as he saw Laney’s face break out into a grin. “Thank you,” she told the nurse. Brian sighed in relief, there was still hope they could conceive. Brian just hoped they didn’t have any more episodes like that day.
