Hello to everyone I'm sorry if I'm posting on here without any of the painful expei need you ladies are going through but a friend on a menopause forum suggested posting on here for advice.
In brief, I am 48 been in perimenopause for around 4 years had my health go downhill since then..worst has been lack of sleep I can't get To sleep until 4am every night and up at 8. This has caused depression anxiety run down ill health so most health issues I just bury my head as it seems to be all menopause related.
However the last two weeks I've had a seriously bloated stomach that is painful and hard to breathe as it's so hard I look 6 months pregnant. I have lower back pain and nausea and although I have an overactive bladder my need to wee has got even worse I go every 20 minutes now and through the night. It's not IBS or diet related and although people say it's menopause surely for it to come on so sudden and for the bloating to be every day not cyclical that doesn't sound right. I was found to have two ovarian cysts 6 years ago they said they were just under the worrying size andno further follow up which I now know is wrong but I'm wondering if they have grown and could be causing the problem.
I went to see my gp today but she briefly discussed things and said she's no sure but as I've not lost weight it can't be ovarian cancer and she couldn't feel anything on the brief 5 seconds she felt my tummy so said it's probably hormonal...I pushed for a ultrasound scan to check if my cysts have grown mainly because I aim to start HrT in the near future so she agreed a.though she said it will be in the next 12 weeks ....seems a long time but luckily I don't think it's serious but others do.
So sorry for the long rant and sorry if my question is so unimportant when I don't have cancer but I did have it suggested but I do bury my head.
I look forward to hearing any advice thank you
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Peroxideblader
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Hi. im shocked yr dr has said u havent lost weight so it cant be OC. I suggest you get a second opinion, ring Ovacome and see what they suggest. Try to push for a CA125 blood test to put your mind at ease. I wish you well. Please let us know how you get on. xx
Thank you she didn't see any worry in my symptoms at all..but since I started meno whenever I have been forced to go to the doctors you can almost see their eyes roll thinking here we go..even though I rarely go only when something might be serious. I'll see if the scan shows anything I guess too. Thanks again
Its really not good enough yr dr has dismissed yr symptoms and 12 weeks is way too long to wait. Please kick up a fuss and get a second opinion. Too many ladies are being fobbed off to their cost x
You definitely need to go back and push for a CA125 blood test and be referred to a gynaecologist for an urgent internal ultra sound . If you are looking 6 months pregnant and weeing frequently with back pain and nausea and breathing issues you can not wait 12 weeks . Whatever it is it needs sorting .
I do not want to alarm you but you do have symptoms associated with Ovarian cancer and the chances are it is NOT but the doctors do need to take your symptoms seriously and rule it out. I would ring the Ovacome help line and talk to the nurse who is fantastic and get her advice on exactly what you need to request . They also have some information sheets you can print out and take with you to your drs . To say it can't be ovarian cancer because you haven't lost wait is ridiculous and ignorant . Many women present with ascities ( fluid ) including myself and look pregnant and often end up in A & E because drs ignore all the symptoms .
Do you have someone you can take with you ? Please get this checked out properly and if your GP isn't listening see another dr .
Sending you best wishes and remember the odds are that it is not ovarian cancer but it does need to be checked out and your symptoms can not be ignored .
Thank you..I don't think it's OC as from.what I've read the bloating is permanent and although I am always bloated it's not as bad in the morning size wise although it's distended it's by evening I'm full blown protruding stomach and my back pain is on and off..think I've convinced myself it's nothing much and doctor confirmed that but I believe everyone here much more. I will ring the phone line you've said tomorrow thank you
My bloating was down slightly in the morning and as the day went on it hot bigger again. Its gravity that does that, you have been lying down all night!
Back to your gp or another in the practice and ask for an unltraound scan and a CA125 blood testhe blood test isnt a diagnostic at this stage however its a good indicator to help.
As Katmal says also give the freephone number a call and let us know how ylu get on
Please promise to have clinical data rule out OC and not that dim wit gyno's poor opinion. My symptoms - ascites (bloat/distended belly) was present at night and gone in am. No weight loss. Peeing frequently. Your symptoms warrant some clinical evidence. CT scans are usually the starting point. Throw a fit, do what you need to, but insist on it. Don't take no for an answer. Hopefully its just from a benign cyst but you must find out. And please my dear, explore a new Dr. The one you are seeing should not be practicing.
Thanks you are the first person who has said their stomach wasn't as bloated in the morning that's one of the reasons I think it's not OC because all threads info says the swollen stomach does not go down and mine does..the weeing is much worse but doctor said it's my age and probably a uti even though I've no symptoms. I just know I've no chance of getting a ct scan I really had to push to get a ultrasound. Did you get diagnosed with traditional sound or ct? Thanks
I am in the US so process a bit diff. After a few nights of extreme bloating (that vanished in am) I went to emergency room to get checked out. I had recently moved and did not have a primary dr or gyno yet. And was hoping they would give me something to make it go away. They wound up giving me a ct scan while I was there and told me its "likely" cancer. They scheduled me for a biopsy of the fluid and drained it. a few days later at my first gyno onc appt they officially confirmed it was cancer and treatment plans were being discussed. I beg you, do what you can to get it confirmed one way or the other. If it is cancer, you want to catch it asap! If not, you want evidence it has clinically been ruled out. All the best. We'll all be here should you need us. ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you and so sorry to hear that. I've had the bloating for over 2 weeks now but as it's not as swollen first thing ( inside I feel very full) and the bloat gets worse as the day goes on in was told my wonderful gp NOT that it's not cancer or anything like that as the bloat goes down I haven't lost weight and I seemed happy and we'll...what a joke..sadly I've no support at home my partner thinks I'm making things up and either getting fat just on my tummy or its lady problems and it's causing alot of tension and rows. He's convinced me I'm being silly and that I wait to get ultrasound scan in a few months ( even though they don't confirm cancer) ..guess I'll just keep reading from you lovely kind people on here and keep it to myself. Probably is perimenopause maybe a silent UTI causing me to wee incessantly..thanks again xx
I think you are making a big mistake not pursuing this. If it is cancer, time is important as ovarian cancer spreads quickly. If it's not- something is happening that deserves proper treatment. I'll stop pleading with you. Its in your hands. Would just like you to make a decision you won't regret later.
I'm so sorry if it feels like I'm not taking it serious it's just because I've had such bad health these last 4 years no one thinks I have anything else wrong even though I don't moan and i keep it to myself . They just roll their eyes and if I have no support at home and it's causing rows it's hard to push against a useless gp. I am going to ring doctors Monday and ask if I can get an urgent appt but don't hold out much hope. If I still haven't heard in the next few weeks I might go to a and e as much as I am against it but maybe then I'll get some action. I got a lab tested urine sample tested as gp thought it was just a uti the frequent weeing but it's all clear..another worry xx
HI, My experience resemble yours in some ways, except I had a doctor who took me seriously. My gyn could not see abnormal things in my belly and me CA125 was normal. However, they had to still do a hysterectomy and that is when they found out there was more going on.
Please, do yourself a favor and ask for a second opinion. Ultrasound, CA125 and/or other CA blood test, and if needed a Hysteroscopy.
I use to have a doctor who was not taking me seriously. Thank God I was able to change GP! Don't let them push you away, you deserve better than that. Good luck!
Did your GP carry out a CA125 blood test? If not, go back and insist that he/she does. For your GPs information, not all of us ladies lose weight, some actually put it on, like I did! A lot of ladies have been diagnosed because of sudden bloating and no other symptoms.. I'd ask to see another GP in the practice and I'd also ask for the referral to be flagged as urgent. There is a symptom checks list on this site, you should print it out, complete it and take it with you. Good luck and let us know how you get on. Ann xx
Hi, I can't believe how dismissive your doctor has been and to say you couldn't have OC because you haven't lost weight is just ignorant, this does make me cross, I didn't lose weight, I looked 6 months pregnant, I was nauseous, my fatigue levels were off the chart and I had low back pain. I was already post menopausal but I had a fantastic male GP who did all the necessary tests and I had my surgery within 6 weeks and a diagnosis of grade 1 and it was caught nice and early. I did have other contributing factors that rang alarm bells too but nonetheless he acted superbly. Do please get a second opinion/change GP, you possibly don't have anything there but you're uncomfortable and unwell so it needs sorting either way. Take lots of care and do let us know how you get on. ❤️Xx Jane
It unbelievable that the doctor said it can't be OC because you haven't lost weight. One of the reasons I went to my GP 13 months ago is that my normal weight of around 60 kg had crept up gradually to 65/66 kg with the bloated stomach .
Please rant and rave and get second opinions, obviously something is not right and you cannot afford to wait 12 weeks! Hope it all works out well for you but you def need to pursue this as the other ladies are saying... janet 🌈
Hi lovely as everyone else has said back to the GP refuse to leave until further tests have been triggered and if they're still refusing kick off by saying you'll be complaining to the General Medical Council (they hate those words) and potentially suing the surgery for patient negligence. With this cancer you don't have to lose weight as you can have aceites (can't spell) which is fluid in the abdomen PLEASE don't think it is as it could be something else but rule out the worst case scenario first and please don't consult Dr Google he makes everyone sh*t themselves xxx
If you feel something is not right then it is not. Follow your instincts1you know your own body better than everyone. Fluid build up causes weight gain. Push like hell for someone to take you seriously. Keep us posted.
My doctor didn't even examine me when I continually complained of a huge tummy so I assumed there was nothing wrong.
One day I was in pain (which turned out to be something else) but as I couldn't get a doctors appointment for a month and couldn't walk with the pain, I went to A&E for the first time in my life and during the examinations it was discovered I had a huge tumour.
I would definitely either get a second opinion or ask your GP for a CA125 blood test.
Hope it turns out to be nothing much. Best wishes.
Thank you to everyone who has replied sorry I haven't replied individually..I just feel a fraud pushing it as my stomach although swollen isn't 3 times the size. I'm usually a size 8 and it really looks like I'm pregnany by evening but because doctor saw me at lunch it was swollen but not as bad as at night . I want to push for the blood test as I know this protruding stomach isn't normal but I'm against a brick wall as they think it's weight gain through menopause!!@ if I had suddenly gained weight in 2 weeks enough to swell my stomach surely I'd have weight gain everywhere...plus my diet hasn't changed and when I've put weight on before I've never had the bloated feeling. When I get up I feel like I've already eaten a large meal. Sadly I have no one to go with me to doctors to push for me my partner wouldn't he thinks the doctors know their stuff ...I'll wait til next week then I'll ring to say I need another appt if my symptoms are the same. It doesn't help that I'm in the bad books with my gp as I've had swollen lymph nodes in my neck for 6 years and this year I got a second opinion on them as they said they were only reactive ( even though I've no infection ) and they still only did an ultra sound confirmed 3 lymph node lumps but as they were slightly under the 1cm size they won't biopsy said they're just lumps ...fobbed off again despite 4 members of my family dying of lymphoma and my dad is currently suffering from secondary cancer in his lymph nodes. So I'm told it's fine no cancer and that's that without biopsy...so pushing for this blood test they'll think I'm some sort of hypochondriac....it's so hard..I'm sure it's not OC but it's something wrong..so sorry to burden everyone with my long post especially as I am not going through the awful health issues you all have its so pathetic really.
It is these very assumptions that Doctors make that cause so many of us to not be dx until later stages. Please push for a CA 125 test and ultra sound- sooner if possible. Wishing you some quick answers to put your mind at ease.
I know my surgery is rubbish over the years they have messed up big style the doctors have retired since but one diagnosed my grandad as asleep after he'd actually died the previous night. My nana was given 2 tablets together which should never be taken together and she died of a heart attack and my mum was sent home after being diagnosed with pleurisy she was actually was in a diabetic coma undiagnosed..i know I need yo change gp it's just they have all my history etc and I thought it would help but now I think it's working against me. I only go to see gp if I think it's serious and I wait months sometimes years. So it's not like I'm a hypochondriac. My mother in law goes every few weeks with some imaginary illness and they don't roll their eyes even though they know she's making illnesses up for attention
Well I'm ringing doctors Monday and asking if they can prioritise the ultrasound scan I can but try..my lovely neighbour offered to come with me if I needed but I don't need anyone at this stage..only to speak up for me if I get nowhere.... thank again for everyone's help
Hi well I 've had the scan they did internal and found a right side irregular shaped collapsed cyst she said to rescan in 6 weeks and that it had leaked fluid into my abdomen hence the bloating. I couldn't ask size etc as she said she was not supposed to say anything just wait to see my gp. I did ask if she see signs of cancer she said ultrasound doesn't show that..so I'm a bit confused now..I'll wait 6 weeks for the rescan but is this good news ?? Thanks
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