Thickened uterine lining - nauseous with worry

The surgeons are so skillful. I had an adhesion from my bowel to the womb, and I was warned I might wake up with a stoma, so I was so relieved to wake up without one, as you can imagine! But the adhesion did show up on the mri

Love

Alison xxx 

Hi, Diane40.

sorry, a bit late as usual! A seroma is very common post surgically. It is simply a collection of serous fluid ( the part of the blood without the red cells) and, sometimes, a little inflammatory fluid. It’s one way the body reacts to the trauma of surgery, but it isn’t serious. It will either be reabsorbed into the surrounding tissues or might leak out to drain, like they say. 

Because most folk haven’t heard of them it sounds scary, but it honestly is nothing to worry about.

lots of love

Hi, Rawdoodles

I’m a sonographer and I’ve also had a lot a TV scans.

Ovaries that are normal in size don’t always show, but, if there enlarged enough to cause you pain, they show much more easily. Don’t panic over ovaries that don’t show.

There’s no need for a TV scan to be painful, but it can be mildly uncomfortable like any other internal. I always tell my patients to tell me if it’s too much or if they’d like me to stop (although obviously I look for signs of them being uncomfortable. Just say if it’s too much. In over twenty years I’ve had less than 5 people find it too much and that was generally because they were in too much pain to start with.

Generally, I think you’ll be fine, but if it’s too much, just tell them!

lots of love

Hi, Lass

If they’re causing that much pain to look for an ovary that’s difficult to see, that implies that the ovary is almost certainly normal size-wize. The vast majority of ovarian abnormalities make ovaries enlarge and enlarged ovaries are easy to see.

Don’t let ‘em brutalise you too much - it’s an ignorant approach in my view (Sonographer). If an ovary is hurting due to pathology, you should be able to see it without causing that much more pain cos it’s gonna be enlarged!

lots of love

Hey Gusbun,

Yes, mine are normal sized - as far as I'm aware. They just like to check them now and again because I have PCOS, so they need to check the size of the cysts on them. Been having them done since I was 20, 37 now.

Usually the TV scans are just uncomfortable, but there have been a couple where I've actually had to tell them to stop. I have a feeling that one of them was a student, because to start with she couldn't even find my vagina and was pushing on what I guess would be my pelvis. Had to tell her to go further down rather than just pushing harder on what clearly wasn't a hole! The other woman was in a bad mood I think, really wasn't being gentle in the slightest. At least other times when I've said it hurt they apologised and tried to say it wouldn't be too much longer and just to hang in there etc. She didn't, she was just really brusque!

Oh, and one other thing - I have had a bit of bleeding/spotting after a TV scan that they were playing hunt the ovary on. So again, don't worry if that happens either.

Lass

Xx

Hi ladies

thank you all so much for your msgs they really helped. 

Well....

i went in (with not the fullest bladder I could have had) she couldn’t get a clear picture over the top so said she would have to go internal (which I was expecting anyway) the probe was small, felt like not much went in, wasn’t uncomfortable at all even when she put it in then took it out. 

Seems like she was in there ages as she said she couldn’t see my right ovary, she had me pressing down on my ovary but still couldn’t see it. thank you Gusbun for the reassurance as the sonography said the exact same thing! She said if there was something abnormal with it it would be easier to see so I feel ok about that. She said the left one is normal too and she couldnt find any sign of polycystic ovaries (which I was diagnosed with at 16 by ultrasound) she said she’s seen it happen where they go away... weird.

so into the main event... my uterus. She said it looks normal apart from the lining looks a little thick, which to me isn’t normal. But there was nothing in there. To be honest my heart sank a bit as I know what that can mean (thanks to Dr Google) and now my head is buzzing and I won’t be able to relax until I see the consultant on Monday. The sonographer didn’t say how thick it was but I’m expecting a d&c to be the next step. Has anyone got any advice on what to expect next? Does a thick lining always mean cancerous? 

Thanks again for all your messages you are all amazing  

nat xx

Hey Rawdoodles,

Quite the opposite actually. A thick lining is very rarely cancer when you look at the stats of how many people have a thickened lining and how many of those have cancer.

It could just be a simple case of hyperplasia, or even atypical hyperplasia - which is cured with a Mirena Coil.

You may not have a d&c either, it depends on what's on offer at your hospital. Mine no longer does them as they have the equipment to do a myosure procedure instead which is much less uncomfortable/painful.

Lass

Xx

Hi Nat,

I expect your next step will be an appointment with a gynaecologist who will most likely do an internal and external exam and take a sample of your womb lining. They done this with me when my scan showed a thick lining, at that appointment they wanted to insert a mirena coil and I was hesitant so they didn't, but I ended up getting it elsewhere, I should have taken it at the time. You might want to read up on the coil before you go incase they offer you it, it basically helps keep your womb healthy and at the correct thickness. I didn't like the idea of it but was used to it after a week and it helped reduce my bleeding.

To take the womb sample, it was similar to having a smear test, only they went into the womb, I had taken some painkillers before my appointment and didn't feel much at all.

After that I waited a couple of weeks for results and then I needed a hysteroscopy, I had that under general anaesthetic but some people have them under local or no anaesthetic. 

Lots of love

xxx

Lass, I’m really sorry this happened to you. There is no excuse.

love

Hang on in there, Rawdoodles

None of this confirms cancer. Most ladies who go to the next stage of testing also do not have cancer. Even if you do have cancer, it is one of the more treatable types of cancer. I had a simple hysterectomy and have had no more treatment.

lots of love