Hi there! I had a 5 cm cyst and my surgeon had to take my ovary. Luckily, no long lasting effects on my pouch. It was definitely a more complicated surgery because of the pouch scar tissue… I had a choice as to whether I wanted my surgeon to attempt it laparoscopically, but I opted for open and am glad I did so, because she would’ve had to abandon that route if she had tried and open me up anyway.
I had asked for a colorectal surgeon to be present, was ignored, and then later my (gyn-onc) surgeon admitted that she should have had one join her. My bowel was/is stuck to my ovaries and it was difficult to dissect. I’ve had follow up ultrasounds that show that I still have ovarian tissue on that side, so she clearly wasn’t able to get the whole ovary. So I would be more persistent if I could do it again!
The other thing was recovery- I had a tough time with my bowels being slow to wake up and a lot of gas pain, vomiting, etc. Some of this was probably inevitable, but I would recommend taking whatever laxative/bowel prep they offer you, and avoiding anything carbonated in post-op. I naively thought I wouldn’t have a problem since I don’t have a colon, but this did not turn to be the case.
Best of luck! Overall, this should only be a blip compared to what you’ve already been through.
