Dermoid Cyst Removal

Hi P.,

I had the same surgery back in March of this year. It was same day and I was home by lunch. They went in through my bellybutton and another very small incision on the bikini line. I was very tender for about a week, such as coughing, sneezing and such, but other than the tenderness I was up walking and stuff. Just dont do heavy lifting and alot of bending that isnt necessary. It was a fairly quick and easy recovery.

I had this surgery last May. It was two weeks until I could do things for myself and around the house, but a month until I felt like myself again and my energy levels came back up.
Try and have someone with you the first 2 weeks (1st week for sure!). It's pretty painful, to be honest with you. Walking, bending over, pretty excrutiating a week after surgery. I compare it to what I think a cesarian recovery would be. I know it was worse than my recovery from having my 2 kids (VB).
They thought I had a cyst on each ovary (with septations). During surgery it was discovered that one ovary was completely covered with cysts and had to be removed. The other cyst only had a single cyst hanging from it, so that ovary was saved. Thank goodness b/c I am under 40 and wanted to keep what I could! I did have night sweats for about 3-4 nights after surgery. I guess the hormones were trying to get straight.

Our insurance pays 80%, and I think I paid around $1000 after all of the bills came in.

Good luck! You'll be fine!!

I had a dermoid cyst removed this past August. I would say two weeks is about right. Honestly it was a pretty easy procedure, less than an hour long. I had the surgery at 7:00 am and was home by noon. I was really sore for about 4 days at the incision sites (I had a lap also,three small incisions). Took vicodin for about 4 days for the pain but after that I switched to advil. Vicodin makes me feel pretty weird so I wasn't a big fan of it. The second week wasn't bad at all. I couldn't lift anything heavy or vacuum, but I was definitely up and about. I paid about $500.00 out of pocket. I have insurance and my deductible was already met for the year. My doctor did say that he has never seen a woman with a second dermoid and that dermoids do not mean you are at risk for ovarian cancer, they are unrelated. Those were two of my big questions. Good luck, I am sure you will do great.

Dear P.,

I just had that procedure! The most frightening part was not knowing what all the components of the cyst were, and whether there was anything cancerous. Fortunately, the pathology report came back negative. This procedure is incredibly non-invasive, and I also had my right ovary and fallopian tube removed with the cyst, as it was the size of a lemon and had engulfed my ovary. I have two, 1 inch incisions, and a cut through my belly button. The latter took the longest to heal because it was the deepest. I have insurance, but a very high deductible ($10K annually), and really meant for catastrophic circumstances. I have not received all the bills from the pathologist and labs, but the OB/GYN and the hospital have cost me about $6200 so far. Obviously, if you have insurance, you would just have to meet your deductible. There was pain for the first 3 days, then it subsided...and the recovery time is really 2 weeks. Good Luck.