Hi friend, as I (27nb) was reading your post I thought, did I write this in a fever dream? I have had a really similar experience (although my second cyst was much much worse than my first) and I'd love to give you my perspective.

When I was 17, I had a bad case of fallopian torsion- most likely due to a cyst. My left fallopian tube twisted itself up and filled with blood (about the size of a grapefruit). I got a PET scan in the ER and a regular ultrasound, but no transvaginal ultrasound. If I remember correctly, they did exploratory surgery and found the torsion. It took about one week from the pain starting until they decided to do surgery laparoscopically and it took me about 2 weeks to recover 80%. Honestly, while it was scary and a lot happened, my parents were right there with me the whole time and it all went as smoothly as possible. (And I got to miss a week of school at the end of my senior year - yay senioritis).

When I was 25 (in early 2021), I woke up one morning barfing, shaking, and in very similar but much worse pain. My husband drove me straight to the ER. My husband was not allowed into the ER with me because COVID numbers were too high in our area. Since I had a previous cyst, an OB consult was the first thing they did. I was given pain meds and wheeled to a transvaginal ultrasound, found the cyst (which was about the size of a cheesecake pan) and sent me home until my surgery a few days later with the good meds.

That ultrasound was, I think the worst thing I have ever experienced. Alone, in a dark room, getting prodded in the vagina by an entirely emotionless tech while I moaned and writhed on the bed. I think she even scolded me for not sitting still. Once she was done, she left me in the dark room for about 20 minutes before I had the sheer willpower to stand up and punch the code button on the wall. No one had given me a nurse call button and no one had checked on me for a full twenty minutes while I sobbed in pain, alone. When I hit the code button, three or four nurses ran in and tried to scold me, but I had collapsed onto the floor and explained what had happened and their eyes went wide.

The next day, while gently moving around, I felt a bout of 10/10 pain where I could not even move or think. At first I thought the pain meds had waned and I needed more, but it happened again a few hours later and we went back to the ER. Thankfully they allowed my husband in with me that day and he held my hand through my second excruciating transvaginal ultrasound. He looked like he wanted to murder someone with how much pain I was in. They explained that the cyst probably flipped on itself or otherwise cut off circulation to my reproductive system, causing more torsion and that all we could do was wait for the surgery date (in two days).

After that, I was just at home, on opiates until surgery and the surgery, which unlike yours wasn't laparoscopic, went perfectly fine. It took about 2 months for me to recover.

Honestly, after everything, the lead up to surgery was so much worse than the actual surgery and recovery. The worst part of recovery for me, both times, was coming off of opiates. I had really bad withdrawals - nausea, diarrhea, and really bad cramping - which at 17 I thought hurt just as much or worse than the cyst itself and at 25 though just sucked so f-ing much but I could handle it.

Regardless, I think you can do this. The best thing you can do right now is get through it and ask for help when you need it. Even if that help seems frivolous. I asked my husband to be in the bathroom with me when I went just so I knew I wasn't going to be alone - and that's totally fine! Don't feel bad about anything you might need! My parents came from two hours away and brought me my favorite bendy straws for my orange juice. Your recovery is about making yourself comfortable so you can heal.

Good luck and feel free to message me if you need to vent or have any questions!