Tag: women's health

I gained weight and looked pregnant — it was a 104-pound ovarian cyst

Call it a rebirth.

A 20-year-old Florida woman is celebrating the removal of her 104-pound ovarian cyst holding about 46 liters of fluid.

Allison Fisher, of the Jacksonville area, told a local TV station it felt like she was “pregnant with 10 kids.”

“I let myself believe that if I ignored it, it would go away,” Fisher recounted to Action News Jax. “I was scared. I was just really scared.”

She claimed to News4JAX that she started a menstrual cycle in 2020 that lasted an entire year.

She said she avoided seeing doctors about the problem because in the past, her health issues were dismissed as complications of being overweight. She eventually understood it was a serious matter.


The Florida woman recently underwent removal of her 104-pound ovarian cyst, which she had likened to being pregnant with 10 kids.
News4JAX

“I started to see other people coming forward on social media about their ovarian masses and their problems with their cycles, and I started to realize that something was not right with my stomach,” Fisher told the outlet.

“As I looked closer at it, I realized that it was rock hard. I couldn’t lay on it. I felt like all my organs were being crushed. I looked like I was extremely pregnant.”

She told Action News Jax she couldn’t stand for more than five minutes, nor drive a car due to the sheer size of her stomach.

Fisher said she was also scared to see a doctor as this was happening during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Allison Fisher, 20, said tht she feels "so much lighter" without it.
Allison Fisher, 20, said she feels “so much lighter” without the mass.
News4JAX

Fisher said her mom was diagnosed with cancer in 2021, which eventually spurred her to seek medical treatment the following year.

Doctors discovered the large benign ovarian mass infiltrating her reproductive area.

Shortly thereafter, she was in the emergency room being operated on by Dr. Martin Martino, a gynecologic oncologist at Ascension St. Vincent’s.

“When we met in the emergency room, she was short of breath. It was right before Christmas. [While she was] lying on her side, I said, ‘Now’s the time, let’s do this,’” Martino recalled to News4JAX.

Pulmonary and cardiology specialists were on hand as well, he added.

“We came together and said, ‘Let’s figure out a way to remove this,’” Martino explained.

Physician assistant Nicole Antenucci emphasized the procedure, which involved robotic technology, “truly took a team.”

“We all just felt so lucky to be able to be a part of it and help her and now be part of her journey moving forward,” Antenucci said.


A team of doctors at a Jacksonville-area hospital helped to remove the cyst using robotic technology.
News4JAX

Fisher said it feels like she has a “second chance” at life.

“I can see my feet again, I haven’t been able to do that in years,” she told News4JAX during the March interview. “I can stand a little bit longer.”

She admitted she is still working to regain her strength, as the cyst “destroyed” her back.

“I feel so much lighter, I feel like a person,” Fisher continued. “I can wear clothes, I can do things that normal people can do. Now, moving forward, I am in the beginning stages of weight-loss surgery, and I am really excited for what life has in store for me.”


Fisher said it feels like she has a second chance at life now that the cyst has been removed.
News4JAX

Fisher’s ovarian mass is one of the largest recorded in recent years. Last year a Brazilian woman had her 100-pound ovarian cyst removed after reportedly living with it for five years.

Two years ago, a Texas woman realized her belly fat was actually a 17-pound stomach tumor.

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I went into cardiac arrest at 24 — because I missed these key warning signs

In 2014, Brittany Williams was a fit, seemingly healthy 24-year-old. She ran daily, ate well and had a killer bikini body. Then, suddenly, she went into cardiac arrest.

She was having dinner at a Times Square restaurant when her heart stopped and she lost consciousness, TODAY.com reported.

“My mom and dad looked over, and they thought I was having a seizure,” Williams told TODAY.com. “My eyes rolled to the back of my head, and I just collapsed, and I was unresponsive.”

Luckily, two strangers in the restaurant — both doctors — were able to administer CPR for eight minutes until emergency personnel arrived. If they hadn’t been there, Williams would have died.

The episode came seemingly out of nowhere. Williams had no history of heart problems and seemed quite healthy. But, at work a few days prior there had been an early warning sign that she brushed off.

“All of a sudden the left  side of my body went numb and tingly,” Williams recalled. “I sat back and though, ‘Oh no, this doesn’t feel right. This is not what I feel like on a day-to-day basis.” 

Williams Googled her symptoms and saw three fatal health scares pop up: stroke, heart attack and cardiac arrest. She alerted her boss, whom she said brushed off her concerns. Day later, she almost died.


Williams was rushed to the hospital after going into cardiac arrest.
TODAY

Williams was initally put into a medical coma at the hospital.
TODAY

After collapsing at the restaurant and undergoing CPR, Williams was hospitalized and put in a medical coma.

She was ultimately diagnosed with long QT syndrome, a health condition that causes an accelerated and irregular heartbeat, according to the Mayo Clinic. The syndrome often goes undiagnosed because people with the conditions develop symptoms – which can be as severe as sudden fainting, seizures or even death – over time. Typically, medicines such as beta blockers are prescribed.


Williams was diagnosed with long QT syndrome, a health condition that causes an accelerated and irregular heartbeat, according to Mayo Clinic.
Facebook/Brittany Williams

Williams had to have a defibrillator implanted to thwart future episodes of irregular heart beats and the deadly potentially of her heart stopping again.

Cardiac arrest is the abrupt loss of all heart activity due to irregular heart rhythm causing breathing to stop and a person to become unconscious, according to the Mayo Clinic. Death can result if not treated immediately. Symptoms leading up to cardiac arrest can include chest discomfort, shortness of breath, weakness and heart palpitations along with sudden collapse, no pulse, loss of consciousness and no breathing.

Unexplained tingling or numbness in the left side of the body is a cause to seek medical attention, according to Healthline.com. While Williams’ case may feel like a rare occurrence, she stresses the importance of raising awareness, particularly now as February is heart health month.


Williams on the road to recovery. After her surgery, she admitted feeling fearful that the episode would happen again.
Instagram/Brittany Williams

Williams expressed her gratitude for getting a second chance in life.
Instagram/Brittany Williams

While the recovery left Williams apprehensive about another episode, she believes she survived for a reason. 

“I knew deep down that I had gotten a second chance at life, and that I wasn’t going to waste it,” she said.

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Christina Haack questions if health issues are ‘breast implant related’

Christina Haack is reflecting on her years of health issues, which she theorizes may stem from getting breast implants.

The “Christina on the Coast” star shared a “Self-Care Saturday” post via Instagram over the weekend, which showed her listening to a meditation podcast while receiving photon LED light therapy on her face.

“Been super exhausted lately so [I’m] on a kick to get back into my body. I’ve had some unexplained health stuff for years, and now I’m considering the thought that this could be breast implant related,” Haack, 39, wrote in part.

“Does anyone else have any experience with this subject?” she asked. “I’m curious on all the ladies take on this.”

The HGTV star went on to name her extensive list of health struggles, which includes inflammation, Hashimoto’s disease, Raynaud’s syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, unexplained skin rashes, joint and muscle pain, dry eyes, acid reflux, brain fog, swollen lymph nodes and adrenal fatigue.

“For now just working on detoxing and positive mind set,” she concluded the post.

Christina Haack is reflecting on her years of health issues.
Instagram/@thechristinahall

The “Flip or Flop” alum has been candid about her struggles through the years, most recently speaking about her endoscopy which treated her “extreme stomach pain.”

“So far my results have come back good. Doing more procedures to try to get to the bottom of it,” she told People, noting she had suffered from the pain on and off since 2016.

She shared a clip of herself doing LED light therapy.
Instagram/@thechristinahall
She shared a clip of herself doing LED light therapy.
Instagram/@thechristinahall


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She shared a clip of herself doing LED light therapy.
Instagram/@thechristinahall


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“For now, I am continuing to eat healthy and stay active,” she continued. “I’ve talked to a lot of people about this and just want to advocate how important it is to trust your own health instincts and not ignore things going on in your body.”

Aside from her health struggles, the real estate investor has been dealing with a lot in her personal life.

She and ex-husband Ant Anstead recently settled their custody battle over 3-year-old son Hudson and will not be going to trial in March 2023 as originally planned.

Haack questioned whether her breast implants could be affecting her health.
Instagram/@thechristinahall

The pair will “continue to have joint legal and joint physical custody” as agreed upon in June 2021, according to Nov. 18 court records obtained by People last month.

Anstead, 43, has since moved on with new girlfriend Renée Zellweger, while Haack secretly married her third husband, Joshua Hall, earlier this year.

She is also a mom to daughter Taylor, 12, and son Brayden, 7, whom she shares with her first ex-husband, Tarek El Moussa.



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I hate my K-size breasts — ‘Nipples are not supposed to face the floor’

A British baker says she is fed up with her humongous size K breasts.

Jasmin Mcletchie, who hails from southwest England, is fundraising for a life-changing breast reduction because her back is not strong enough to support knockers that constantly “knock things over.”

Mcletchie, a 33-year-old mother of a 5-year-old girl, says she feels “strangled” by the crushing weight of her breasts when she lays down in bed.

According to her GoFundMe page, she wants the surgery “on behalf of Paul Williams,” her 51-year-old carpet fitter fiancé, calling him the ultimate “beneficiary.” Her goal is $12,000.

“The number of people, even my partner’s friends, [who] are like, ‘Why don’t you start an OnlyFans?’ They keep going on about it and how I could raise the money that way,” Mcletchie said, per the Daily Mail.

“I’m thinking, ‘That’s not me, I don’t want to display myself. I’m trying to change my body for the better, I don’t want to sexualize it and start making money from it.’”

Jasmin Mcletchie, 33, has size K breasts that have affected her physically and emotionally.
Kennedy News and Media

At just 4 feet, 11 inches tall, she has been forced to ditch underwire bras, as they have caused sores and rashes on her chest.

Mcletchie said her breasts have not only caused her physical pain, but emotional stress as well, leading to insecurities in the bedroom.

“They think men would go for boobs this size, and I say to them, ‘They might look alright in a bra, but out of a bra nipples are not supposed to face the floor,’” she said.

Mcletchie revealed that doctors have long told her she would benefit from breast reduction surgery, with her issues stemming back decades.

“When I was 14, I was getting changed for PE one day, and I had a top on underneath my school shirt and there were slits in it, which was very in fashion at the time. I just remember my friends turning around and being like, ‘Oh my god, look at your cleavage,’” Mcletchie recalled.

“There were girls coming into the main changing room area to look at my boobs, and they were teasing me, it was just horrible. I was a C cup, it was quite large for my age — and certainly compared to the other girls that I was going to school with. I was just so embarrassed.”

Jasmin said she has started wearing non-underwired bras, but she is “constantly uncomfortable due to their insufficient support.”
Kennedy News and Media

She continued: “The comments were constant, ‘Oh, look at her and her big boobs, she’s a bitch…’ I also got unwanted attention from boys.”

She said at 18 she was wearing an E cup, before graduating to an F cup in her early 20s and a K cup after having her daughter.

Mcletchie acknowledged her weight may contribute some to her large breasts, but emphasized she has always had them since she started puberty at 14.

She also revealed she suffers from Raynaud’s, a blood circulation condition that causes increased pain in her nipples and breast tissue during winter months.

Jasmin is raising money for breast reduction surgery through GoFundMe.
Kennedy News and Media

Mcletchie claims she tried to go through England’s publicly funded healthcare system for the breast reduction, but was told she didn’t meet the criteria.

“I had my photos taken, I gave my covering letter, and I didn’t hear anything back from the funding board,” she insisted.

“I know I’m overweight, I would like to get down to a size 16 before surgery. If I can reach that goal before surgery I’d be incredibly happy with my body. My body is not the issue, it’s my breasts.”

A spokesperson for the National Health Service told the Daily Mail the agency “cannot comment on individual cases.”

“Like all NHS organizations, we have to choose carefully how we use our funds and, unfortunately, we cannot fund all treatments in all circumstances,” the spokesperson said.

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I get trolled for having a breast reduction

It’s the “breast” decision she’s ever made — but not everyone agrees.

Many women chose to get a breast reduction to increase and improve their overall health and quality of life — however, some people apparently have an issue with that.

Renee Smith, a TikToker who underwent a reduction in 2021, has taken to the app to share some of the comments she’s received — many trolling her for having the surgery.

In one video — with 10.7 million views — the woman lists things she’s allegedly been told by people since getting her breast reduction.

“People pay to have boobs like yours though!” one person allegedly told her.

“You’re not even that big!” said some boob.

Smith recalled some of the things people have said to her post-surgery.
TikTok / Renee Smith

“Is your husband okay with that?” a person asked her.

“Men like big boobs though,” said another.

TikTokers leaped to her defense in the video’s comments, with several saying they also reduced their breast size and it positively changed their lives.

“Some people don’t understand that having large ones can cause medical issues,” one woman wrote.

“I had mine when I was 34,” shared another. “I had 3 back surgeries before this, and I am so glad I did it. the pain in my neck and back was horrible.”

Smith often talks about her surgery and how it increased the quality of her life. Prior to surgery, Smith suffered from breathlessness and back pain.

“I’ll never stop raving about how life-changing this surgery was,” she said in one video, adding her husband has been very supportive of her decision.

“He was my biggest supporter in all of this,” she shared in one clip. “He took care of me, he went to every single pre-op appointment.

“It didn’t make him happy when I’m not happy,” she continued, adding he bared witness to her physical and mental pain from her enormous breasts.

“This surgery was not done for cosmetic reasons, it was ultimately done for medical reasons,” she added.

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My mother-in-law called me a ‘walrus’ at my baby shower

Charlotte’s* mother-in-law has always made comments about her weight. But Charlotte has always risen above the criticism, saying, “I love myself the way I am and I live by the motto, ‘Be you, everybody else is taken.”

But since she got pregnant, the criticism and clear messages about weight have become worse.

“When I visit she gives me the small plate, portion, cup even spoons. She also buys me small size clothes even though I’m in my second trimester and those clothes don’t fit,” she explained in a Reddit post.

Although she may have grown to expect fat shaming from her mother-in-law, Charlotte thought she might tone it down at her baby shower.

No such luck.

Mother-in-law fat shames pregnant mom-to-be

Charlotte’s sister-in-law was in charge of the shower and offered cake and juice to the guests. Her husband wouldn’t allow Charlotte’s sister to host because he claims she’s too obsessed with their baby. 

“I got hungry from talking and got up for some cake. The second I put my hand on the cake, my mother-in-law grabbed my arm and said that I’d gained enough weight already and if I kept it up, her son would not be happy living with a ‘large walrus’.”

Charlotte was shocked. The comment was made in front of the entire party, and the mom-to-be didn’t know what to do.

“I put the cake down and grabbed my stuff and started walking. Her daughter stopped me saying I can’t leave mid-party and embarrass her like that. I told her to tell her mom to leave if she wanted me to stay but she said, ‘Are you crazy? She’s my mom. You want me to kick her out in front of everybody?’”

Charlotte left the house, called her mom and went home.

The mom’s sister-in-law was in charge of the shower and offered cake and juice to the guests.
Getty Images/iStockphoto

Charlotte’s husband was livid.

“He asked me to explain what I did at the baby shower and why. I told him what his mom did and he started ranting about how I f**ked this up over something so minor.”

Charlotte didn’t think it was minor. Not only did her mother-in-law call her names, she stopped her from eating.

“He said his mom meant well and that I needed to get rid of this ‘easily offended’ mindset immediately before I pass it down to our son.”

Charlotte’s husband demanded that she apologize to his family. Charlotte thought she deserved the apology.

Reddit community concerned for mom’s wellbeing

The Reddit community fully supported the mom, with many questioning the rationale behind starving a pregnant, hungry mother.

“If she’s hungry, the baby is hungry,” said one person.

“Any man that would allow his mother to verbally abuse and deny his wife food and then gaslight and berate his wife for standing up for herself, is a massively abusive asshole,” said another. “This is divorce territory now.”

Not only did the woman’s mother-in-law call her names like walrus, she also stopped her from eating.
Getty Images/iStockphoto

Some people thought her husband’s reaction was a symptom of a greater problem.

“So your own sister wasn’t allowed to throw you a baby shower, which then caused your mom not to attend,” one person said. “Instead your husband allowed his sister to throw one, where your MIL bullied you. Is he trying to control you, isolate you from your family, or is this a once-off?”

“Be careful…. These people sound extremely toxic and dangerous,” said another. “Don’t let your DH manipulate you into isolation from your family.”

*Names have been changed

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I had a really bad period —and it led to this shocking diagnosis

Two days after getting her COVID booster shot, Victoria Lang had an “insane” period.

That one abnormal flow uncovered a shocking diagnosis — the 30-year-old pharmacist had cancer.

“I woke up in the morning and I had to run and get a towel to hold under me,” Lang told South West News Service. “I know what is normal for me and what my periods are like and this was insane.”

At the time — March 2021 — news was circulating about vaccines possibly affecting menstrual cycles, so Lang decided to wait 24 hours to see if things would get better. But the next day, she said she continued to bleed heavily.

Lang, who lives in Scotland, noted that she had a few bruises on her knees and shoulders but since she knew how she got them, she said, “alarm bells weren’t going off.

“But the bruises did take ages to heal properly.”

“I woke up in the morning and I had to run and get a towel to hold under me,” Lang, 30, told South West News Service. “I know what is normal for me and what my periods are like and this was insane.”
Victoria Lang / SWNS

She called her physician, who ran some blood tests. The next day, her doctor told her she needed to go to the hospital, according to SWNS.

“I knew at that point something was seriously wrong and I had leukemia in my head,” she told the news service.

A doctor told her that it might be leukemia, but that they needed to take a bone marrow sample for confirmation. After being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia, Lang spent 42 days at a cancer center — and told SWNS that the blood cancer might not have been discovered as quickly if it she hadn’t noted the abnormal period.

Lang spent 42 days at a cancer center — and told SWNS that the blood cancer might not have been discovered as quickly if it she hadn’t noted the abnormal period.
Victoria Lang / SWNS

Lang said she gained weight and went up a dress size. She added: “I have been left with really bad stretch marks, you would think I had had twins, but my skin just couldn’t cope with it.”

The disease is now in remission and Lang is having normal periods again.

“I would say to people to just trust your instincts, you know what is normal about your own body,” she told SWNS. “I knew my period wasn’t right and if I hadn’t called the doctors to discuss it then I might not have been diagnosed as quickly.”

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