A 50-pound cyst has been removed from an ovary of a woman whose stomach was so large that her doctor told her to go on a diet, and strangers asked if she was expecting twins.
Kayla Rahn of Montgomery, Alabama, has spoken out about her ordeal after suffering months of unexplained stomach issues, pain and weight gain.
The 30-year-old told WSFA 12 News that persistent stomach problems last year impacted day-to-day activities: ‘I couldn’t walk to my car without losing my breath.’
Kayla Rahn of Montgomery, Alabama, above, has spoken out about her ordeal after suffering months of unexplained stomach issues, pain and weight gain
Above, Kayla Rahn was asked by strangers whether she was pregnant with twins, and her doctor recommended she should lose weight
The 50-pound cyst being removed from one of her ovaries at Jackson Hospital, Montgomery
However, medical professionals simply advised her to ‘lose weight’.
Rahn, who has urged women to listen to their bodies, said: ‘I had been trying to lose weight for about a year, but I was gaining weight.’
She was mortified when strangers assumed she was pregnant: ‘I legit looked like I was a solid nine months pregnant. We went out to dinner and someone asked if I was having twins.
‘It was frustrating, and it was rough.’
Luckily, her mother took charge when the stomach pain became overwhelming and took her to for emergency treatment at Jackson Hospital, Montgomery, where diagnostic tests revealed a large mass in her ovary.
Rahn said upon hearing the diagnosis, she burst into tears: ‘I knew there was something wrong.’
She underwent an operation to remove the huge mass – a 50 pound cyst – from one of her ovaries.
The mass was the equivalent of being pregnant with six babies – the average birth weight in the United States is about 7.5 lbs.
Dr Gregory Jones, obstetrics and gynecology, was among the medical team undertaking the surgical procedure.
Dr Gregory Jones said the cyst was the largest he had ever seen during his career
He said the cyst, a mucinous cystadenoma, was benign, and added: ‘This is one of the largest that I have ever seen, or certainly removed. [The operation] went well for her.’
A happy – and relieved-looking – Rahn said she hoped her story would encourage others to listen to their bodies.
Apart from being in better health, another major positive is that she can now comfortably fit all the clothes she had been unable to wear a year ago.