Many times, we have no idea what other people are going through. They carry their suffering without even mentioning the weights they are bearing.
One such tale comes from Allison Fisher, a 20-year-old. Fortunately, though, her suffering was lessened and she was given what she calls a “second chance” at life.
Read on to discover more…Alison Fisher first felt what she believed to be stomach ache in the year 2020.
Along with the nearly constant agony, she also started having anomalies in her monthly cycle. The twenty-year-old woman revealed that she began a period in 2020 and it lasted a full year!
The 20-year-old refused medical attention, stating that she disliked visiting to doctors because her weight was usually the subject of their attention.
“I let myself believe that if I ignored it, it would go away,” she said in an interview. “I was scared. I was just really scared.” Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit which further flared her anxiety about seeking medical help.
She went on to say more about her reluctance to seek medical attention, “[Growing up,] regardless of what I was there for—whether it was a cold or an ear infection, I was always told, ‘you need to lose weight. You need to lose weight,’” she explained. “If no one’s going to listen to me, if they’re always gonna tell me I need to lose weight, then what’s the point of going? What’s the point of listening to my body?”
Fisher’s situation, though, continued growing worse. She became aware of a developing bulge on her abdomen. Soon her stomach turned into “rock hard” and she struggled to stand for more than five minutes. She was also unable to operate a vehicle because of her enlarged belly, which made it practically difficult for her to do so. Because of her cyst, Fisher was practically unable to move or do anything.
“As I looked closer at it, I realized that it was rock hard. I couldn’t lay on it,” the 20-year-old recalled about her terrible experience.
“I felt like I was pregnant with 10 kids,” she explained. “I couldn’t lay on my stomach. It felt like all my organs were being crushed.”
Around Christmas 2022, the mass started to make it difficult for the 20-year-old to breathe, and she eventually gave up and went to the doctor. Her mother’s cancer diagnosis in 2021, which increased her motivation to learn more about her health and obtain treatment as soon as possible, was another factor in her decision to visit a doctor.
The young woman was informed by Dr. Martin Martino, a gynecologic oncologist at Ascension St. Vincent’s. She was informed that a 104-lb. ovarian cyst with around 46 liters of fluid was developing inside of her. It would need to be removed medically.
He mentioned that respiratory and cardiac experts were also there because of the issues the cyst sparked.
“We came together and said, ‘Let’s figure out a way to remove this,’” Martino explained. Physician assistant Nicole Antenucci emphasized that 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
The physician remembered their initial encounter with Fisher. She was struggling to breathe when we first met in the emergency room. Martino said. “It was right before Christmas. [While she was] lying on her side, I said, ‘Now’s the time, let’s do this.’”
“What was really interesting in [Fisher’s] case is that once we removed it, we looked at the other ovary because now we could see it, and the left ovary was twisted three times,” Martino told the media.
The medical staff sought to contain the harm as much as they could. Added the doctor, “That [the left ovary] was about 10 centimeters that really helped us to be able to untwist it and save [Fisher’s] future fertility, and the chance to have kids.”
The 20-year-old had the surgery which removed the gigantic cyst from her system. She shared how it felt like a “second chance” at life.
Of her new lease on life she said, “I can see my feet again, I haven’t been able to do that in years. I can stand a little bit longer. I feel so much lighter, I feel like a person,” she shared. “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.”
It is horrible to think about how long the young woman had to deal with this issue on her own—weeks, months, maybe even years. All out of concern that doctors would judge her based on her weight. Many people are reluctant to seek medical advice because they believe their weight will be blamed for their health problems.
“There are other people out there who are in my shoes, other bigger people, who are just so scared to go to the doctor because of their weight,” Fisher herself said. “I just want them to know that they shouldn’t be scared.”
The 20-year-old wants to begin doing everything she was unable to do due to the enormous cyst, which actually prevented her from performing duties, now that she has a fresh lease on life. Driving and preparing food are two of the things she enjoys doing.
Ovarian cysts are typically common in women. It has been estimated by the Mayo Clinic that “many women have ovarian cysts at some time,” and most “present little or no discomfort and are harmless.”
Truthfully, being healthy is a blessing. This young person put off seeking medical care for so long out of anxiety, and she is now sharing her experience to encourage others who are larger in size and fear visiting physicians to ignore their fears and go forward.
Spread the word about this article to encourage others to constantly take care of their health. What did you think of Alison’s story? Share your thoughts in the comments!