20-Year-Old Woman Had a 100-Pound Ovarian Cyst Removed After Years of Pain and Fear

Allison Fisher Delayed Seeking Medical Help Because She Feared Her Symptoms Would Be Dismissed as a Weight Issue

For years, Allison Fisher knew something was wrong with her body.

The 20-year-old Florida woman experienced persistent abdominal pain, irregular periods, increasing pressure in her stomach, and eventually difficulty breathing.

But despite those warning signs, Allison hesitated to seek medical care.

Her fear did not come from the symptoms alone.

She worried that doctors would dismiss her concerns and simply tell her to lose weight.

That fear kept her away from medical help while a massive ovarian cyst continued growing inside her abdomen.

Her Symptoms Began in 2020

Allison said her health problems began around 2020.

She started experiencing constant stomach pain.

Her menstrual cycle also became unpredictable and irregular.

Those changes suggested that something was happening inside her body, but Allison struggled with the idea of going to a doctor.

Previous medical experiences had left her feeling that her weight would become the focus of the appointment regardless of the reason she was seeking care.

“I let myself believe that if I ignored it, it would go away,” Allison told Action New Jax. “I was scared. I was just really scared.”

Past Experiences Made Her Afraid to Ask for Help

Allison explained that throughout her childhood, medical visits often included comments about her weight.

Even when she sought care for unrelated problems, she remembered being told that weight loss needed to become a priority.

“[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?”

Those experiences gradually changed the way she responded when new symptoms appeared.

Instead of feeling confident that a doctor would investigate what was happening, she worried that the problem would again be attributed to her body size.

Her Abdomen Continued Growing

As time passed, Allison noticed that her stomach was becoming increasingly enlarged and unusually firm.

The change became impossible to ignore.

She had previously read information about ovarian cysts and began wondering whether one might be responsible for what she was experiencing.

Eventually, her abdomen became so hard and enlarged that normal movement and resting positions became difficult.

“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.”

The discomfort was no longer limited to occasional pain.

The growing mass was affecting much of her daily life.

The Pressure Began Affecting Her Breathing

As the cyst continued expanding, it placed increasing pressure inside Allison’s abdomen.

Eventually, the mass became large enough to affect her lungs and make breathing more difficult.

At that stage, the problem could no longer be treated as something that might simply disappear with time.

Allison needed medical evaluation.

By around Christmas 2022, she was seen by Dr. Martin Martino, a gynecologic oncology surgeon at Ascension St. Vincent’s.

The scale of what doctors discovered was extraordinary.

Doctors Found a Cyst Weighing About 100 Pounds

Allison was carrying an enormous ovarian cyst that weighed approximately 100 pounds.

The mass had taken up a significant amount of space inside her abdomen and was responsible for many of the symptoms that had progressively worsened.

Doctors determined that the cyst needed to be removed surgically.

The procedure would not simply relieve discomfort.

It also gave the surgical team an opportunity to examine the rest of Allison’s reproductive organs after the enormous cyst was no longer blocking their view.

That examination led to another important discovery.

Her Other Ovary Had Twisted Three Times

After removing the large cyst, Dr. Martino and his team were finally able to clearly see Allison’s other ovary.

They discovered that her left ovary had twisted three times.

The condition created an additional concern because a severely twisted ovary can interfere with its blood supply and potentially affect future reproductive health.

Fortunately, the surgical team was able to intervene.

“What was really interesting, 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. 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.” Dr. Martino explained.

The Procedure Preserved Her Chance to Have Children

Being able to untwist the ovary was an important part of the surgery.

It meant Allison was not only relieved of the enormous mass but also retained the possibility of having children in the future.

For a 20-year-old woman, preserving fertility represented an important part of what doctors were able to accomplish.

The operation addressed two serious problems at once.

The massive ovarian cyst was removed, and the twisted ovary was successfully treated.

The Surgery Changed Everyday Life Almost Immediately

After the operation, Allison began noticing improvements in basic activities that had become difficult during the years her abdomen continued growing.

Her body suddenly felt dramatically different without the weight and pressure of the cyst.

For Allison, seemingly ordinary things took on new meaning.

She could see her feet again.

She could stand for longer periods.

She could wear clothes more comfortably.

She described the change as feeling much lighter and more capable of participating in everyday life.

Allison Said She Felt Like She Had Been Given Another Chance

The successful surgery gave Allison a dramatically different outlook on the future.

She had spent years adapting to increasing physical limitations and discomfort.

After the cyst was removed, many of those limitations began to disappear.

“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, like a person, 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,” she shared.

The experience marked the beginning of a new chapter rather than simply the end of a medical crisis.

She Also Began Planning for Weight-Loss Surgery

Following her recovery, Allison said she had entered the early stages of pursuing weight-loss surgery.

For her, the decision came after dealing with the massive ovarian cyst and beginning to feel physically capable of moving forward with other health goals.

The important difference was that her original symptoms had finally been evaluated for what they were.

The abdominal growth and breathing problems were not simply something she should have ignored or assumed were caused by her weight.

They required medical attention.

Her Experience Highlights Why Symptoms Should Not Be Ignored

Allison now hopes other people will learn from what happened to her.

Her symptoms persisted for years before she received the medical help she needed.

Fear played a major role in that delay.

She worried about being judged.

She worried that her concerns would not be taken seriously.

And she worried that seeking medical attention would simply lead back to the same conversation about her size.

In the end, ignoring the symptoms did not make them disappear.

She Wants Other Larger Patients to Feel Comfortable Seeking Care

Allison said she knows other people may avoid medical care for similar reasons.

Patients who have repeatedly felt that every health concern is connected to weight may become reluctant to raise new symptoms.

That reluctance can become dangerous when a new problem genuinely requires investigation.

“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,” she added. “I just want them to know that they shouldn’t be scared.”

Her message is not that weight never matters medically.

It is that new or worsening symptoms should still be evaluated rather than automatically dismissed.

Irregular Periods Were One of Her Earliest Warning Signs

One of the first changes Allison noticed involved her menstrual cycle.

Her periods became unpredictable and irregular.

Combined with persistent abdominal pain, that was one of the signs that led her to suspect that something involving her reproductive system might be wrong.

Menstrual changes can happen for many different reasons, and they do not automatically indicate an ovarian cyst.

But persistent changes, especially when accompanied by significant pain or abdominal swelling, are symptoms worth discussing with a healthcare professional.

The Increasing Abdominal Pressure Was Another Important Clue

As the cyst expanded, Allison described the sensation as though her internal organs were being compressed.

The growing mass eventually became visible externally through the dramatic enlargement of her abdomen.

She could no longer lie comfortably on her stomach.

Standing became difficult.

Even seeing her feet became impossible.

Those physical changes reflected how much space the cyst had come to occupy.

Difficulty Breathing Made the Situation Even More Serious

By the time the mass began interfering with Allison’s breathing, the problem was affecting more than her reproductive system.

The sheer size of the cyst created pressure that reached upward toward her lungs.

Breathing difficulty is a symptom that should never simply be ignored, particularly when it is new or worsening.

For Allison, it became part of the chain of events that ultimately brought her to medical care.

The Cyst Had Hidden Another Problem

One of the unusual aspects of Allison’s surgery was what physicians discovered only after the massive cyst had been removed.

The size of the mass had prevented doctors from fully seeing the other ovary beforehand.

Once they gained access, they found that it had twisted three times.

Being able to correct that problem during the same procedure made the operation even more significant.

The surgeons were not simply removing a large cyst.

They were also protecting Allison’s reproductive future.

Her Story Is Also About Being Heard

The emotional part of Allison’s experience goes beyond the size of the cyst.

For years, she had developed a belief that seeking medical care would not necessarily lead to her concerns being heard.

That belief affected her willingness to act when her body began changing.

The experience shows how strongly previous interactions with healthcare can influence future decisions.

If a patient feels dismissed repeatedly, that person may become less willing to seek care later when symptoms become serious.

Fear Can Be Powerful Even When Symptoms Are Obvious

From the outside, it can be difficult to understand why someone would wait while experiencing severe abdominal growth and pain.

But fear does not always respond logically.

Allison knew something was wrong.

She suspected she might have an ovarian cyst.

Yet she still delayed going to the doctor because her previous experiences made her expect judgment instead of answers.

She later acknowledged that part of her had hoped ignoring the problem would somehow make it disappear.

Her Recovery Gave Ordinary Activities New Meaning

After surgery, some of Allison’s most meaningful improvements involved things many people rarely think about.

Being able to look down and see her feet mattered.

Standing longer mattered.

Wearing clothing more comfortably mattered.

These were reminders of how much the cyst had changed her everyday life before treatment.

Once the mass was gone, she could begin rediscovering normal movement and independence.

She Is Now Looking Toward the Future

Allison described herself as excited about what comes next.

After years of discomfort and fear, she finally had an explanation for what had been happening inside her body.

The surgery was successful.

Her other ovary was preserved.

Her future fertility remained possible.

And she could begin addressing other aspects of her health from a very different physical starting point.

Her Advice Is Simple: Listen When Your Body Changes

Allison’s experience ultimately became a warning against dismissing persistent symptoms.

Pain that does not go away deserves attention.

Major changes in the abdomen deserve attention.

Ongoing menstrual changes deserve discussion.

And difficulty breathing requires particular care.

People should not attempt to diagnose serious symptoms themselves, but they also should not assume that feeling unwell is something they simply have to tolerate.

A Second Chance After Years of Uncertainty

By the time Allison finally underwent surgery, the ovarian cyst had reached an extraordinary size and was affecting much of her daily life.

Removing the approximately 100-pound mass immediately changed what her body was carrying.

The discovery and successful treatment of her twisted ovary added another reason the operation was so important.

What began with stomach pain and irregular periods had developed into a medical condition that could no longer be ignored.

Fortunately, Allison received the treatment she needed.

Today, she is looking forward rather than wondering what is happening inside her body.

And she hopes the most important lesson from her experience reaches anyone who has ever been afraid to ask a doctor for help.

If something feels seriously wrong, being afraid of judgment should not stop you from seeking answers.