A woman with a 40-centimeter (15.7 inch) cyst in her stomach left people thinking she was pregnant and now feels like “a new person” after 16 liters (approx. 4.2 gallons) of fluid was drained from her stomach.
Siobhan Foster, 26, from Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, began suffering from “excruciating” abdominal pain while working as a childcare assistant and had an emergency appointment to investigate its cause in March 2022.
Doctors suspected her condition could be related to an ovarian cyst, and, the following month, a scan confirmed the same.
“I found out it was very large at 40 centimeters,” Ms. Foster said.
She then had blood tests and an MRI in April 2023 to check if the cyst was cancerous. Soon after, the results revealed it was benign, and she was put on a waiting list to have the cyst removed.
For the next 11 months, Ms. Foster struggled so much that she had to quit her job as a child practitioner.
“It was a big lump in me,“ she said. “It was excruciating.” As a result of the size of the cyst, Ms. Foster struggled with breathing and eating.
During that time her cyst grew to weigh 2 ½ stone (15.8 kilograms)—the same weight as a toddler—and made people think she was pregnant.
Additionally, she grew very self-conscious of her appearance—there were days when Ms. Foster didn’t want to leave the house.
On June 7, 2023, Ms. Foster was able to receive the 4 ½-hour, life-changing surgery at Nottingham City Hospital, Nottinghamshire, that helped drain 16 liters of fluid.
During the operation, doctors also discovered her cyst was a ligament cyst, not an ovarian cyst as they originally thought.
“The cyst was getting into a dangerous place—connecting to my kidney,” Ms. Foster said. After staying in the hospital overnight, she was able to return home to recover.
“It’s like going to sleep and waking up 3 stone [19 kilograms] lighter,” she said.
Although the surgery left her stomach tender, she was able to walk again within 3 weeks.
Before, Ms. Foster was wearing a size 24 but post-surgery she’s a size 18.
“I feel more confident,” she said. “I wear crop tops and dresses.”
Ms. Foster has been feeling like a “new person in a new body.” She now tells herself that she looks ”amazing.”
