The young couple anxiously held hands as they waited for the doctor. It had been a long year of several appointments to figure out this mysterious illness. They stared lovingly into each other’s eyes and swore no matter what they would get through it together.
When the doctor entered the room, he didn’t have positive news. As he began to detail the next steps, the young woman broke down in sobs. Her partner didn’t know what to do or say that could make the situation better. Their future together would never be the same. It turns out what was growing in her stomach would eventually tear them apart.
Meet Katie Smith
Katie Smith is a young woman leading a busy life. She has a great position at a marketing company and is dating the love of her life, Jamie Gibbons. The couple shares a lot of mutual interests but they love being active together.
Every weekend they are doing new challenges outdoors. They liked to find long hiking trails or go for bike rides. Due to their level of activity, they both remained in good shape. Katie never gained a lot of weight, but all of a sudden she was having a hard time keeping it off.
Appearances Are Everything
In Katie’s role, she had to look professional and with these extra pounds, she was having trouble fitting her clothes. It didn’t make any sense, her diet hadn’t changed and she was constantly active through sports.
Her boyfriend Jamie was incredibly supportive and suggested they go see a doctor. Jamie thought it could be a thyroid issue, which would just require medication to regulate. Katie agreed, but she knew deep down that something was seriously wrong. She decided to do one test in secrecy...
A Pregnancy Scare
Katie didn’t want to alarm Jamie but she kept thinking maybe she was pregnant. The young couple took precautions but accidents can always happen. She went to her local pharmacy and picked up a rapid response pregnancy test.
As she sat in the bathroom waiting for the blue lines to appear, she was incredibly nervous. Being pregnant would drastically change her plans. Katie didn’t know if Jamie was ready to start a family. She wrapped a protective hand around her stomach, but she had no idea she was creating a monster instead of a little angel.
Surprising Negative Results
With a big sigh of relief, Katie saw she wasn’t pregnant. If the extra weight wasn’t from pregnancy then she was stumped about what was happening in her body. She finally agreed to go to the doctor.
This first appointment would mark an embarrassing and stressful year-long medical journey. Katie’s confidence and the relationship would be shattered before she could start picking up the pieces. In the end, Katie was at the mercy of a beast growing in her body.
The First Appointment
Katie made an appointment with her family doctor. Since she didn’t know what was going she hoped this first appointment would get her the recommendation she needed for a specialist. Unfortunately, the appointment quickly went off the rails.
As Katie explained her symptoms, the doctor looked bored and annoyed. He quickly stood up and said Katie was wasting his time. She had only put on a few pounds, why was she so concerned. The doctor dismissed Katie’s concerns and she realized it would take a special doctor to believe in her.
You Must Have Un-Healthy Habits
Katie’s doctor had told her the pounds she was gaining were probably from food. It was only a few extra and he chided her on not taking better care of her body. Katie was shocked. She was constantly active and hadn’t changed her diet at all.
She left the doctor’s appointment ashamed and when Jamie asked what happened she was embarrassed to tell him. She vowed to ramp up her exercise, but this was playing a dangerous game with her health. Katie’s life was no longer in her control, but to what extent would she go to get it back?
Meticulous With Calories
Katie became diligent in watching what she ate. She stopped eating anything with sugar and became even more stressed as the scale increased. Jamie grew increasingly concerned. He could see Katie struggling with understanding what was happening with her body.
He wanted to help but every time he brought it up, Katie felt embarrassed. She didn’t feel beautiful anymore and wondered what she looked like to her boyfriend. Jamie swore he loved her still but slowly Katie pulled away from the relationship.
It Became More Noticeable
Even with Katie monitoring what she ate it was becoming increasingly difficult to hide the weight. Her stomach was beginning to look like a pregnant tummy and strangers would stop to congratulate her.
Katie’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she told them she wasn’t with a child. The awkward interactions made Katie schedule a second doctor appointment. Would this next medical professional believe her, or would she be left in shame again?
The Danger Increased
While Katie was definitely under more stress at work and with her mysterious condition, things took a dangerous turn. One day at work, Katie began to feel light-headed. She went to go sit down, but the next minute she realized she was lying on the floor!
Shocked, Katie sat up and looked into the concerned eyes of her coworkers. They told her she had fainted and sent her home for the rest of the day. Was the fainting connected to Katie’s round stomach? Whatever was inside of her was slowly ruining her life.
A Second Opinion
Katie tried to think positively about her upcoming doctor’s appointment. She hoped it would be better than the last one. She held her breath as she met with a new doctor, but soon realized she was only going to be disappointed again.
The second doctor also did a pregnancy test. When it came back negative, they were shocked. The doctor had been certain Katie was pregnant and told her the symptoms were due to stress. They encouraged her to find a hobby that would relax her mind. All Katie could think about was her growing stomach. Why was no one trying to help her?
Katie Grew Depressed
After each week Katie would put on a little bit more weight. Her body looked pregnant but it was a mystery to everyone what was happening. Katie grew depressed and didn’t want to leave her house and began calling in sick to work.
Jamie was frantic trying to find a solution. It seemed the larger Katie’s stomach grew, her depression and sadness increased. The couple had tried every diet and exercise but nothing was working. It would be months before anyone gave them a medical diagnosis.
Katie Shopped At Maternity Stores
Clothing was becoming increasingly difficult. Katie eventually gave in and went into a maternity store. The conversations made her even more depressed because she knew she wasn’t pregnant, but she needed clothes that fit.
This experience was ruining Katie’s life. What would it be like when she actually was pregnant? Also, would Katie’s body be able to have children after this strange weight gain? What was happening inside of her was a scientific phenomenon.
Could She Blame Her Skin?
Katie was having trouble with her breathing and the extra weight gain was slowing her down. She was constantly sluggish and had begun to be depressed. Everything she did wasn’t helping her situation and she wasn’t being taken seriously by doctors.
Katie had scheduled another doctor’s appointment but this one said it might be a side effect due to her long-time acne medication. Even though Katie had been on the medication longer than her weight gain she agreed to stop taking it. Katie wondered what would it take for anyone to properly diagnose her condition?
Impacting Her Every Day
Katie agreed to stop taking her acne medication even though she had been on the medication longer than the unexplainable weight gain. Katie didn’t think anyone would ever help her until one event forced everyone to listen.
Katie fainted again and her colleagues were finally beginning to get concerned. They remembered Katie before her weight gain and they knew she had lost her sparkle. Was that happy girl trapped inside this large sad woman?
After Two Years - Katie Was Done
After two years Katie was constantly having issues breathing and was fainting at work monthly. She was noticeably ill and no one could understand how this condition didn’t get more attention from doctors.
Katie’s boyfriend Jamie made Katie an appointment with a fourth doctor. Was this going to be the medical professional that would save his girlfriend’s life? When the doctor began the examination, they were stunned into silence.
It Started Off Like The Others
When Katie arrived for her doctor’s appointment, the new doctor asked to do a pregnancy test. Katie was already frustrated. She had done so many pregnancy tests and each time it came back negative.
Katie agreed to do the test if they also did one extra step. A pregnancy test is very simple with a positive or negative result. Katie wanted an ultrasound. It was time to see what was really happening in her body.
Shocked Into Silence
The doctor didn’t have a problem doing an ultrasound. They put the cold gel on Katie’s stomach and began to look at the monitor. Katie was intently watching the doctor’s face, hoping for any reaction or clue.
As the doctor explored and pushed on different parts of Katie’s abdomen. Their eyes got wider by the second. Katie began to feel a glimmer of hope! She squeezed Jamie’s hand. The young couple thought their nightmare was coming to an end, but they were about to see something they could never forget.
Was Katie Lying?
As the ultrasound wand traveled across Katie’s stomach, Jamie asked the doctor to tell them what he saw. The doctor was trying to focus and taking multiple pictures of Katie’s stomach. Jamie began to sweat. What was this doctor seeing that he wasn’t telling the young couple?
Jamie looked at his girlfriend and thought about everything she had been through. He remembered the woman he fell in love with and felt hopeless as she had become a shell of her previous self. Jamie squeezed Katie’s hand. They weren’t leaving this office without an answer.
Requesting A Specialist
The doctor turned off the ultrasound screen and said they needed a specialist to come to review Katie’s case. Katie felt scared. What did that mean, and what had this doctor seen in her body they didn’t feel confident to handle alone?
Jamie said they wouldn’t leave this room until someone told them what was going on. The doctor held their ground and said without a specialist he couldn’t reveal anything. The doctor said the ultrasound confirmed Katie wasn’t pregnant but created more questions about her conditions.
What Are The Conditions?
The couple looked at each other and tried to decide what to do next. This was the furthest they had gotten getting help from a medical professional. They agreed to come back in a week to see a specialist.
As they packed up to leave, Katie told Jamie she was scared. She knew whatever was inside her was stealing her life. Katie was speaking the truth, and she had no idea what she would have to do to save her life.
One Week Later
After a week, Jamie and Katie returned to meet with a specialist. The ultrasound technician had been briefed on Katie’s condition and was anxious to begin examining her stomach. Katie lay down and felt the cold cream of the ultrasound gel, and she began to pray.
She needed an answer. She needed a solution. After two years Katie needed her body back. Katie wanted to know if she could still have children, but most importantly she wanted to know if she was going to survive. After two years, did Katie have what it takes to fight until the end?
You’re Definitely Not Pregnant
The specialist couldn’t believe what was inside Katie’s stomach. In all their years of practicing medicine, they had never seen anything like this. The specialist knew this woman had been dealing with this condition for two years and felt embarrassed by the lack of medical attention she had received.
The specialist turned off the ultrasound machine and told Katie two things. One, it was crystal clear she was not pregnant, and two there was a mass in her stomach. With the ultrasound equipment, the specialist couldn’t get a clear picture. Katie began to panic. What did this mean for finding a solution?
What Will A CT Scan Reveal
Katie and Jamie both said they would do whatever it took to get an answer. Katie was scheduled for a CT scan the same day. She found herself lying completely still in the massive tube, and tried not to think of the worse outcomes.
She didn’t want to blame herself for taking too long to get help and reminded herself what mattered is she was going to get better. No matter what was in this scan, Katie believed she could fight hard to survive.
The Results
After two years, Katie and Jamie were finally getting results. The doctor walked into the room and told the couple the good news first. What they found in Katie’s stomach was actually a cyst. This was good news because it wasn’t a tumor.
The bad news was that this cyst was attached to Katie’s ovaries and it was an unbelievable size. The CT scan measured the cyst at 24 cm thick. It was pushing against Katie’s organs and she would need life-saving surgery before the cyst erupted.
Validation And The Truth
Katie instantly broke down into tears. She had been trying to get help for two years and finally hearing a result was amazing. She cried into Jamie’s shoulder as the doctor explained they were scheduling her for surgery tomorrow.
The longer they waited the riskier the procedure would be. They needed Katie to prepare for all sorts of outcomes and began to review the procedure. All Katie kept repeating was “it’s real”. Katie’s nightmare was almost over but had it damaged her future forever?
They Had Found The Root Cause
Due to the size of the cyst, the doctors were convinced there was more than one. They couldn’t believe one cyst could grow to this abnormal size alone. The effects Katie was experiencing, from fainting and labored breathing were all due to the cyst pushing against her organs.
The cyst was attaching itself to other organs in Katie’s body, including her abdomen, uterus, and stomach. They didn’t have any time to waste and it was a major oversight Katie had survived this long. The doctors were finally taking her seriously, but was it too late for Katie and Jamie to have their own family?
One Last Condition
The doctors told Katie she would have to lose one of her ovaries. When Katie heard the news she immediately wanted to know if that meant she couldn’t have her own children. The doctors told her it would depend on how the surgery went and left the couple alone to discuss.
Jamie took Katie’s hand and said all that mattered was her health. They had other options to start a family later in life. Katie nodded her head but the idea of not having children seemed like an unfair punishment. The surgery was scheduled, but what would it reveal about Katie’s condition?
Sharing Her Story
Katie decided it was important to share her story. She wanted to reach out to other women suffering from the same condition. Katie’s hope was that her story would help other women to get their diagnoses.
Katie started a YouTube channel to reach as many people as possible. In her first video, she shared an image of just how large her stomach had swollen before she had gotten medical attention. The comments began flooding Katie’s channel. The internet could not believe what she had lived through!
Detailing Her Surgery And Success
Katie also posted a picture from her surgery. The day it was scheduled, many doctors came by to review her case amazed at how many other medical practitioners had brushed her concerns aside.
Katie’s channel was meant to inspire hope. She didn’t want any other woman to go through what she experienced. As she began to read the comments, one person stood out to Katie in particular.
Immediate Results
After Katie’s surgery and the removal of the cyst, there was an obvious change. The recovery would be long and Katie would need to take lots of time to heal. She enjoyed connecting with people on her YouTube channel and answering questions about the procedure.
Katie also shared tips on what she did to stay positive while healing. It was already a huge relief to have the operation but being stuck in bed while her body healed was tough. Katie recommended one hobby in particular for anyone else going through a tough time.
One Tiny Fold At A Time
While Katie was healing, she began to practice origami. She loved the simple practice of folding the paper into different unique shapes. She learned how to do several animals and found the process comforting.
While Katie was healing she had to stay with her family. Even though Jamie had been a massive support system for her, she needed more care than he was able to give. Would this end the young couple’s strong relationship?
A Happy And Bright Future
After waiting two years for a diagnosis, Katie is grateful every day to be in control of her body. She still hasn’t gotten the exact physique she had before the cysts but every day she is a little bit stronger.
Katie and Jamie are still together and excited to start their family one day. It may be more difficult for them to conceive, but the couple is also considering a number of different options. In Katie’s story, we are reminded how important it is to not give up hope, and stand up for yourself.