UK woman puzzled by weight gain discovers football-sized cyst in stomach after doctor's visit

A woman who visited a doctor after suddenly gaining a lot of weight was shocked to discover that she had a football-sized cyst in her stomach. Abi Chadwick, 19, went from size 12 to size 18 in the span of a few months.  Puzzled by the weight gain, she decided to go on a diet. But while she lost around six kilograms, her stomach still looked bloated. Chadwick began experiencing sharp pain in her stomach in March. Recalling the pain, Chadwick said it felt like she had a stitch in her right side that felt agonising. She began having difficulties in walking or bending over. She opted for a medical check-up after it became difficult for her to even swallow a piece of toast without feeling full. “I couldn’t eat anymore so that really took its toll,” Chadwick said. She added that people kept telling her she looked pregnant. Talking about her weight gain, Chadwick stated she “thought it was just because I was fat and there was nothing I could do so I brushed it off”. But a visit to the doctors revealed something sinister. A series of medical tests and scans showed a 13-inch cyst in Chadwick’s stomach. The cyst was operated upon and removed in April. Chadwick feels relieved to be free of the cyst. “I feel like myself again,’ she said. ‘I’m yet to see anyone that’s had one that big.” She believed the cyst had been growing inside of her since the time of her birth. She felt it would have been terrifying if the cyst had ruptured.