A gallon of fluid was extracted from an ovarian cyst weighing 10.5 pounds from the abdomen of a lady whose pain during sex was attributed to her partner’s “too large” penis.
Raquel Rodriguez, a 25-year-old from Minnesota, visited doctors five years ago to discuss the issue and to report that she was also experiencing unexpected pain.
At the time, scans revealed that she had an 8cm cyst — or fluid-filled sac — on her ovary, but doctors determined that it did not require removal.
The cyst became so enormous that the pre-school teacher seemed to be pregnant throughout the previous year. Friends even began to question why she hadn’t informed them that she was “expecting.”
Rodriguez had a two-hour procedure at Memorial Hospital to remove the cyst four weeks ago and has recovered so well that she went grocery shopping a week later.
Rodriguez said on TikTok that the tumor expanded to 28 cm in diameter, the maximum size for ovarian cysts.
During the surgery, her right ovary and fallopian tube — where the cyst was located — were removed, but her left ovary and fallopian tube are still intact.
Rodriguez speculated that a urinary tract infection and sepsis she experienced in 2017 could have triggered the cyst.
Ovarian cysts occur when a fluid-filled sac grows on the side of the ovaries, typically during ovulation, the process through which an egg is released.
Infections in the pelvic region, hormone issues, and endometriosis — in which the tissue that normally borders the uterus develops outside the uterus — can also cause them.
According to doctors, ovarian cysts are very frequent’ and typically dissolve without creating symptoms.
Certain forms, such as Rodriguez’s mucinous cyst, do not dissolve and may grow larger if they are not removed.
The illness is characterized by bloating, edema, and pain in the lower abdomen. If they rupture, they might cause considerable agony.
Most women who are diagnosed with cysts are given painkillers and hormone medications to manage ovulation.
However, surgical removal will be provided to patients with more severe manifestations of the illness.
Rodriguez stated that she told a male physician that she was in “excruciating pain” when doctors denied her surgery.
She continued, “He was male and advised me that the pain I was experiencing was likely due to my partner being “too big” and that I should engage in “shallower sex.”
Other medical professionals informed her that the pain was probably due to cramps or bloating and that there was no need for alarm.
Rodriguez reported that when the cyst was identified, doctors were not very worried and sent her home.
Dr. Taraneh Shirazian, the director of the Fibroid Care department at NYU Langone Health in New York City, advised TODAY that surgery should have been performed when the cyst was discovered.
She stated, “Mucinous cysts do not resolve on their own like ordinary cysts, which generally disappear throughout a woman’s menstrual cycle.”
They can either remain stationary on the ovary and remain the same size, or they can expand — and they grow rather quickly.
Shirazian stated that doctors should be concerned if they are greater than 5cm, but Rodriguez’s was already 8cm when it was discovered.
Rodriguez stated that she typically possesses an ‘athletic’ build and is fairly small.
But around her 24th birthday, after they had been turned away by doctors, family members observed she was beginning to seem fatter.
She told TODAY that she appeared and felt pregnant when the cyst grew to a significant size.
I had difficulty breathing, was bloated, and urinated frequently. People were inquiring as to my due date. I had friends stating, “I was unaware that you were pregnant! Why didn’t you tell me? “.
“I chuckle now, but it’s not funny,” she stated. My hair was falling out, I was in excruciating agony, and I was losing weight without even trying.
A few days before her operation, her pals organized a “baby shower” to make light of the situation and hung a banner that read “it’s a cyst!”
Rodriguez reported that her abdomen felt small and as if a heavy burden had been lifted after the surgery.
After approximately one week, she was once again able to go to the grocery store and perform other errands.
In an update one week following surgery, she stated, “I’ve been doing great, and I’m currently food shopping.”
‘So far, so good. They did mention there would be a lot of swelling and bloating because I still have a lot of fluid in there, but my body should absorb it and I should be fine.’