Fitness Trainer Didn't Go to the Doctor for 7 Years Despite Strange Symptoms. Turns Out, She Had a Cyst the Size of a Baby (Exclusive)
Megan Johnson is a personal trainer from Chattanooga, Tenn.
The 28-year-old self-diagnosed herself with diastasis recti, the separation of the rectus abdominis muscles, after not seeing a doctor in years
After sharing her story online, Johnson realized her symptoms required medical attentionApart from visiting an optometrist, Megan Johnson hadn't seen a primary care doctor or gynecologist in nearly seven years.
With no health insurance, a fear of medical bills, and a history of negative experiences with doctors, the personal trainer avoided seeking professional help.
Trusting in her own judgment and online research, the 28-year-old from Chattanooga, Tenn., thought she had uncovered the main cause of her symptoms: diastasis recti.
It wasn't until she shared her story on TikTok that everything began to shift as followers flooded her comments with concern and encouragement to seek real answers. What she discovered after finally taking herself to the emergency room left her stunned, but somehow relieved.
'My stomach was getting bigger and just wider,' Johnson tells PEOPLE exclusively. She first began noticing minor changes in 2021 after forming a cyst, which ended up rupturing.
Two years later, she started experiencing severe bloating and painful periods as well as weight gain around her stomach. She realized something was off when her belly button started shifting from an innie to an outie, and the middle of her abdomen seemed to split.
Curious to know more about her symptoms, she searched the internet and discovered diastasis recti – a condition where rectus abdominis muscles separate, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
After learning how to test at home using a two-finger method, Johnson was convinced diastasis recti was to blame for her symptoms. She became determined to manage the condition as best she could on her own.
She avoided both gynecologists and regular doctors due to past experiences where she felt dismissed. After losing health insurance through her parents, and later at her job, she chose not to renew her coverage. 'I just felt like it was a waste of money and so I just stopped going,' Johnson reveals.
Over time, she started to believe that diastasis recti, coupled with visceral fat storage and hormonal imbalance, were causing changes to her body. In less than a year, Johnson had gained over 10 pounds and could no longer fit into her old clothes.
However, over a five- to six-month span, she began noticing drastic growth around her abdomen, leaving her unrecognizable and filled with self-doubt, especially in her career as a physical trainer.
Johnson ate healthy and weight trained, but despite doing everything "right," nothing seemed to work. That disconnect left her feeling like a 'fraud.'
'Feeling like I'm not able to help myself makes me feel unqualified to help other people,' Johnson admits. 'It was definitely something that knocked my confidence a lot.'
In April 2025, she took to TikTok to discuss her struggles in hopes of getting some outside opinions.
Almost immediately, online strangers flooded Johnson's video with their thoughts, with some even questioning whether she was pregnant. The comments provided a much-needed wake-up call, and it was then that she realized diastasis recti might not be the sole root of her health problems.
'It was insane. This army of women came to my rescue, you know, saying, 'this is exactly what I experienced. You look like me whenever I had that,'' she recalls.
'So once I got confirmation from other people, it gave me the confidence to be like, okay, you know what? This actually might be a bigger issue than I thought. I'm gonna go get it checked out.'
As followers became more invested in her health journey, Johnson continued to document the entire experience on TikTok. She started by taking them on a trip to the emergency room on May 1st.
'This is not anybody's fault but my own,' Johnson said in a TikTok video while packing to leave for the ER. 'My own pride got in the way of me getting help because I would justify my symptoms - 'like nothing's wrong with me and I know best.' '
After a number of tests and scans, it was confirmed that she did have diastasis recti. However, she was also diagnosed with an ovarian cyst close to the size of a newborn baby.
Johnson read the results out loud in a video, stating that she had a 'massive cystic mass extending from the left upper quadrant to the floor of the pelvis measuring up to 48 centimeters.'
With the news, many followers questioned why she hadn't seen a doctor sooner. She likened her health journey to a 'toxic relationship,' noting how it's easy to think everything is fine when change happens over time.
Things didn't fall apart overnight, but through small changes that added up. By the time she noticed, it was clear something had to change.
'Ya'll are really giving me a reality check,' she said in a video responding to comments. 'I feel like I have a bunch of big sisters that are getting on to me but in a loving way – calling me in, not calling me out – and I hear you.'
With the help of social media, Johnson was able to find the confidence to see a gynecologic oncologist, who decided the best course of action would be to surgically remove the cyst. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, the trainer felt relieved.
'I have some satisfaction…because I know that the thing that I've been dealing with for the past four years, that I thought I would be struggling with for the rest of my life, there's a solution, and, like, one day I won't have to struggle with it,' she tells PEOPLE.
Throughout her journey, Johnson has remained committed to staying positive online. She tried to make light of the situation by making sex reveal cupcakes and naming her large mass, 'Cysterella."
'I really feel like, no matter how it turns out, it's going to serve a bigger purpose than just me and that gives me a lot of hope,' she shares. Much of her energy and optimism comes from her strong faith. Johnson believes that every experience, whether good or bad, has the potential to lead to a meaningful takeaway.
On May 22, Johnson underwent a successful surgery with 27 pounds of fluid being drained out of her body.
Unfortunately, the doctors had to remove an ovary and a fallopian tube in the process of pulling out the cyst, which Johnson knew was a possibility. Regarding her diastasis recti, Johnson's doctors are hoping it heals over time, especially now that the main cause of all her issues has been resolved.
By sharing her story, she remains hopeful that others will learn from it and use it as an opportunity to self-reflect on their own health journeys.
'Don't suffer in silence,' Johnson emphasizes. 'Don't just sit back and hide your shame or embarrassment about what's going on with your body because most people are doing the best that they can, and we can't help it.'
Johnson has decided that she will keep up with her yearly checkups and keep a closer eye on her health.
'I've seen so many other comments of people saying that they are now scheduling appointments where they're gynecologists or the doctor or the specialist or whoever because of me, and because of that, it makes all of this worth it,' she said in a TikTok video.
'If I had to go back and go through everything that I did for the same result, I absolutely would," she added. "And now that I know better, I'm gonna do better.'
Read the original article on People
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Medscape
44 minutes ago
- Medscape
When Junior Residents Challenge Chief Attendings
Life as a medical student is far from easy. Every day, you grapple with a vast course load, erratic shifts during clinical rotations, stress, anxiety, and burnout. Yet, once you've reached the summit of that academic journey and are conferred with your medical degree, you start your residency, shiny new objects surrounded by much more experienced people. As a young resident or medical student, the mere idea of disagreeing with an attending physician in a position of power may raise hairs. After all, junior residents and students often look up to attendings, seeing them as versatile healers who can seemingly fix any ailment as they attend to the wards they lead. As a third-year medical student on call late at night, Suresh Mohan, MD, found himself in disagreement with a senior physician — the chief resident — over the treatment of a patient, which then escalated into an acute emergency. 'I quickly realized [about this senior physician] 'I think you're letting your ego get in the way of doing the right thing for the patient.' That was the first time I disagreed with the way that I watched this person manage something…I realized it was a very human emotion that got in the way of them doing the right thing,' said Mohan. Bleeding Trachea, Bold Dissent Mohan is now an otolaryngologist and surgeon at Yale Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, with a specialty in reconstructive and cosmetic surgery for the face, head, and neck. But the experience he had as a third-year student still resonates with him. With few people around to help, Mohan found himself relatively alone. 'Sometimes, you're the only trainee in the hospital…the only doctor in the hospital that's responsible for all the patients that need ENT [ear, nose, and throat] care,' he said. While on call late that night, Mohan and his chief resident were called in on a consult for a patient's bleeding trachea after the patient had undergone a tracheotomy earlier that morning. During a tracheotomy, a surgical opening is made in the neck and a tube is inserted directly into the trachea. It is usually performed by an otolaryngologist. Bleeding from tracheotomies can range from minor oozing due to irritation or suction trauma to life-threatening hemorrhages if a major vessel is involved. Upon seeing the patient, the chief resident said there was nothing to worry about and they will continue to monitor the patient. An hour later, Mohan was called again, but his chief maintained that everything was fine. 'Of course, in the back of my head, I'm wondering if it's bleeding more,' said Mohan. Within the next few minutes, they were called two more times to see the patient, and yet his chief was adamant that no further action needed to be taken at that time. 'Eventually a code was called…we were rushing over there…and it turns out the trach was not fully in the airway,' Mohan said. 'The patient was having trouble breathing and causing more to happen from that…it escalated quickly into a much more acute emergent situation.' Mohan and the team started yelling for instruments, trying to get the trach tube back in place in the patient's trachea. Fortunately, they were able to secure the airway. One of Mohan's biggest takeaways from the experience: 'It doesn't matter if they call you three times, you still need to do the right thing.' Post-Bariatric Bleeding Incident As a third-year general surgery resident, Joshua Rarick, MD, found himself on call and alone at Covenant Hospital in Saginaw, Michigan. In the late evening during a 24-hour shift, a patient's vitals began to drop following a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Rarick had not personally performed the initial surgery, but as the resident on call, he had to respond to nurses messaging him with concerns about the patient's blood pressure dropping. 'To me, it looked like the patient was probably bleeding, so I had called the attending to update them,' he said. Rarick tried to temporize the bleeding, but his attending didn't agree. After a few hours of fluids, during which the patient would transiently respond, eventually the patient's vitals and pressure came back down because she was still bleeding. '[My attending] disagreed with my plan to go back to the OR [operating room], but eventually we had to go back to the OR because there was a bleeder that we needed to clip,' Rarick said. Rarick is now a fourth-year general surgery resident. He said these types of interactions aren't uncommon, and not all disagreements end with tempers flaring. 'Sometimes, attendings disagree with you, and they say, 'No, let's do this instead,' which is normal,' Rarick said. 'But that was one of the first times that there was an actual disagreement with what I thought the plan should be.' Advocating for Optimal Patient Care As a medical student or junior resident, if you truly feel a patient's case isn't being properly handled, don't be afraid to speak up in a conciliatory manner. 'There are many situations where seasoned attendings are so specialized, their knowledge in other areas of the field might be lacking or just not up to date,' said Mohan. 'So especially as residents who are on top of all the latest info, you have an opportunity to educate, but doing so in a way that's palatable is really important.' But what if an attending disagrees with a junior resident's or student's concerns, and the latter still feels strongly about the mishandling of a patient's case? In extreme cases where all other resources are exhausted, you'd want to contact a hospital ombudsman, clerkship director, site director, or even faculty mentor, said Mohan. 'If there's something egregious happening, and the resident or student doesn't feel comfortable approaching in a direct format, ombuds people are able to report a concern,' he said. Mohan listed an order of resources to consult before this, however. 'First, look it up to understand if your question is reasonable. Two, talk to a resident to try to get some more knowledge. Then, if you're still not feeling comfortable, and gently assuming that the attending is not receptive, I think finding other faculty mentors is probably the next place to go. And if you're really feeling lost, then contact an ombudsperson.'

Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Domestic violence incident near Quincy under investigation
Jun. 9—QUINCY — A domestic violence situation involving a firearm unfolded late Saturday evening in the unincorporated Quincy-Ephrata area in the 11000 block of Road G-Northwest, prompting a multi-agency response from local law enforcement, according to a statement from the Grant County Sheriff's Office. Authorities were alerted around 10 p.m. to a report of a 55-year-old woman whose domestic partner allegedly held a shotgun to her head during a confrontation. The victim managed to escape the situation. The suspect, a 44-year-old man, reportedly used the shotgun to shoot himself in the head. He was subsequently transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle; however, details regarding his current condition remain undisclosed, according to Grant County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman. He also addressed the seriousness of the situation, emphasizing the importance of seeking help. "I always suggest that victims call 911 if they believe that they or someone they know is experiencing domestic violence," he said. Following the incident, resources for domestic violence assistance were made available to the victim. The identities of both the victim and the suspect have not been released due to the sensitive nature of the case. The investigation continues, with cooperation from the Quincy and Ephrata Police Departments, along with Grant County Fire District 3 and Columbia EMS. Domestic violence resources: New Hope 509-764-8402 Hope Source 509-707-0179 Opportunities Industrialization Center 509-765-9206 Crossroads Resource Center 509-765-4425 Housing Authority of Grant County 509-765-4425 Renew Grant Behavioral Health and Wellness 509-765-9239 Adams County Integrated Health Care Services 509-488-5611 Family Services of Grant County 509-766-9877 Northwest Justice Project 509-381-2332 Planned Parenthood 866-904-7721
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Nassau County Exec Bruce Blakeman's shocking move throws wrench in Hochul's hospital ‘takeover'
Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman refused to nominate anyone to Nassau University Medical Center's board — saying in a surprise announcement Tuesday he was protesting Gov. Kathy Hochul's 'illegal' takeover of the hospital. Blakeman, a Republican, was set to announce his picks for the NUMC board of directors after at least 10 executives resigned in protest to New York state's takeover of the facility — but instead said he will not be naming anybody to the Democratic governor's 'puppet board.' 'The state blatantly passed a law, which is illegal, to take over Nassau University Medical Center with the sole interest in closing the hospital as we know it,' Blakeman told reporters at a press conference outside the hospital. He called NUMC 'one of the finest medical facilities in the United States' and said he won't stand for state officials shutting it down. The state has denied allegations that it plans to shut down the hospital or convert it into a mental or behavioral health facility. But a 2024 letter from the state Department of Health, which was obtained by The Post, said the agency determined that the only way for the hospital to be fiscally sustainable is to cut staff and multiple departments and convert to a behavioral health facility. The letter was signed by Hochul. Blakeman blasted Hochul and state officials, accusing them of bringing on a financial crisis. 'The state has defunded this hospital with the intent to take it over and make this bogus claim that there is a financial crisis,' Blakeman said. Former NUMC chairman Matthew Bruderman has filed a lawsuit accusing the state of systematically defunding the hospital in a convoluted scheme. The allegations sparked a federal investigation. 'Now the state, without any transition plan, without any coordination whatsoever, has taken this power grab, and let's be clear, this is nothing more than a cover-up,' Blakeman said, citing the allegations. NUMC said they've turned around the fiscal disaster since new leadership under Blakeman took the reins and is now on track to profit $11 million this year without cutting any jobs or departments — despite being in the hole hundreds of millions of dollars just a few years ago. Blakeman and hospital staff said the state provided $180 million in subsidies to the hospital in 2021 but has provided no aid in 2024 and 2025 — claims Hochul's office denied. 'We want the state to fund this hospital as they've done before, and this hospital has done a great job, the turnaround of this hospital the last four years has been remarkable because of the people standing behind me,' he said of the medical staff surrounding him. 'Instead of being partners, they want us to be puppets. That ain't happening.' Gordon Tepper, the governor's Long Island spokesperson, called Blakeman's remarks 'ridiculous.' 'The board's restructuring is the best possible news for anyone who relies on NUMC,' he told The Post. 'There's been gross mismanagement at the hospital for years under the County's watch which has forced this desperately needed intervention.' A day after the 10 executives announced their resignation from the board last week, Hochul named former head of Hofstra University Stuart Rabinowitz to helm NUMC's board, along with three other new appointees, the governor's office announced. Hochul chooses the chair and gets six picks in total on the hospital's new board, including one recommended by the Assembly speaker and another recommended by the head of the state Senate. Two were to be appointed by Blakeman while the Nassau County Board of Legislators gets three picks for the board: two from the GOP majority and one from the dem minority. A legislature source told The Post that the GOP majority plans on following Blakeman's decision and not appointing anybody to the board. The Democrats meanwhile, slammed Blakeman's decision as a ''blatant refusal to do his job' and said they plan to move forward with their nomination. 'We intend to make our appointment to the NUMC board because we follow the law and put patients before politics,' Democratic Nassau County Legislator Seth Koslow said. 'His administration drove NUMC into financial and operational chaos. Now the state is stepping in to stop the bleeding, and instead of helping, he's walking off the field,' he added.