25-05-2025
My ten-inch alien growth had teeth, hair and bone – I wanted that beast out of me
The cyst was discovered by medics after her belly swelled to make her look 'eight months pregnant'. T
Terrifying My ten-inch alien growth had teeth, hair and bone – I wanted that beast out of me
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A MUM has told how a huge 'alien' cyst was found inside her — with hair, bone and teeth.
Natalie Hendry, 34, was told the 24cms (10ins) growth in her abdomen could have killed her.
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The cyst made her look 'eight months pregnant' and could have been fatal
Credit: The Scottish Sun
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Natalie shares a picture from her hospital bed, during the terrifying ordeal
Credit: The Scottish Sun
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Mum-of-three Natalie is sharing her story to warn other women
Credit: Mark Ferguson
It was discovered by medics after her belly swelled to make her look 'eight months pregnant'. The mother of three said: 'It was as if an alien was inside me — it was terrifying.'
Natalie, from Knightswood, Glasgow, went to her GP last month after feeling exhausted and dizzy and discovering she couldn't bend over.
At first it was thought she had a hernia. But three days later Natalie called NHS24 after her stomach ballooned. She was taken to the city's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, where a rare dermoid cyst was found on her right ovary.
The cyst had grown so large over time it sat beneath her rib cage, which, if left, could have been fatal.
The NHS carer underwent eight hours of surgery at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth Hospital on April 15 - and says she is 'so lucky to be alive'.
Natalie said: 'A student nurse confirmed it looked just like what you see on the internet, with hair, teeth and bone. It was like an alien was growing inside of me - it was terrifying.
'I had surgeons saying they wanted to be in the surgery because they'd not seen anything like it.
'They drained 2.5litres of fluid out of it and it was carefully taken out whole, so they could use it for educational purposes.
'I didn't know these things existed and I'm just so lucky to be alive.'
Natalie was due to fly off to Gran Canaria on April 24, with her partner Ross Thompson, 38, a machine operator, and their three kids Mason, 13, Layla, five, and two-year-old Luca.
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She said: 'I'd gone on a pre-holiday diet because I felt so bloated and exhausted, but I was losing weight everywhere else apart from my stomach - it was solid hard and eventually I looked eight months pregnant.
'Little did I know, it was a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode. And if I'd gone ahead on our holiday, they said with the altitude of the flight , it would've been deadly.
'It was entangled in all my vital organs, including my lungs, which is why I was finding it hard so to breathe.'
Natalie spent a week in hospital recovering from the terrifying ordeal and is sharing her story to encourage other busy mums to get any complaints checked out straight away.
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Natalie has recovered well from the ordeal and is grateful to be back home with her three kids Mason, 13, Layla, five, and two-year-old Luca
Credit: Mark Ferguson
She said: 'They thought it had been growing inside me for years - apparently they only grow around 1mm every year.'
Natalie now has a new lease of life, since her brush with death.
She added: 'I had no fear in me whatsoever, going into theatre, I just kept thinking about my kids and wanted that beast out of me.
'I'm so thankful to the hospital staff and surgeons - they managed to save my left ovary which meant I didn't go into early menopause.
'It's been life changing."
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spokeswoman said: 'Many ovarian cysts, including dermoid cysts, arise from cells within the ovary very early on in life.
'These cells have the ability to change into different cell types, which can include hair, teeth, cartilage and nerve cells. This is due to their origin from different body cells and the tissues maturing.
'Therefore, it is not uncommon for cysts to have hair, teeth and bone within them when they are removed.
'The majority of ovarian and dermoid cysts are benign and are rarely malignant.'
