A mum who dismissed her swollen tummy as weight gain was shocked to learn she had an ovarian cyst the size of a watermelon.
Jayde Martin, 44, seriously injured her right hand on Christmas Day when she tripped, smashing a wine bottle that severed nerves and tendons.
The gymnastics organisation CEO was forced to take a step back from exercising and the busy mum-of-two brushed off her swollen stomach as weight gain.
As the months went on she ignored her symptoms and put off having a pelvic exam.
Her stomach soon ballooned so much that some thought she was expecting another baby.
In March, she finally called an ambulance after suffering such horrific pain she thought her appendix had burst.
A CT scan then revealed she had a cyst on her left ovary measuring 13.7 inches.
Jayde had surgery to remove the 15lb mass as well as another "hidden" cyst on her right ovary in April.
Surgeons performed a full hysterectomy and appendix removal to ensure all abnormal cells were removed.
While she is recovering she is now warning others to get any unusual symptoms checked as soon as possible.
Jayde, from Darwin, Australia, said: "During that period I started to get this tummy. I kept thinking 'how am I getting so chubby because I'm not eating that much?' and I actually couldn't eat full meals.
"Apparently there was a rumour floating around that I was pregnant and a couple of people had discussed that I had put on weight but no one said anything to me at the time.
"I just kept putting it to the back of my mind and not doing anything about it because I was too concerned with my hand and work.
"Then in March, I had a couple of drinks with the girls after work and the next day I felt really, really gassy and bloated.
"Online it said to massage your stomach so I was lying down doing that and then I went to move and literally screamed with pain.
"It was a pain that I hadn't felt except for being induced for labour, it was such a core pain I thought my appendix had burst and I needed it out."
She called an ambulance and when it arrived two hours later they confirmed that her appendix hadn't burst but that something was definitely wrong.
A CT scan was carried out the next day and revealed the giant ovarian cyst was taking up the majority of her abdomen.
Jayde said: "The doctor showed me the photos of the CT scan and you literally can't see my stomach because the whole thing is taken up by this tumour.
"The nurses said they hadn't seen anything like it.
"The risks were given to me quite clearly and that there was every chance it could be cancer but either way it was a giant mass that needed to come out.
"My whole life was flashing before my eyes and I thought 'oh my god I've got cancer, I'm going to die'."
In hindsight, Jayde says there were warning signs she had previously ignored.
She says three GPs were unable to insert a contraceptive coil into her uterus over a period of 18 months and eventually a specialist gynaecologist managed to do so under local anaesthesia.
Jayde underwent a six-hour surgery to remove the cyst where surgeons found a second one on her right ovary, prompting them to perform a full hysterectomy and appendix removal to ensure all abnormal cells were removed.
Jayde said: "In the first three months of this year it grew rapidly and was really uncomfortable.
"By the time I was going for surgery, it felt like the tumour was increasing daily or even hourly, so the pain was excruciating all the time and I couldn't even get out of bed.
"I said to them a number of times 'I'm happy for you to take everything because the health anxiety I would have of this happening again if there was an ovary there would outweigh everything else'."
After almost a week of recovering in hospital, Jayde was sent home and is awaiting the pathology results of the two cysts and her removed organs to check for cancerous cells and determine if she will need chemotherapy.
She is now warning other women to get checked straight away if they notice any unusual changes or symptoms and not to let a busy life get in the way of looking after their health.
Jayde said: "So many people have said 'how did you not know?' and it's not that I didn't know, I knew something wasn't right but I didn't know how serious and extreme it was.
"So many times in the last week I've thought 'oh my god that was something why did I not just take the time for myself and get something done rather than have to go through what I've just gone through?'.
"This could've been resolved a lot less aggressively and I wouldn't have had to be sliced down my middle if I'd just done it a year ago.
"There's so many less invasive options if you don't let it get to this point so it's really important that people look after themselves and go and get tested."
