A woman who was unable to shift weight was horrified to find she had an undiscovered seven stone cyst.
Jess Sisco, 32, from Columbus Ohio, US, struggled with her weight and would go between consuming 5,000 calories a day to eating under 1,000 calories a day.
She revealed her morbid obesity caused constant pain, and difficulty moving and led to Jess developing health problems.
As a result of her weight, Jess's asthma became more severe, she developed sleep apnea and was diagnosed with fatty liver disease.
In addition, she developed plantar fasciitis, pain in the bottom of the foot and heel, which caused constant and excruciating pain.
Jess finally decided to start her weight loss journey in January 2020 after a routine visit to her obstetrician gynaecologist.
She was told that at her current weight, she wouldn't be able to get pregnant without causing serious risk to herself and a baby.
Despite not having plans to get pregnant, this restriction caused Jess to start losing weight - once again opening up her options for a family later in life.
In 2020, despite her best efforts, Jess was no closer to losing weight.
She was exercising regularly, eating healthily and undergoing therapy but was still unable to lose weight.
In an attempt to figure out the problem, doctors performed an ultrasound to check the placement of her IUD, a birth control device. Upon conducting the scan they discovered she had cystic ovaries.
Having cystic ovaries causes the release of hormones that cause insulin resistance and inflammation, causing major difficulty with weight loss.
The doctors discovered multiple cysts in what was called a "complex cystic area". The cysts were discovered to be polycystic meaning they could potentially become cancerous.
Jess had three cysts on her right ovary and two on her left. The largest cyst was two-centimetres in diameter.
The cysts were not removed due to their small size and instead are monitored through regular appointments.
On November 15 2021, Jess underwent a gastric bypass. She combined the bypass with following the post-operative nutrition plan set out by her doctor, as well as exercising regularly.
Jess was able to cover the cost of her surgery with insurance, spending only $1,500 (£1,200). With no insurance, the surgery would have cost $20,000 (£16,000).
"After a long road of working with my doctor and CrossFit coach on my nutrition and exercise, and getting tons of medical tests and lab work to identify any potential medical reasons that I was no longer losing weight, I had a gastric bypass," said Jess.
"I truly believe that the work I've done on healing my relationship with food, improving my mental health, and connecting with my support system is the biggest reason I've been so successful.
"If I were to get pregnant, I would automatically be a high-risk pregnancy and would be putting my unborn child in danger.
"It was one thing to have hurt myself and damaged my own health, but it was another thing entirely to consider that I could put a child at risk.
"Almost everyone in my family is morbidly obese and chronically ill, and I was quickly falling into the same category.
"As I continued to gain weight, my blood work was falling into critical levels for my cholesterol and liver panels, my blood pressure was consistently dangerously high, and I had such severe acid reflux that I was waking up every night in pain."
She revealed her weight made her want to isolate herself from her friends and even her own family.
Jess added: "My weight caused me to isolate myself socially, even from loved ones. I hated going out in public because I didn't want anyone to see me that way.
"Luckily, it never affected my marriage. I'm blessed with the most incredible husband, who has given me unconditional love and support no matter what I've weighed.
"I missed the activities that I could no longer do, and I didn't want to be on a million medications.
"I saw the inevitable path my life was taking and was terrified at the thought of being morbidly obese and chronically ill the rest of my life."
It was towards the end of 2020 when Jess was at her lowest after she spent an entire year doing everything possible to lose weight but nothing was working.
She said: "I felt so defeated and was at the point of just giving up. I was ready to just accept that I was destined to be fat and sick.
"After surgery, I felt tired, and was in some pain, but I mostly felt relieved and excited when I woke up. I knew my life was about to change.
"Honestly, I'm most proud of healing my relationship with food. It's been a long road, and tons of effort, trial, and error, but food no longer has power over me.
"My biggest piece of weight loss advice is to focus on healing your relationship with food, find non-food coping skills and take care of your mental health, and give yourself compassion throughout this process. There will be moments that are really hard, but you've got this."
Jess has revealed she plans to now go hiking following her pain-free life.
She said: "My husband and I have plans to do a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail within the next two years - now that I can hike without pain, this is finally a real option.
"I'm just hoping to increase awareness, and decrease the stigma, of bariatric surgery. This tool has completely saved my life and was by no means cheating or the easy way out. Bariatric surgery, if used correctly as a tool, can absolutely change your life for the better."
