A fitness influencer self-diagnosed herself with a condition and shared her findings with her followers. However, her fans urged her to seek the help of professionals, who uncovered something much more serious.
Megan Johnson, 28, who goes by @megan_the_trainer_ on TikTok, has over 600K followers and shares her health journey and fitness tips. According to a report by People, Johnson, who is from Tennessee, has a history of bad experiences with doctors. She had several symptoms she was concerned about, but she self-diagnosed with a condition called diastasis recti.
Per the Cleveland Clinic, “Diastasis recti occurs when your rectus abdominis muscles (six-pack ab muscles) separate during pregnancy from being stretched.” The separation can look like a belly bulge, which is treatable with special exercises.
Johnson’s self-diagnosis was met with concern from her followers, which she even addressed in a separate TikTok. “Some people have said I could have something else going on, like ovarian cysts,” she explained. At the time, Megan admitted that she had not yet had a checkup and had been training for a competition.
Followers Persuaded The Fitness Influencer To Seek Professional Advice
In an interview with People, Johnson explained that she took to TikTok in April, hoping for some outside opinions. She was overwhelmed by the positive response and was persuaded to seek professional advice despite previous experiences. Medical examiners performed extensive tests and deduced that her self-diagnosis of diastasis recti was correct. However, doctors found something else: an ovarian cyst almost the size of a newborn baby.
Megan has documented every step of her health journey with frequent updates where she addresses comments and advice. She also makes light of the situation in several videos, including one where she cracks up talking about a watermelon-sized cyst with her mom.
Per People, Johnson had her surgery to remove the cyst on May 22. The operation was successful, and doctors drained 27 pounds of fluid. Unfortunately, there were some complications. Surgeons reportedly had to remove an ovary and fallopian tube while removing the cyst. She knew this was a potential risk before the operation. As for her diastasis recti, professionals hope it will heal over time.