Emmerdale’s Natalie Anderson is bedbound after suffering a burst ovarian cyst
EX-EMMERDALE star Natalie Anderson has been left bedbound after suffering a burst ovarian cyst.
The actress, who is best known for playing Alicia Gallagher on the ITV soap, said she was left bed-ridden as she spoke out about her painful experience.
Natalie, 35, urged her followers to "get checked" saying she ignored the "nagging" pain because she believed it wasn't serious.
She told fans she had been in bed for a week following a series of scans to get to the root of the problem.
Sharing a photo of herself at a lake from the week before, she wrote on Instagram: "Throwing it back to last week living my best life by the lake.
"I’ve been in bed all week with a burst ovarian cyst. So bloody painful!
"Stupidly I’d left it even though it had been nagging me for months. In my head I made so many excuses why I couldn’t get to the doctors, too busy, it’s nothing etc etc.
"Well that was silly because this week I’ve been in so much pain, had to have several scans and lost about a weeks worth of work whilst I’ve had to rest up."
Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs that develop in a woman's ovary.
They are common and typically cause no symptoms, but in some cases can trigger pelvic pain and bloating.
Some ovarian cysts turn out to be cancerous tumours and have to be surgically removed.
Researchers at Imperial College London found there is usually a one in 500 chance of the fluid-filled sacs bursting.
WHAT IS A CYST?
A cyst is a fluid-filled bump that forms just underneath the skin. It is common and harmless and can go away without treatment.
However, sometimes they can swell up and require medical treatment. They look like a round, dome-shaped bump and is yellow or whitish in colour.
They don't usually hurt but will become tender, sore and red if they get infected.
Why do they form?
Cells in the top layer of our skin produce a protein called keratin that helps give skin strength and flexibility.
Normal, these cells move up to the surface of the skin as they start to die, so they can be shed.
But sometimes these cells can move deeper into your skin and multiply, forming a sac.
They secrete keratin into the middle of the sac, which forms a thick, yellow paste.
This can ooze out of the cyst if it is burst.
Anyone can get a cyst, but you are more likely to get one if you have gone through puberty, have a history of acne or you have injured the skin.
How are they treated?
If they are small and not bothering you then they can be left alone.
Holding a warm flannel against the skin can encourage it to heal and reduce inflammation. But don't be tempted to pop it because that will increase your risk of infection.
If your cyst is bothering you then it can be cut out by a GP.
They will numb the area with local anaesthetic, make a tiny cut in the skin and squeeze the cyst out.
Most read in Celebrity
The findings came after a two-year study of 2,000 women with benign cysts.
They warned against “unnecessary” surgery which risks complications after finding 80 per cent of cysts fixed themselves. Only 0.4 per cent developed into ovarian cancer.
Hollywood A-lister Kate Beckinsale was also taken to hospital last year when she had a cyst rupture.