Doctors Race To Remove Enormous 132-Pound Tumor From Desperate Woman
June 04, 2018
A 38-year-old woman was desperate for help. She suffered from a tumor that grew bigger and bigger each day at an alarming rate. She was becoming hopeless as doctors kept turning her away, unable or unwilling to help. But finally, God led her to the right place, and a medical team removed her 132-pound tumor before it was too late.
Tumors carry with them the terrifying threat of cancer. But that's not what made this 38-year-old Connecticut woman's ovarian tumor so scary. In fact, doctors found the mass to be benign. But that didn't stop the 132-pound tumor from nearly taking her life!
***Warning: Some images may be considered disturbing***
Cancer-Free But Still In Danger
A 38-year-old teacher, who wishes to keep her identity private, is recovering from a harrowing ordeal. When her doctor found a tumor on her left ovary, it must have been a relief to hear it wasn't cancerous.
RELATED: Their Baby’s Brain Tumor Baffled Doctors After God Sent A Miracle
The tumor was, however, "mucinous." This means a gelatin-like substance produced by the tumor cells poured into the mass. So, as it filled, the tumor got bigger and bigger and spread outside of the ovary.
Credit: Youtube/Eyewitness News ABC7NYSoon, it was growing at the alarming rate of about 10 pounds per week, to the point it started threatening the woman's life!
The mass started creating all kinds of problems like malnourishment, severe swelling in her legs, and pressure on her blood vessels.
"There were a lot of issues related to this very large tumor in the abdomen. She can't eat, she can't walk, and there are problems related to potential complications with this large mass compressing the venous system," Dr. Linus Chuang, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology for Western Connecticut Health Network, said. "She was at very high risk of developing blood clots because of compression of the blood flow."
Yet, as the woman sought medical help, doctors kept turning her away.
Woman Desperate To Be Rid Of 132-Pound Tumor
The working mom couldn't go to work. She couldn't even walk, as the tumor left her wheelchair-bound. And all the while, the mass just kept getting bigger as she tried to find a doctor who could, and would, do something.
Finally, God sent the desperate woman the help she needed just in time. In fact, doctors aren't sure she'd have made it after a few more weeks of growth.
"When I first walked into the examination room, I found this 38-year-old malnourished patient with a weight of 350 pounds and extensive tumor that was about 100 centimeters [39 inches] large," recalled Dr. Vaagn Andikyan, a gynecologic oncologist for Western Connecticut Health Network and lead surgeon on the case. "I saw fear in the patient's eyes. She was so hopeless, because she had seen several other doctors, and they were unable to help her."
RELATED: Mom Sensed What Doctors Missed, Then She's Left Fighting For More Than Just Her Own Life
Doctors at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut agreed to help the poor woman and assembled a team to remove the now 132-pound tumor. It was truly a blessing, as the woman's condition had become unbearable.
"Her legs were so swollen that she was unable to walk. I've seen leg swelling, but I've never seen leg swelling of this magnitude," Dr. Andikyan said.
Woman Finally Relieved Of 132-Pound Tumor
A large team of medical professionals performed a five-hour surgery, removing the 132-pound tumor, along with 6 pounds of abdominal wall tissue and excess skin that had been stretched by the tumor.
It was a tense operation, as the woman's blood pressure started plummeting.
"As soon as we starting removing the tumor, the blood pressure of the patient started dropping," Dr. Andikyan said.
But God was definitely at work through these doctors during the risky procedure.
Credit: Western Connecticut Health Network"So cardiology and the anesthesia team was able to adjust intraoperative management to support her heart and lungs to be able to continue with surgery," Dr. Andikyan explained.
After removing the enormous mass, doctors reconstructed the woman's abdomen to repair the damage and disfigurement from the huge tumor. And miraculously, the team was able to protect the woman's ability to bear children in the future.
"The good part about this story is, we were able to save her reproductive organs," Dr. Andikyan said. "As of right now, she's not interested in having more children, but she wanted to have the opportunity, and we were very careful to avoid damage to underlying reproductive organs."
Harrowing Ordeal Has A Happy Ending
Several months after the surgery, the Connecticut woman is doing much better. Life is finally getting back to normal for her after living through such a nightmare.
"She's back to a normal life, she's back to work, and when I saw her in my office, I saw smiles, I saw hope, and I saw a happy woman who is back to her normal life and her family," Dr. Andikyan happily reported.
The type of tumor she had are notoriously large and make up about 15% of all ovarian tumors.
"Ovarian mucinous tumors tend to be big," Dr. Andikyan said. "But tumors this big are exceedingly rare in the literature. It may be in the top 10 or 20 tumors of this size removed worldwide."
According to a 1994 report, one of the largest tumors ever removed from a human was a 303-pound ovarian tumor.
RELATED: ‘Pregnant’ Woman Is Heartbroken To Learn Her ‘Baby’ Is Actually A Tumor
So, doctors are hoping this woman's real-life bizarre medical story will encourage women to see their physicians if they have any symptoms of an ovarian mass. Symptoms may include abdominal or pelvic pain, bloating, feeling the need to urinate often, and menstrual changes not related to menopause.
The good news is that ovarian tumors aren't the most common cancer in women. But it's still crucial to monitor for them.
"It is a very deadly cancer if it's not diagnosed in the early stage," Dr. Chuang warned.
WATCH: Doctors Remove 132-Pound Tumor Just In Time
Be sure to listen to your body and keep up-to-date on checkups!
"The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich." Proverbs 13:4
h/t: CNN
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: For 6 Years, Woman Who Felt A ‘Ball Rolling Around Inside Her’ Stumped Doctors
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Your Adult Children This Holiday Season - Your Daily Prayer - December 11
We want our adult children to be blessed and enjoy a relationship with God. As their parents, we can intercede for them by praying Scripture over them. God loves them and knows them. We can trust God to keep them close to his heart and give them wisdom through the busy holiday season when so many events and expectations keep them racing.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Your Adult Children This Holiday Season - Your Daily Prayer - December 11
We want our adult children to be blessed and enjoy a relationship with God. As their parents, we can intercede for them by praying Scripture over them. God loves them and knows them. We can trust God to keep them close to his heart and give them wisdom through the busy holiday season when so many events and expectations keep them racing.
Past Stories
- Man Paralyzed At 17 While Snowboarding Has Found True Love and a Wonderful Life
- His Wife Passed Away, Now Their Special Tree is the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
- Granddaughter Captures Last Words Between Grandparents, Married For 69 Years
- New York State Police Rescue Woman Needing a Heart Transplant Stranded in Snowstorm
- Born the Same Year the Titanic Sank, World's Oldest Man Dies at 112
- Family Receives Support From School and Community After Losing House in a Fire
- Soldier Reunites With His Military Dog Yyacob After Years Apart
- Chicago Man Discovers That The Owner Of The Bakery He Loved To Visit Was Actually His Mother
- Husband Pays For 40 Pet Adoptions At Shelter For His Wife's 40th Birthday
- Parents Find Healing After Loss of Son By Donating His Beloved Key Collection To Little Boy
- Mom Dances With Son At His Wedding After Being Placed in Hospice Care 2 Weeks Before
- Grandmother and Young Granddaughter Battling Cancer At the Exact Same Time
- Community Brings Christmas Joy to Virginia Woman With Just Weeks to Live
- Four Friends Recreate A Fun Vacation Photo From 50 Years Ago
- School in Arkansas Mourns the Loss of Their Beloved Emotional Support Dog Abby
- 93-Year-Old Has Made Sure To Attend Every High School Football Game Since 1946
- Texas Mom Doesn't Remember Delivering Triplets After Rare Complication After Birth
- United Airlines Pilot Buys Pizza For 155 Passengers After They Make An Unexpected Stop
- Teenager With Down Syndrome Enjoys Playing Kickball After Parents Organize Neighborhood Game
- Woman in Shock After Finding Winning Lottery Ticket At the Bottom of Her Purse
- Australian Couple Walks Into Their Bedroom To Find the Cutest Koala
- 5 Boys and Their Father Were Saved By Good Samaritan After Explosion
- Daughter of WWII Soldier Finally Learns What Happened To Him, 80 Years Later
- Sisters Scream With Joy Watching Their 4-Year-Old Sister Take Her First Steps
- Her Mom Put a Message in a Bottle As a Child, 26 Years Later Her Classmate Found It
- This Missouri School Was Renamed After Their Much Loved and Dedicated Custodian
- Michael Strahan's Daughter is Now Cancer Free and Has Taught Him All About Perseverance
- These Two Newlyweds Found Love in Their Late 90s, After Meeting At Their Retirement Home
- Sisters Who Were Adopted By Separate Families Nearly 40 Years Ago Reunite After DNA Tests
- Oldest Living Person in the US Passes Away at 115, After a Long and Faithful Life
- At Just 20 and 22 Years Old, These Two Sisters From Minnesota Saved Their Family Farm
- After Over 450 Days in a Shelter, Boone and Rellie Find Their Forever Home, Together
- Sweet Kitten Named Coraline Loses Both Her Eyes, but Inspires Many with Her Spirit
- Donny Osmond Sees the 'End of the Tunnel' Coming After Performing for Over 6 Decades
- An Iguana Hitches a Ride on a Garbage Truck in Tennessee, Now Trying to Find Its Owner
- 6-Year-Old Starts 'Poop Scooping' Business to Help Animals and Adopt One of His Own
- Bride's Dad Drops During Father-Daughter Dance, but Things Lined up Perfectly to Save His Life
- Young North Carolina Father Risked His Life To Save a Couple and Dog From a Sinking Truck
- UPS Driver Jumps into Action As He Spots Elderly Woman on the Ground & Says It Was All God
- Rescuer Braces for the Worst After Spotting Kitten on the Side of the Road, Then Sees a Paw Move
- AJ Griffin Gives Up High-Paying Career with NBA to Follow God
- These Former Conjoined Twins Finally Go Home After Their First Birthday
- Teenager From Iowa Uses His Flying Skills to Help Hurricane Helene Victims
- Son Saves For 9 Months and Surprises Mom By Paying Off Her Mortgage
- Woman's Home is Surrounded By 100 Raccoons, and They Aren't Leaving Anytime Soon
- Dog Saves Her Owner's Life By Sitting in the Middle of the Road
- Widower Shares the Last Thing His Wife Told Their Son Before She Passed Away From Cancer
- A Nurse Saved Her Life 35 Years Ago, Now, She is Surprising Her With a Visit
- These Twin Sisters Have An Important Message To Share On Their 102nd Birthday
- This Brave 5-Year-Old Saved Her Mother's Life By Calling 911
Top Artists
Top Music Videos
Brad Stine Has Issues Brad Stine’s Hysterical Take on Adam Naming the Animals is Pure Gold
Gaither Vocal Band Gaither Vocal Band - Mary, Did You Know? [Live]
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Kari Jobe Kari Jobe - Firm Foundation (He Won't) / Great Are You Lord
Riley Clemmons Riley Clemmons - Come Adore Him
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.