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Woman’s 132-Pound Weight Gain Turned Out to Be an Ovarian Tumor

A Connecticut woman has survived a terrifying ordeal: the removal of an ovarian tumor that weighed 132 pounds. Back in 2017, the 38-year-old patient knew something was off when she suddenly began gaining about 10 pounds per week over the course of two months.

When she went to the doctor to figure out what was wrong, scans revealed a mass in her abdomen. But when she was referred to Danbury Hospital, the medical professionals ready to help her were stunned at just how gigantic that mass — later revealed to be a tumor — had become.

“I might expect to see a 25-pound ovarian tumor, but a 132-pound tumor is very rare,” said gynecological oncologist Vaagn Andikyan, MD, in a press release. “When I met the patient, she was extremely malnourished because the tumor was sitting on her digestive tract, and she used a wheelchair because of the tumor’s weight.”

It’s little wonder why; after all, 132 pounds is the size of an entire adult human. It certainly didn’t help matters that it was sitting on a major blood vessel. But the team at Danbury was more than ready to take on this challenge, and on February 14, 2018, that’s exactly what they did — ever so carefully. Five hours and 12 surgeons later, the huge tumor was finally gone. The doctors were also able to remove the excess skin that the tumor had stretched out during its speedy growth.

“Tumors this big are exceedingly rare in the literature,” Dr. Andikyan said in an interview with CNN. “It may be in the top 10 or 20 tumors of this size removed worldwide.”

Fortunately for the woman, the tumor turned out to be benign. After just two weeks, she was able to go home, and has reportedly been recovering well following what could only be described as a total nightmare.

“Luckily, she did not require any additional treatment,” Andikyan said. “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.”

h/t Science Alert

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