THENI: A 44-year-old woman from Uthamapalayam suffered from stomach pain for six years before doctors revealed that it was caused by a giant tumour. And what they saw was mind-boggling — the uterine fibroid weighed a whopping 18 kg.
Caroline Mary, an unmarried tailor, felt discomfort in her stomach six years ago and underwent treatment at a local clinic. But, the pain started increasing and her stomach began bulging.
Two months ago, she was rushed to the Theni Government Medical College and Hospital with severe stomach pain. Doctors who conducted an examination were taken aback by the size of the huge mass in her stomach, which they concluded was a tumour and needed to be operated on.
Under directions by Dr Raja Muthaiah, dean of the medical college and hospital, a seven-member team operated on Mary for three hours. Five units of blood were used for the procedure. After the surgery, she was under observation and discharged on Wednesday. Mary thanked the State for conducting the procedure free of cost.
Muthaiah told Express that it was a giant uterine fibroid. It was not cancer but a huge tumour, he said. Once removed, it does not recur, he added.
The tumour removed from Mary’s uterus could have developed from the muscle and supporting tissue in the uterus and continued to grow at the rate of knots. Often mistaken for excess weight, or an abdominal abscess, tumourous growths are often left unoperated — in the hope that they will dissolve.