66-Lb. Tumor Removed From Woman's Abdomen

Galvatron · Post by **Galvatron** » 2004-12-13 05:35pm

CINCINNATI -- Doctors in Ohio have removed a 66-pound tumor from a woman who said she now feels as if a long pregnancy is over.

Grace Radtke said she knew something was wrong, but had no idea it was a 66-pound tumor that was causing her pain.

"I couldn't believe it," Radtke said. "It just floored me."

Last week, Radtke underwent surgery to remove the giant ovarian cyst -- the size of three watermelons -- that was lodged under her ribs.

Radtke weighed more than 300 pounds when she suddenly started losing weight without dieting. Her family encouraged her to get medical attention.

Doctors said the tumor had been growing for at least one year with huge blood vessels attached. She said despite losing weight and having difficulty walking, she was nervous about seeing a doctor.

"I was so scared. I didn't know what the outcome would be," she said.

Dr. Greg Duma, a gynecologist who performed the surgery, said if they hadn't removed the tumor, it would have continued to grow.

After hours of surgery, four people were needed to lift the heavy tumor. Doctors said they had to roll the tumor onto a stretcher.

"My hat was soaked with sweat and they kept having to blot my glasses because it was very physically demanding," Duma said.

Experts said the 40-year-old mother of three is living proof that the human body is still a mystery and that it's never too late to start trusting doctors, Butler reported.

"I would say just go ahead and do it, because you never know what will happen to you. If you have the support of your family and everybody loves you, you'll be OK," Radtke said.

The Ohio woman says she's thankful to be alive.

The non-cancerous ovarian tumor was removed earlier this month at University Hospital in Cincinnati. It came out intact during a one-hour operation.

Her doctor said the giant tumor could have been growing for up to five years.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2004-12-13 05:44pm

Jesus Christ! That's massive.

Pcm979 · Post by **Pcm979** » 2004-12-13 05:45pm

Three watermellons? Christ.

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2004-12-13 05:46pm

Oh sweet tapdancing Hare' Krishnas!

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2004-12-13 05:51pm

Ya, you can't beat losing sixty-six pounds in a single night.

Shark Bait · Post by **Shark Bait** » 2004-12-13 05:55pm

Wow I've worked in my dad's office for years never seen anything like that. Best I got is a pictue of my mom holding a five pound tumor like a trophy bass. I've kept it for years in a frame near my bed, used to share the frame infact with a picture of my now ex-girlfriend.

mauldooku · Post by **mauldooku** » 2004-12-13 08:53pm

Jesus H. Christ on a pogo stick, but that's astonishing. And equally scary when you consider it could happen to you.

Chris OFarrell · Post by **Chris OFarrell** » 2004-12-13 09:13pm

JESUS CHRIST.....

Thats just...woah!

Well here is to hoping that she will live a happy and safe life from now on with the infestation removed....

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2004-12-13 09:43pm

Fascinating. I wish her the best of recoveries.

Pcm979 · Post by **Pcm979** » 2004-12-13 09:45pm

Interesting fact: If that was Hong Kong they would've given it to her.

My Dad lost his right pinky in a woodworking accident, and they tried to give it to him. Same with my Mum's liposuction.

Coalition · Post by **Coalition** » 2004-12-14 12:39am

I wonder how many fundies are saying that if she had prayed harder, that god would have made the tumor go away.

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-12-14 12:57am

I've seen bigger. I think it's in the Guiness Book of Records ...

SyntaxVorlon · Post by **SyntaxVorlon** » 2004-12-14 01:01am

Wow, massive.

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman · Post by **Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman** » 2004-12-14 03:21am

I wonder what's the hospital gonna' do with the tumor... Is it paranoid that I tend to avoid anything made of meat when having a meal on a hospital's cantina?

Pcm979 · Post by **Pcm979** » 2004-12-14 03:25am

Like I said, if it were HK they'd just hand it right back.

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman · Post by **Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman** » 2004-12-14 03:48am

Pcm979 wrote:Like I said, if it were HK they'd just hand it right back.

Raw or cooked?

Pcm979 · Post by **Pcm979** » 2004-12-14 03:49am

In a jar of formaldahyde.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2004-12-14 04:01am

I recall watching a Discovery Health program on a women who had an insanely huge 200 pound tumor remove from her body, and it grew in the space of less then two years I recall. The main reason it got so big was she couldn't find a doctor willing to risk to operation (she lost something like 80 pints of blood IIRC during it)

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2004-12-14 04:10am

80 pints? That's far more than the capacity of the human body. 8 would be more in line; that's barely survivable in itself.

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2004-12-14 05:09am

I think Sea Skimmer means 80 pints over two years.

bohemianfey · Post by **bohemianfey** » 2004-12-14 05:15am

Jesus spunk! I'm surprised that an alien didn't burst of the thing while they were operating. That would have made this article much more interesting.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2004-12-14 05:54am

Rogue 9 wrote:80 pints? That's far more than the capacity of the human body. 8 would be more in line; that's barely survivable in itself.

Are you familiar with the concept of giving a person blood transfusions while they are having an operation? It sort of makes the loss of more the one bodies capacity possibul. And you tend to lose allot of blood when your having a single giant 200 pound mass cut away from a significant percentage of your body in a day long operation. They nearly had to leave a large chunk on her, because despite building up a stockpile of extra blood for the operation the hospital almost ran out of units.

Post by **Broomstick** » 2004-12-14 07:27pm

I saw that same Discovery Health program - the woman did lose more than the normal human total of blood during the operation, but didn't die because of blood transfusion.

Certain tumors can have abnormal blood vessels, and abnormal numbers of them, which make bleeding to death during removal surgery a significant risk.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2004-12-14 07:46pm

Sea Skimmer wrote:
Rogue 9 wrote:80 pints? That's far more than the capacity of the human body. 8 would be more in line; that's barely survivable in itself.
Are you familiar with the concept of giving a person blood transfusions while they are having an operation? It sort of makes the loss of more the one bodies capacity possibul. And you tend to lose allot of blood when your having a single giant 200 pound mass cut away from a significant percentage of your body in a day long operation. They nearly had to leave a large chunk on her, because despite building up a stockpile of extra blood for the operation the hospital almost ran out of units.

Yeah, I'm familiar with it, but that is an outrageous amount of blood.

Symmetry · Post by **Symmetry** » 2004-12-14 08:30pm

bohemianfey wrote:Jesus spunk! I'm surprised that an alien didn't burst of the thing while they were operating. That would have made this article much more interesting.

Be glad you've never seen slides of what an Ovarian cyst looks like, it makes my skin crawl. They do tend to be benign though.