rockin'robin
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KNOXVILLE (WATE) - A Maryville woman is a lot lighter on her feet after having a 120 pound, non-cancerous ovarian tumor removed at UT Medical Center.
The 61-year-old patient didn't want to be identified, but she wants her story told to encourage other women to visit a doctor at the first sign of problems if they have the same symptoms.
When she came to the emergency room at UT, she hadn't been to a doctor in 30 years.
Her symptoms began 10 years ago, but it took that long for her tumor to grow to such a massive size.
The woman and her family members told doctors she had gained weight gradually over the years.
But as she began to think something was wrong, the woman said she held off going to the doctor because she was afraid she had cancer.
Her stomach was very enlarged by the time she came to UT. She said her mass had started to cause her severe pain. By the time she was brought to the hospital, she was barely able to walk.
It took two hours for Dr. Larry Kilgore to drain 30 liters of fluid to shrink the tumor enough to allow him to surgically remove the remaining 20 liters.
The total fluid removed, 50 liters, is the equivalent of 25 big soft drink bottles.
Although the tumor wasn't malignant, Dr. Kilgore wants women to know that sustained abdominal bloating can be a sign of ovarian cancer.
That's how long it took for the tumor to grow to such a massive size.
Doctors say it's important for women to get checked for abdominal swelling that doesn't go away. It could be a sign of any number of serious problems, from ovarian cancer to stomach cancer and other digestive disorders.
120 pound ovarian tumor removed from woman at UT Medical Center
The 61-year-old patient didn't want to be identified, but she wants her story told to encourage other women to visit a doctor at the first sign of problems if they have the same symptoms.
When she came to the emergency room at UT, she hadn't been to a doctor in 30 years.
Her symptoms began 10 years ago, but it took that long for her tumor to grow to such a massive size.
The woman and her family members told doctors she had gained weight gradually over the years.
But as she began to think something was wrong, the woman said she held off going to the doctor because she was afraid she had cancer.
Her stomach was very enlarged by the time she came to UT. She said her mass had started to cause her severe pain. By the time she was brought to the hospital, she was barely able to walk.
It took two hours for Dr. Larry Kilgore to drain 30 liters of fluid to shrink the tumor enough to allow him to surgically remove the remaining 20 liters.
The total fluid removed, 50 liters, is the equivalent of 25 big soft drink bottles.
Although the tumor wasn't malignant, Dr. Kilgore wants women to know that sustained abdominal bloating can be a sign of ovarian cancer.
That's how long it took for the tumor to grow to such a massive size.
Doctors say it's important for women to get checked for abdominal swelling that doesn't go away. It could be a sign of any number of serious problems, from ovarian cancer to stomach cancer and other digestive disorders.
120 pound ovarian tumor removed from woman at UT Medical Center
