Surgeons - matter of life or death

Btw the operation was successful

Oh crazyH that’s not fun. I have no idea about the medical side of it but I hope you will be able to settle.

TV so often shows the rare worst case scenario for the shock factor I think.

Crossed post - glad the op was successful, that’s reassuring. Thanks for saying and hope you get some sleep.

What were you watching?? 👀

Poppyred

What were you watching?? 👀

It was Surgeons: A Matter of Life and Death on Channel 5.
That poor woman. It must have been horrendous for her but so glad she made it through.

It was grotesque and I have never seen anything like it! WHY didn’t she tell someone when it first broke through her skin? As her daughter said, it was the size of her head and stunk to high heaven as it was rotten.

She is one lucky lady to have that successfully repaired but she is very foolish to keep her family at arms length as she said.
I said to my husband I will be having nightmares tonight.

crazyH

I doubt I will be able to sleep tonight. I have just seen an operation to remove a football sized tumour from a lady’s chest (I think).
How on earth was this tumour allowed to get so big ? I really am totally distraught. Did it grow that fast, between GP appointment and seeing the Surgeon. I’ve never seen anything like that before.
It has really upset me .

She had it 4 months growing out of her breast and it was only when her daughter asked what the horrible smell was that she admitted what was going on.

A friend of ours just had a kidney cancer removed. It was also very,very large. I guess he just thought he was putting on weight, I don’t know.

A friends mother had a very large benign tumour removed from her abdomen. She had looked as if she was about eight months pregnant and had been to the GP several times and it was dismissed as extra weight before her DD went with her and insisted she was seen by a consultant.

I have watched also. I think this was an incredibly fast growing tumour, that developed over months. Her family bought her to A&E ?I think she had not been to her GP about it.
It is amazing how these tumours grow so quickly, develop/divert a blood supply to keep it 'alive'

Many people died with fast growing cancers like this years ago, and they were ashamed to see the doctor for help. Awful.

I always watch that programme crazyH.
I feel the same , it was a very disturbing watch! I can only assume she left it for such a long time before seeking medical help. Think the tumour had burst through the skin. Whatever the reason it is good to know the operation has been successful. The skill of the surgeons is amazing to see.

what happened to the lady having the brain tumour removed?

the surgeon with his blond hair back in a 'bunch' looked so casual... I'm now watching on catch up to find out

I watched it in disbelief. How did it grow so fast. Why didn’t the lady get help earlier. Surely the smell and the size of it should have had medical intervention. Well done the surgeon and team for removing it, the skin graft was perfect. It was good to see her sitting up in bed looking so well and happy.
I also watched the young man having a heart transplant. Just amazing to see how the surgeons removed the faulty heart , the donated heart was still beating in its container before being transplanted in to the patient and stitched in a beating. Wonderful , clever surgeons. Gives you hope that if ever one was in a position needing surgery that you would be in good hands.

Lemsip, The lady with the brain tumour was fine and the op was successful, the surgeons were chatting casually poking around in her brain , just amazing

I didn’t see the programme but it sounds very like a woman I cared for when I was a staff nurse in the surgical ward in the early 70’s.

She had what was known as a fungating breast tumour. She hadn’t consulted her GP and ignored it. She was about 50 and lived with her 20 year old son who had special needs.

It was the middle of summer and her neighbours reported her to the council regarding the foul smell coming from her house through the open windows. Long story short the smell was from the tumour.

I’d never seen anything like it before or since. Her right breast resembled a rotten cauliflower and she seemed to be oblivious to the smell. Her only concern was who was making her son’s meals while she was in hospital. She had palliative surgery and went home after 2 weeks. Sadly she survived just another 2 months.

I’ve never forgotten that woman and her son although it’s over 50 years ago and can still picture her face and remember their names.

I couldn’t understand how her daughter had let it get to that stage. Without doing something about it ,

Grannynannywanny some people just do "live with us" forever.

Lilypops

Lemsip, The lady with the brain tumour was fine and the op was successful, the surgeons were chatting casually poking around in her brain , just amazing

I loved it when the surgeon said, right, let’s get this bastard out 😀

Lilypops ,her daughter didn't know. It was her daughter who took her mum to A & E after her mum confessed and showed her breast. Before that the woman had kept her daughter at arms length .

Vito

Lilypops ,her daughter didn't know. It was her daughter who took her mum to A & E after her mum confessed and showed her breast. Before that the woman had kept her daughter at arms length .

I think all of us would notice if our mothers had a lump on her chest the size of a football 😱
No amount of loose clothing could hide it.

She was in denial, wasn’t she? People can have strange reactions to major traumas in their lives. It was a shocking but very interesting programme.

Obviously her daughter hadn't.

Grannynannywanny

I didn’t see the programme but it sounds very like a woman I cared for when I was a staff nurse in the surgical ward in the early 70’s.

She had what was known as a fungating breast tumour. She hadn’t consulted her GP and ignored it. She was about 50 and lived with her 20 year old son who had special needs.

It was the middle of summer and her neighbours reported her to the council regarding the foul smell coming from her house through the open windows. Long story short the smell was from the tumour.

I’d never seen anything like it before or since. Her right breast resembled a rotten cauliflower and she seemed to be oblivious to the smell. Her only concern was who was making her son’s meals while she was in hospital. She had palliative surgery and went home after 2 weeks. Sadly she survived just another 2 months.

I’ve never forgotten that woman and her son although it’s over 50 years ago and can still picture her face and remember their names.

I think you’re right. Pretty sure that’s what this was called. Your description was quite accurate. The tumour was as big as a human head and was made up of big rotting blobs. It was something you would expect to see in a horror film. There is no way she could have worn a bra with that. I guess she wore very loose clothing or ponchos. When they removed it they covered it in black plastic and stapled all round it so it could not pass on any infection to other parts of her body.
She is one very lucky lady!

I too picked up a big Breast lump in an elderly lady patient. I thought it was her Pacemaker at first.., she too had ignore it. Her daughter who was with her at the time was distraught. I know sadly she too didn't live long after.
Grannynannywanny.. Is right they have a horrid smell.