27.1.10

The Case of the Week

Every so often, while growing up in Kenya, my dad used to describe a "case of the week" while we were all eating dinner. Sometimes these were mysterious diagnoses (like The Rift Valley Hemorrhagic Fever), and sometimes they were just interesting stories or demonstrations of how resilient patients were (like the Maasai warriors who were bitten by a lion). Thus the inspiration for our own upcoming blog series: The Case of the Week. Many of these will likely contain pictures not intended for those with especially weak stomachs (this week included). Consider yourself warned. If you are extremely queasy, beware of blog posts entitled "The Case of the Week." And of course we intend to protect patient privacy as necessary.

This case was a teenage boy who presented looking at least 9 months pregnant. Since his abdomen was as tight as a drum from this mass which had been growing over the past year, we decided to operate. We intended either to take out the whole tumor or at least to get a piece of it for pathology. The boy actually had no significant symptoms and no other findings on exam. At the time of the operation, we found that this mass was decently circumscribed, and so we proceeded with totally excising the whole thing. It was attached to the stomach, liver, diaphragm, and transverse colon, so we had to remove a piece from each of those. By the end we could see that the tumor originated from the spleen. Thanks to God's grace, and the help of one of our excellent residents, we successfully removed this 25 lb tumor. The pathology showed it to be a malignant lymphoma. I have never before removed 20 percent of someone's body weight in a single operation. The patient is quite pleased with this Fader Weight Loss Plan.

10 comments:

Em said...

I was definatley not expecting such a huge tumor! What an operation! A bit of weight lifting was required to prepare for that surgery ;-)

Anonymous said...

Way to go Jason!!! Continue the tradition.. I remember the many stories that my brother told me years ago. I'm proud of you Jason.
Love
Uncle Pete

The Jones Family said...

Wow! Do you have pathology services at Tenwek or do you ship specimens to Nairobi or elsewhere? Just curious.

Linda S. said...

Way to go Jason! I love the picture...love the story and can't wait for more. Keep up the good work. Thanks for using your hands for His Kingdom. Love ya guys!

Valerie said...

My mouth dropped opened to see that the tumor was that big! I am looking forward to hearing and seeing more stories about your cases! Keep running the good race He has called you to do!! Friend of the Crospeys.

Philip said...

Unbelievable. Did the path report come back?

Carrie said...

OH MY STARS! Jason! Are you kidding me? My dad (not a Dr.) had plenty of medical stories to tell, but this one is definitely worthy to be the "Case of the Week"! I look forward to future installments!

Carrie Leigh said...

I'm so excited for 'case of the week'!! For some reason, I'm drawn to graphic/detailed medical stories. And in the few years I've been working in oncology...I have NEVER seen/heard/read report of a tumor that size.

I feel blessed to follow the McCropders as all of you minister in Tenewek!

Blessings!
~Carrie Leigh (Doty) Clayton

Anonymous said...

Holy Cow...that is an amazing weight loss plan. How awesome that the teenage boy is now free from this tumor. Kudos on getting the job done well.
Mariah and Jonathan Uttz

Anonymous said...

I have been showing this to all kinds of people!!! This is an amazing story and we look forward to the next "case of the week". Keep up the good work, all of you.

Sharon and Tim