A Chinese woman has undergone high-risk surgery after her belly expanded ‘uncontrollably’ in the past two years due to ovarian cancer.
Mother-of-two Huang Guoxian’s abdomen ballooned by nearly 40 kilograms (88 pounds) after it was filled with fluid and tumours of different sizes, according to doctors.
Fifteen medical workers teamed up to remove the lumps and liquid from the 36-year-old during an eight-hour operation last Tuesday. The hospital told local reporters this week that the procedure was a success.
Huang Guoxian, 36, has undergone high-risk surgery after her belly expanded ‘uncontrollably’. Doctors in southern China said her abdomen had been filled with fluid and multiple tumours
Ms Huang lives in the village of Dazhi of Songqi Town outside the city of Anshun in rural Guizhou Province.
Her husband works and lives in a big city, leaving her to look after their son and daughter.
Speaking to journalists previously, the farmer claimed that her belly was flat in 2018, but swelled to the enormous size in a short two-year period.
The growth initially felt painful, and she sought medical advice. After taking prescribed medicine, the pain went away, but her belly carried on enlarging.
Ms Huang lives in the village of Dazhi of Songqi Town outside the city of Anshun in Guzhou Province. Her husband works in a big city, leaving her to look after their son and daughter
Ms Huang’s growth made it impossible for Ms Huang to sleep, walk or look after her children
In August, Ms Huang made a desperate plea for help through local media after the sizeable mass made it impossible for her to sleep, walk or take care of her children.
Donations flooded in from kind strangers, and Ms Huang was able to seek advice from a specialist at the Anshun 302 Hospital.
Upon examination, doctors discovered that Ms Huang had terminal ovarian cancer.
They claimed that the cancer cells had spread across her abdominal cavity because she had been unable to get treatment in time.
Ms Huang found out she had terminal ovarian cancer in August after the public donated money to fund her medical treatment. A doctor (right) said the team made a full plan for her surgery
Ms Huang said she was ‘so grateful’ to everyone that helped her. ‘I didn’t think that a female farmer as ordinary as me could receive so much attention from society,’ she told a reporter
Medics initially decided to hold off on giving Ms Huang surgery due to the high risks it could involve. Instead, nurses extracted the excessive fluid from her belly gradually in preparation for future procedures.
But earlier this month, her condition made a turn for the worse. Therefore, surgeons decided to perform the surgery on October 13 to prevent her health from deteriorating further.
‘We assessed Huang Guoxian’s condition and the risks of the surgery thoroughly and made a full plan for the operation as well as any possible post-procedure problems,’ Wang Jianguo, head of the department of critical care at Anshun 302 Hospital, told Pear Video.
Ms Huang’s operation lasted from 8am to 4:30pm and involved 15 medical workers, including one specialist sent from provincial capital Guiyang.
She experienced temporary mass bleeding, but medics were able to stabilise her vitals shortly after.
‘This operation was relatively successful. Moving forward, we will have to see how she copes with the recovery. After all, [her health] was seriously impacted by [the condition] previously,’ anaesthesiologist Huang Yuqiong told Guizhou Radio and Television Station.
Ms Huang’s husband lives and works in a big city to support the family financially. Her elder son (pictured), who is 10 years old, has to do most of the housework and help with his sibling
According to the official news outlet, medics removed tumours and fluid weighing 10 kilograms (22 pounds) from Ms Huang during the surgery.
Combined with the volume of the fluid that had been extracted beforehand, Ms Huang’s mass weighed around 40 kilograms (88 pounds) in total.
Part of Huang’s medical bills, which amounted to 150,000 yuan (£17,300), has been covered by state welfare, and the hospital has written off the rest.
Talking to a reporter after the operation, Ms Huang said she was ‘so grateful’.
‘I didn’t think that a female farmer as ordinary as me could receive so much attention from society,’ she confessed in tears.
‘The help provided to me by Good Samaritans lets me see hope and help me extend my dream of being a mother.
‘After I recover, I will teach my son and daughter to learn from the kind strangers, and I will do my best to return the favour to society.’
Ms Huang has received more than 100,000 yuan (£11,500) cash donation from the public since August. She says she wants to use it to start a small business upon her recovery.