A Norwegian man, Thomas Kraut, 59, was found to have a 60-pound stomach tumor after 12 years of it being dismissed as belly fat.
Videos by Wide Open Country
As Kraut's belly expanded with the growing malignant tumor, doctors kept dismissing him as fat. They even prescribed him Ozempic, according to reports, to combat the swelling belly. He went on weight-loss courses and tried to keep his weight down, to no avail.
After 12 years of dismissal, a doctor finally thought to take a closer look at things as he was prepared for a gastric sleeve to fight his 'fat'. They finally identified the tumor that's been hiding in plain sight for over a decade.
On September 26th last year, he underwent a 10-hour-long surgery to remove the rare and unique tumor. It weighed 60 pounds and was 20.59 inches in diameter.
Rare Tumor Mistook For Fat For 12 Years
According to reports, Kraut said, "My stomach kept getting bigger. I went from doctor to doctor and in 2019 I was finally approved for a gastric sleeve."
"It pressed on my stomach. It was hard and not soft, as is the case with fat," he said about the doctor who decided to finally investigate further.
"In addition, I had lost so much weight with the change in diet and Ozempic that my face and arms were very thin. Only my stomach was huge. The doctor even said that I was actually malnourished," he continued.
It was a CT scan that highlighted the tumor. After another two weeks, doctors identified the tumor as a rare fatty tumor that was made up of multiple smaller cancerous areas surrounded by fat. It had caused significant damage to his body. Part of his small intestine and his right kidney had to be removed also.
Kraut said, "I go to a psychologist for therapy every two weeks. I have to go to the oncologist twice a year because I still have tumor tissue inside me that is growing. I was told that it cannot be removed because it is connected to several organs."
They are suing the doctors who failed to notice his condition. It was dismissed considering the rare nature of the tumor. His lawyers are objecting to the dismissal, however.
