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Despite the fact that he does not drink beer, Hector Hernandez thought he had beer belly for several years. According to a press release from the University of Southern California (USC), it was only when his arms began to dissipate and that his friends and family suggested he see a doctor that his bulging belly resulted from a cancerous tumor. .
Specifically, according to the Mayo Clinic, Hernandez was diagnosed with retroperitoneal liposarcoma, a type of cancer that forms in the fat cells of a person.
"I was losing weight on my arms, my face, all over my stomach," Hernandez told INSIDER. "And I was diabetic and I had high blood pressure too." In addition to his health problems, Hernandez said he struggled to perform normal tasks, such as tying his shoes or putting on his pants.
Hernandez underwent surgery to remove the tumor.
Liposarcomas can be removed in a variety of ways, including chemotherapy, but the majority, including that of Hernandez, have been removed surgically, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders. Hernandez's tumor weighed 77 pounds and took six hours to remove, says the USC press release.
With a tumor of this size, surgical complications can include excessive bleeding, infection and organ failure, said Dr. William Tseng, Hernandez surgeon and internationally renowned sarcoma expert, at the INSIDER company. "Often, to get them out, we have to harvest adjacent organs, not just the tumor," Tseng said.
For Hernandez, this also involved taking a kidney, but all cases are different, Tseng noted.
Liposarcomas May Be Difficult to Detect Alone
Hernandez is not the first person to confuse an oversized mbad while it was about something more. In December 2017, Kevin Daly learned that he was suffering from liposarcoma after losing 14 kg and that he was still hungry, already reported INSIDER.
In addition to the inability to lose abdominal mbad, other signs of sarcoma of the lips include abdominal pain and swelling, feeling of fullness earlier than usual when eating, constipation and blood in the stool of the affected person, according to the Mayo Clinic.
"It is important for patients to be aware of the early signs of the disease, such as fatigue, unexpected weight loss, chronic pain, lack of appetite and, for sure, your body if you see anything. Asymmetric or misplaced thing, "Julio Teixeira, Daly's surgeon, told INSIDER in a previous interview.
Read More: The 11 Most Common Cancers in the United States
In Daly's case, it took a scanner for doctors to realize that he had a tumor after others attributed to him his fat belly to a decrease in testosterone. levels that come with age, said INSIDER.
If you notice the symptoms mentioned above, you should immediately consult your health care provider and vouch for your health. "Looking back, I would have liked to go earlier," Hernandez told INSIDER. Now that the tumor has been removed, Hernandez has stated that he does not have diabetes.
To help cover the costs of surgery, a friend of Hernandez has created a GoFundMe page where people can donate and offer words of encouragement after surgery.
Follow-up appointments are essential, even though liposarcoma has been completely removed during surgery
Patients' quality of life will increase immediately after removal of the tumor. But Tseng told INSIDER that it was important to have regular CT exams to make sure that growth would not come back.
"He is likely to return to the same place and then they can become more aggressive and spread," he said.
In order to ensure the health of his body and the absence of liposarcoma, Tseng recommended that patients undergo health check-ups every two to three months for the first two to three years after surgery. After that, exams can be done every six months to a year.
Visit the home page of the INSIDER for more information.
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