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Medical Mysteries, Bizarre Cases

Hairdresser Kandi du Cros died after breast implant operation flared up rare existing disease
By Oli_Vergnault | Posted: May 08, 2017

A St Austell hairdresser is likely to have died after breast implant surgery caused the flare-up of an extremely rare disease which in turn led to a catastrophic organ failure, an inquest heard.

Kandi du Cros was admitted to Royal Cornwall Hospital (RCH) at Treliske in January 2014 after her health started to deteriorate rapidly with flu-like symptoms, high fever and pain.

In a statement to the inquest at Truro, Kandi's husband Ray said she became so unwell the week before being admitted to hospital that she spent a whole day on the sofa, which was "so unlike her", and even asked friends on Facebook to take their son Bailey to school, which again he said was "so unlike Kandi".

Once admitted to hospital Mr du Cros said Denise, his wife's mother, had to repeatedly remind medical staff at the hospital of her allergy to penicillin.
In his statement, he said that at some point while in hospital, Kandi, 32, felt so poorly she even told her mother Denise that "she felt like she was being poisoned".

The inquest into the death of the mother-of-one heard how she was diagnosed in 2004 with a very rare auto immune condition known as mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). The condition can lead to joint pains, skin abnormalities, muscle weakness and internal organ problems. It is so rare that staff at RCH only see 10 to 20 cases a year.
Known as an overlap disease because it has the signs and symptoms of a combination of disorders, it can sometimes be interpreted as something else and is identified by abnormal antibodies in the blood.

The inquest heard that Kandi had led a full healthy life and did not need treatment for the condition.
However two months prior to her death she had breast implants at the private Duchy Hospital which her condition did not prevent her from having.

The inquest heard that the surgery was understood to have triggered her dormant condition which led in turn to a rise in abnormal antibodies and anti-coagulants in her body. As result small clots started forming in some of her organs and led to a complete organ shut down.

David Hutchinson, a consultant rheumatologist who treated Kandi at Treliske from the moment she was admitted on January 17, 2014, until her death two days later, said that while there was no indication the silicon in the breast implants had caused some allergic reaction or infection which led to her death, it was "highly likely" the trauma of the operation itself had flared up her genetic condition.

In turn her heart, liver and spleen shut down over the next two days. Dr Hutchinson said transporting her to a London hospital was even considered by staff at RCH so she could receive a heart transplant after her heart started failing, but he said Kandi would not have survived the trip.

In the end, the Hammersmith-born hairdresser fell into a coma and her husband had to take the heart-breaking decision to switch off her life support machine. :(

Dr Hutchinson told the inquest sepsis and fungal infection could be ruled out as triggers for the multiple organ failure.
He said: "I don't think there is a direct link between the breast augmentation and Mrs du Clos's death however the surgery procedure is highly likely to have led to a flare up of her condition and a catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome and eventually to multiple organ failures."

In his evidence, Ray said: "Should there have been more tests done into Kandi's tissue disease before she had a breast implant operations? I don't think the severity of her condition was fully appreciated and the right treatment was put in place at the time she was in hospital."

The three-day inquest is expected to finish on Wednesday (May 10) following two days of evidence from medical experts.

http://www.cornwalllive.com/hairdre...ting-disease/story-30319305-detail/story.html

What a sad tale. The photo of Kandi on the page shows a lively and apparently healthy young woman.
 
Final verdict:
St Austell hairdresser Kandi Du Cros died from sepsis and not a direct result of breast augmentation
By Shannon_Hards | Posted: May 10, 2017

The death of a St Austell hairdresser, was not 'directly associated' with breast augmentation surgery she had in the weeks before she died, an inquest has heard.

Kandi du Cros, a 32-year-old mother, died of multiple organ failure caused by sepsis in January 2014, the coroner's court in Truro heard, as coroner Dr Emma Carlyon gave her verdict.

Kandi developed a fever and vomiting a couple of weeks after breast surgery she had undergone in the private Duchy Hospital in Truro.
She became so unwell she had to be admitted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital, where she died two days later.

...

In her conclusion, coroner Dr Emma Carlyon said: "Kandi du Cros had a quiescent auto immune disease (SLE). She was admitted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital on January 16, 2014 with evidence of sepsis.
"Despite investigation, no source for the sepsis was identified. She was treated with a broad spectrum of antibiotics, steroids and immunoglobulin therapy [a mixture of antibodies].
"Despite medical intervention she died on January 19, 2014. The post-mortem identified invasive pulmonary candida and no other source of infection.

"Kandi du Cros had undergone aspiration of ranula and breast augmentation surgery where she was given antibiotics which were considered to atypically and unexpectedly affect her microbiological flora.
"She developed a fungal infection and sepsis and exacerbation of her existing autoimmune disease which led to her death."

She continued: "My conclusion as to the death is that I accept the evidence of Dr Stolte, Dr Hutchinson, Dr Hill and Dr Ashton-cleary that she died as a consequence of sepsis.
"I have not found any evidence that this death was directly associated with previous procedures. I therefore find it probable that is more likely than not that Kandi Denise du Cros died from overwhelming sepsis against a background of autoimmune disease, antibiotic therapy and surgery."

Dr Carlyon gave the cause of death as 1A multiple organ failure, 1B sepsis, 1C pulmonary candidiasis, part two SLE (autoimmune disease), surgical procedure and antibiotic treatment.
Dr Carlyon also noted that the Duchy Hospital at Truro had carried out a review following Kandi's death and carried out tests to eliminate contamination concerns in the operating theatre, where Kandi had her surgery.

She also expressed her condolences to Kandi's family and thanked the medical professionals for attending with their evidence.

http://www.cornwalllive.com/st-aust...augmentation/story-30324961-detail/story.html
 
This man has been living with someone else's heart for 30 years
By CturnerHerald | Posted: June 12, 2017

A man from Plymouth is celebrating 30 years since having a heart transplant – despite being told the organ would only last him a maximum of 10 years.

Paul Hayman says he takes each day as it comes and stays as relaxed as he possibly can – adding that his laid back nature could be one of the reasons his heart has continued to stay healthy.

Celebrating both his 50th birthday and the 30th anniversary of his transplant in December, Paul urges people to consider donating their organs – as without his new heart, he believes he would have been dead the same year he was rushed to Cambridge for the major operation in 1987.

It was after he collapsed at school in a badminton lesson at the age of 15 when Paul was referred for various tests, which discovered he had been struck down with a serious and rare heart condition which made the organ four times its normal size.

Paul appeared on the front page of The Herald in 1987 on the day he underwent an operation which he said "saved his life".
The Honicknowle resident visited the Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire (where he was given the life saving transplant) last year. Whilst there, doctors told Paul that there were "not many like him" who had survived for so long and that it was "uncharted territory".

Paul's surgery was carried out by Sir Terence English, the man who performed Britain's first ever successful heart transplant.
"I've been really really lucky, I do have to pinch myself each day as I can't comprehend that I'm still here," said Paul.
"Getting this heart was the greatest gift anyone in the world could receive, it's a miracle.
"Everyday I think 'it's another day' and get on with it, I keep myself well and take it all in my stride."

Despite having successful heart surgery, Paul's life has not been without its challenges.
....

And, at the age of 37, Paul's kidneys began to fail.
But, following six years on dialysis and two years waiting on the transplant list, he finally found a donor and had successful surgery at Derriford Hospital.

Paul previously told The Herald: "Being on dialysis for six years was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. It's all down to the staff at Derriford, Papworth, and my family and friends that I'm alive today.
"Organ donation is so important and perhaps if the law was changed to an opt-out system there would be a lot more people like myself who would still be alive."

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/ply...nt-this-year/story-30377035-detail/story.html
 
False widow spider bite led to life-threatening infection
5 July 2017

A man left critically ill after being bitten by a spider hidden in a bunch of bananas says A&E staff saved his life.
Paul Jory, 59, was bitten by a three-inch arachnid, thought to be a false widow, in the living room of his home in St Albans on 5 May.
He says his arm developed a swelling the size of a golf ball and he was put in an induced coma as his body fought a life-threatening infection.
"Without the care I received, I'd be dead," he told the BBC.

The father-of-one has undergone eight operations since the infection and has been left with 40% movement in his right arm.
From descriptions he gave, Mr Jory believes he may have been bitten by a venomous false widow spider.

...

Mr Jory, the managing director of a marketing firm in Hertfordshire, went to Watford General hospital, where the last thing he remembers is being put on a "wheelie bed". He was placed in an induced coma - and spent almost five weeks in hospital.
He developed a flesh-eating infection and lost "chunks of muscle and flesh" from his upper arm.
"My notes say I had necrotising fasciitis secondary to a spider bite," he added.

A scar now runs from his wrist to his armpit.
"Everyone knocks the NHS," he said. "But they pulled out all the stops for me. They saved my life."

False widows are cited as Britain's most venomous spiders, but experts say the species is not usually aggressive towards humans and that bites are rare.
They're often mistaken for their more dangerous cousin, the black widow.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-40504978
 
Restoring pigment to gray hair is a noteworthy side effect for the particular cancer drugs involved here. The strangest bit is that the effect seems to have been reversed for patients taking the same drug(s) for a different type of cancer.

NO DYE: CANCER PATIENTS' GRAY HAIR DARKENED ON IMMUNE DRUGS

A

Cancer patients' gray hair unexpectedly turned youthfully dark while taking novel drugs, and it has doctors scratching their heads.

Chemotherapy is notorious for making hair fall out, but the 14 patients involved were all being treated with new immunotherapy drugs that work differently and have different side effects. A Spanish study suggests that may include restoring hair pigment, at least in patients with lung cancer.

With the first patient, "we thought it could be an isolated case," said Dr. Noelia Rivera, a dermatologist at Autonomous University of Barcelona.

But she said the research team found the same thing when they asked other patients for photos from before treatment.

The 14 cases were among 52 lung cancer patients being followed to see whether they developed bad side effects from the drugs - Keytruda, Opdivo and Tecentriq.

While most patients did not have a color change, the 14 cases suggest it's not an isolated finding. In 13 patients, hair turned darkish brown or black. In one patient, it turned black in patches.

In another odd twist, the same drugs have been linked previously with hair losing color in patients with another cancer, melanoma.

FULL STORY: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-07-21-11-40-46
 
Medical Mysteries, please.

Not 'news strories that feature doctors and ambulances'.
 
Not only did the casualty apparently have a sex change, so did the photographer! :p
 
Not only did the casualty apparently have a sex change, so did the photographer! :p

Nobody had a sex change, it's just rubbish reporting.
There's no mystery and any slight factual haze is certainly not medical.
Posts removed as off topic.
 
So somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky there is a place called "Troublesome Creek" where interbreeding created a family of blue skinned people... Sounds like a horror movie, but it's true!

The Blue Fugate Family of Troublesome Creek, Kentucky

For nearly 200 years, the Fugate family of Kentucky remained largely sealed off from the outside world as they passed their blue skin from generation to generation.

When Benjamin “Benjy” Stacy was born in 1975, nurses and doctors were shocked and confused.

Rather than coming out a bright shade of crimson like most babies, Benjy was born with dark blue skin. Doctors were so worried by this alien skin color that they called an ambulance to take Benjy the 116 miles from his hometown outside Hazard, Kentucky to the University of Kentucky Medical Center.

http://all-that-is-interesting.com/blue-fugate-family-kentucky
 
A family of 14 who were all born with six fingers and six toes have welcomed another member to their clan - a baby boy with same genetic abnormality.

The extraordinary De Silva family, from Brasília, Brazil, have used the extra digit to their advantage and say the abnormality makes them "stand out from the crowd".

Seven-year-old Guilherme said: “The coolest thing about having six fingers being able to hold a lot of things at once.”

His cousin Maria added: “The best thing about having six fingers is I can play more keys [on the piano].

And goalkeeper Joao Assis said: “I’m able to reach some balls when people can’t. For me it’s easier to hold the ball, I have more grip and my hands covers more, so it’s difficult for the ball to escape."

Alessandro’s grandfather Assis is responsible for turning the family’s deficiency into something to be proud of.

Alessandro said: “My grandfather transformed having six fingers into a valuable thing. So much so that he wrote a book where his hands are on the cover.

"And he composed music and everything he did carried the six finger family symbol. He transformed the six fine thing into a family brand.”

Family-With-Six-Fingers-and-Toes.jpg


Family-With-Six-Fingers-and-Toes.jpg


Family-With-Six-Fingers-and-Toes.jpg
 
An extra finger is always useful.
 
Hmmm...that would seem to go without saying. See this pic from above:

Family-With-Six-Fingers-and-Toes.jpg


You'd be able to play some pretty jazzy extended chords. I'm trying to imagine what you could do on guitar with 6 fingers.
 
This rare condition results in flu-like symptoms resulting from orgasm ... :doh:

ORGASMS CAN CAUSE MEN TO CONTRACT MYSTERIOUS FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS THAT SCIENTISTS CAN'T EXPLAIN
A rare condition called Post-Orgasmic Illness Syndrome causes men to develop flu-like symptoms after they ejaculate.

POIS was first reported in 2002, but there’s been barely any research conducted in the years since, and only around 50 cases reported in medical literature. ...

POIS causes symptoms like those from allergies or the flu. They can appear after partnered sex, masturbation or spontaneously during sleep. Men who have suffered from such symptoms since the first time they ejaculated have what’s known as primary POIS. If the symptoms arise later in life, then it’s secondary POIS. Some researchers believe it's likely that POIS is an auto-immune condition, but its causes are still unclear. ...

... [T]he “constellation” of symptoms varies somewhat from patient to patient, but usually includes fatigue, muscle weakness, fever, sinus congestion, burning eyes and incoherent speech. Then those symptoms can in turn cause irritability and a reduced capacity for concentration.

In order to meet the criteria for an official diagnosis, a patient needs to consistently exhibit one or more of those symptoms within a few seconds to a few hours of ejaculating; symptoms last approximately two to seven days, after which they recede on their own. ...

Previously attempted treatments have included antihistamines and antidepressants, and even “hyposensitization therapy”—repeated injections of diluted semen (the patient’s own) under the skin to build tolerance. Nothing is considered effective so far.

FULL STORY: http://www.newsweek.com/mysterious-medical-condition-men-cold-allergy-symptoms-723880
 
I once in the course of a job and no not that course or job you horrible lot
had to visit a recently closed brothel, there was so much talcum powder about the
place it sent me into sneezing fits, maybe the scientists that cant explain it
should go on a field trip.
 
Bangladesh Tree Man to Undergo Surgery.
"Slowly I lost all my ability to work . . . " Poor bloke. ...

Here's an update on the Bangladeshi 'Tree Man' - Abul Bajandar. He's had 24 surgeries since the January 2016 story was posted, and it's not clear what his prognosis may be.

First, here are photos, in chronological order, illustrating the change from January 2016 to the present day ...

Bajandar-Then.jpg

Bajandar as of January 2016

Bajandar-Now.jpeg

Bajandar as of February 2018

'Tree Man': Unusual Bark-Like Growths Return After 24 Surgeries
A patient in Bangladesh known as "tree man" underwent extensive surgeries last year to remove wood-like warts from his hands and feet. Now, however, he says the unusual growths are starting to come back.

The man, Abul Bajandar, had 24 surgeries over the past year to remove more than 11 pounds (5 kilograms) of growths from his body ...

In January of last year, doctors were optimistic that Bajandar could soon leave the hospital and go back to his normal life. But he has spent the last 12 months in the hospital, where he has been living with his family, and his doctors now say his case appears more complicated than they initially thought, AFP reported.

"I am scared to have any more surgeries," Bajandar told the AFP. "I don't think my hands and feet will be okay again." ...

FULL STORY: https://www.livescience.com/61626-tree-man-unusual-growths-return.html
 
Sadly, it didn't end well for the other tree man (Dede).
Hope someone finds a cure for this.
 
Rock guitarist, 61, killed himself because his hearing was so sensitive he could hear his eyeballs moving in their sockets

Kelvin Edmunds, 61, suffered from Semicircular Canal Dehiscence Syndrome
Condition affects less than 1 in 1,000 people, causes hypersensitivity to noise
Mr Edmunds attacked his girlfriend when she saved him from suicide attempt
Inquest heard he hanged himself on day he was to be sentenced for the assault
By KEILIGH BAKER FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 12:03, 31 January 2018 | UPDATED: 14:57, 31 January 2018

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5334661/Man-killed-self-hear-eyeballs-move.html

A musician was driven to suicide because his hearing was so sensitive he could hear his eyeballs moving in their sockets.

An inquest heard Kelvin Edmunds, 61, from Cyncoed in Cardiff, suffered from Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence Syndrome (SSCDS), a rare condition which affects fewer than 1 in 1,000 people.

It causes hypersensitivity to noise and amplified every sound he heard, leading to his mental health deteriorating. The inquest heard he stuffed tissue paper into his ears to drown outside noises but could still hear his own heartbeat - and even head his eyeballs moving in his head.

48C1FAD200000578-0-image-m-3_1517398646878.jpg



Former rock guitarist Mr Edmunds tried to hang himself when he decided he could no longer live with the hearing condition but was found by his partner Phanrutai Walford, who saved his life by cutting off the noose and giving CPR.

But the inquest heard Mr Edmunds attacked Miss Walford, 46, because he was angry she had prevented his suicide bid.

He went missing on the day he was due to be sentenced for assaulting Thailand-born Miss Walford and was later found hanged.

Miss Walford told the hearing: 'He could hear his eyeballs moving in their sockets - he would go to bed just to get some silence. He had two operations to sort it out but they didn't work.'

Miss Walford told how she followed Mr Edmunds to the garden shed at their home in September last year because she knew something was wrong. She said: 'I saw him put a noose around his neck and when I tried to stop him he strangled me until I passed out. 'When I came around he was hanging but with the help of a neighbour we got him down and gave him CPR.'

He was admitted as a voluntary patient to a psychiatric unit in Whitchurch, Cardiff, where he was staying on the night before his court case.

The inquest heard he was convinced he would go to prison for attacking his partner even though she had forgiven him.

Mr Edmunds told nurses he was going to walk to home and then go to the court hearing with Miss Walford on October 5. But he failed to arrive and was found dead in woods at Cwmbach, in the South Wales valleys, where he used to play as a child.

The inquest heard Mr Edmunds worked as an engineer in Libya when his Welsh rock band Rhode Island Red failed to make the big time. Family and friends regarded him as a hero for giving up his plane seat to a young Filipino girl during the 2014 evacuation of Libya.

But the inquest heard Mr Edmunds became mentally fragile after suffering from SSCDS for 15 years and it was impacting on his well-being. Glamorgan Coroner Andrew Barkley said: 'He had some difficulty with low mood caused by his ears and sensitivity to increased noise. 'He was charged with an offence in relation to a his partner in terrible and tragic circumstances.

'We also know he had researched suicide and had written a will just weeks before.'

The coroner recorded a verdict of suicide.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.
 
Amazing! They even finish each other's sentences.
Technically, that must be a jobshare.
 
This may have been the largest brain tumor in the world by the time surgery was performed ...

Indian Man's Brain Tumor Might Be the World's Largest
Doctors in India recently operated on what they say could be the largest brain tumor in the world, according to news reports.

The patient, 31-year-old Santlal Pal, had been living with the large mass on his head for three years before his surgery to remove the tumor, the BBC reported today (Feb. 22). Prior to the surgery, three hospitals had told Pal that the tumor was inoperable, his wife Manju told the BBC.

The tumor weighed nearly 4 lbs. (1.8 kilograms) — "much bigger than [Pal's] own head," Dr. Trimurti Nadkarni, a neurosurgeon at Nair Hospital in Mumbai, India, who performed the 6-hour operation, told The Hindu.

"We have checked all the available medical texts," Nadkarni said. "We have not found any tumor as big as this." He told The Hindu that he removed a 3-lb. (1.4 kg) brain tumor from another patient in 2002. ...

FULL STORY: https://www.livescience.com/61841-largest-brain-tumor-removed.html

Pal-Tumor.jpg

 
Too effin unbelievable? Yes, but weird enough.
..................................................
You've got to be yolking! Teenage boy, 14, lays an EGG in front of baffled doctors - and he says he's squeezed out nearly two dozen over the last few years
  • Teenage boy claims to have laid 20 eggs from his rectum in the past two years
  • Akmal, 14, from Gowa in Indonesia says he has been laying eggs since 2016
  • When cracked open the eggs appear to be either all yoke or all white
By PETER DEVLIN FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

PUBLISHED: 03:16 GMT, 22 February 2018 | UPDATED: 13:13 GMT, 22 February 2018

If you're eating breakfast now is your last chance to turn away.

A teenage boy has claimed to have laid 20 eggs in the past two years, completely baffling doctors.

Akmal, 14, from Gowa in Indonesia says he has been regularly laying eggs since 2016.

Scroll down for video

4976949900000578-5420483-A_teenage_boy_has_claimed_to_have_laid_20_eggs_over_the_past_two-a-56_1519269527613.jpg


+4
A teenage boy has claimed to have laid 20 eggs over the past two years, completely baffling doctors (X-ray pictured)

When cracked open Akmal's father claims the eggs laid by his son appear to be either all yolk or all white.

The 14-year-old has been repeatedly hospitalised for his condition, and recently laid two eggs in front of doctors.

His father Rusli said: 'In two years he laid 18 eggs and two today, so in total there have been 20. I cracked the first egg and its content was all yellow, no white.'

But doctors are baffled by his condition, saying its 'impossible' for eggs to form inside the human body, the Daily Star reported.

A spokesperson from the hospital said: 'Our suspicion is that the eggs were deliberately shoved into Akmal's rectum. But we did not see it directly.'

Akmal's father denied this.

More at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5420483/Indonesian-boy-claims-laid-20-eggs.html
 
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