A woman removed the ‘melon-sized’ lipoma from her shoulder in a procedure she described as ‘mission impossible’ in Dr Pimple Popper.
In tonight’s episode of the TLC show, Jackie (50) from Indiana explains how she’s been living with a big, bulbous ball-sized lump on the back of her right shoulder for the past nine years.
“My hump looks like a big melon,” she says. “It’s awkwardly shaped, it sticks out, it’s just big.”
The large red, bulging lump has caused Jackie grief for most of a decade, and it shows no signs of getting smaller.
Jackie (pictured) (50), from Indiana, had the ‘melon-sized’ lipoma removed from her shoulder in a procedure she described as ‘mission impossible’ in tonight’s episode of Dr Pimple Popper
The big red, bulging lump makes Jackie sad for the best part of a decade. In the photo it is removing it
“I had this condition for about nine years, it was very small, but it protruded,” she reveals. ‘About a year ago my bump doubled about three times and I was looked out for by a family doctor. He just said it’s a very common tumor. ‘
Before the bump appeared, Jackie lived an active, social lifestyle. But now she felt too ashamed to go out and withdrew her garden.
“Since the bump has increased, I avoid people when I can,” she admits. ‘If I had not done my gardening, I probably would never have left my house. I’m in an enclosure now, while I was more there before and was bubbling. ‘
Because of the impact the lump has had on her everyday life, it causes Jackie constant pain and discomfort.
“I just want to sit down and block the whole world and get stability,” she says. “I can usually not even get comfortable enough to do it.”
Jackie’s bump also hampered her rapper husband’s plans to involve her in one of his homemade hip-hop videos.
Jackie says it would be nice to just wake up and look in the mirror and not see the ‘big thing’ on her back (photo)
“He really wants me to be in the camera with him, but I’m mostly no, no, no,” Jackie says.
Above all, she just wants to be her old self again.
“It would be nice to just wake up and look in the mirror and not see this big thing on my back,” she says.
At the end of her tape, Jackie travels to California to see Dr. Pimple Popper – or dermatological surgeon Dr. Sandra Lee – at her new, COVID-adapted outpatient clinic to see if she can say goodbye to the lump on her back for a long time.
After having a video consultation with Jackie, Dr. Lee can now, for the first time, bump Jackie’s back.
Without stabbing Jackie under the knife, she will not know for sure, but according to the CT scan, the expert suspects that she is dealing with a lipoma.
“There are few septations, which means there are small bands holding it all over,” she explains. “It’s quite limited in this net of fibrous tissue, and it makes it harder to remove.”
Dr Lee investigates this first hand and is shocked at how heavy Jackie’s lump is.
“It’s starting to get heavy, it’s quite heavy,” she says.
Because of the size of the lipoma, Dr. Lee warns that Jackie has a chance of not being able to remove it, but promises that they will open it up and see what they are dealing with.
“I have a little bit of tension and a little bit of anxiety, but I’m trying to overcome the doubt and that it’s an excellent day,” Jackie says.
Brought into the operating room, Jackie lets her shoulder lump be taken from the melon with local anesthetic, ready for Dr. Lee to make her first incision.
As he cuts on top and through the center of the hump, Jackie’s tight skin splits apart, revealing a jelly-like ball of yellow fat. Dr. Lee’s suspicion is confirmed: it’s a lipoma.
“So far it looks good,” Dr. Lee said as she began to swing her finger and tried to pull the lipoma out of Jackie’s skin. But soon the expert realizes the magnitude of the work she has in her hands.
“I feel all this neat, I should not have spoken too soon!” she admits. “I looked, this lipoma is definitely going to fight, there are a lot of septations, there is a lot of solid, scar-like tissue that just keeps this lipoma in place.”
The lipoma cannot be removed in one go, but the troublesome nature in which the lipoma has formed forces Dr. Lee to remove it piece by piece, as she gradually slides it out of Jackie’s back.
The 50-year-old says the bulging lump causes her constant pain and discomfort. In the picture I try to lie down
As Dr. Lee puts it, it is a challenging procedure that requires endurance.
“There’s a room filled with laser beams, but now it’s septations, and I’m trying to pull this lipoma out without cutting something I should not,” she says. “It’s like a lipoma mission impossible!”
Dr. Lee removes the massive lipoma piece by piece and after what looks like centuries, Jackie is finally lipoma free.
“Jackie’s lipoma gave me trouble, I think I got it all,” says Dr Lee, sighing in relief. “Lipoma impossible: mission accomplished!”
Using a hand mirror, Jackie sees her lipoma-free shoulder and cannot believe her eyes.
“Oh woe, it looks so wonderful!” Say Jackie cheerfully. “There’s not a big bump there anymore, and to see my skin flat and see the stitches, and then look at my tattoo again and see, I have not seen that tattoo in nine years!”
Jackie’s lipoma weighs on a few scales and weighs over 6 pounds.
“I can not believe it’s actually going out of me, it’s so wonderful!” she says.
Dr Pimple Popper returns to TLC on Thursdays from 28 January at 22:00 for a brand new series and stream on discovery +