Strange Disease: 63-year-old readies for 71st surgery

This 63-year old expatriate has already undergone 70 surgeries to overcome unwanted skin growth on different parts of his body. He is now gearing up for the 71st surgery.  

Vijayan, 63, an Indian expatriate in Muscat, Oman, has spent a major part of his life fighting Rhinosporidiosis, a rare disease.

He has spent much time on the surgery table in the operation theatres of several hospitals in India and Oman.

Rhinosporidiosis is a chronic granulomatous infection of the mucous membranes that usually manifests as vascular friable polyps that arise from the nasal mucosa or external structures of the eye.

“From my toes to skull, unwanted growth happens regularly and the disease has been haunting me ever since I was 18-years old.

"Last year, I had three surgeries. Just one doctor in a hospital alone has done 30 surgeries on me,” Vijayan told Emirates 24|7 over telephone from Muscat.

“I have been suffering from the strange disease for many years and now I am even giving counseling to other patients.

"Doctors said many patients have cell growth, but that they have not encountered anyone with systematic growth like mine,” he says, adding that his siblings do not share his disease.

It started as nasal Rhinosporidiosis and spread to other parts of the body. According to his doctors, the only solution is surgical removal of the unwanted growth.

Rhinosporidiosis is treated with surgical excision because, generally, medical treatment has not been proven effective, according to medical experts.

Now the father of a 19-year-old engineering student, Vijayan was first treated in the Trichur District Government Hospital in Kerala, India.

According to doctors treating him, the number of surgeries is going up as his immune system is weakening with age.

He has tried various forms of medicines – allopathy, homeopathy, Ayurveda, naturopathy, Yoga and alternative medicines, and the only solution, though temporary is laser surgery to burn the body growth, he added.

“It is like a strawberry growing throughout my body and comes out of the body  and people find it odd, and I try to hide it by putting cotton in my nose,” he said.

“As the treatment was expensive in Muscat, I used to go to India three to four times every year for surgeries. Each surgery cost me about Rs50,000 and it has financially ruined me as well.”

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