A woman who had one of her 70-pound legs amputated claims the stump is growing, the Daily Mail reported.
Mandy Sellars, 36, is suspected to suffer from a rare condition called Proteus syndrome, which caused her to be born with abnormally large legs and feet.
Proteus syndrome is a congenital disorder that causes atypical growth of the bones, skin and head, as well as numerous tumors. Only 120 people in the world currently live with the condition, according to experts.
Despite her condition, Sellars was able to spend much of her life walking and engaging in normal activities until two years ago, when one of her legs became infected with septicaemia.
Sellars consented to surgery to amputate the leg after doctors told her she could die from the infection.
According to current guidelines regarding Proteus syndrome, surgery to remove an overgrown portion of bone should be performed only if the overgrowth affects normal functioning because this can sometimes increase the growth of the remaining bone.
And now, 22 months later, Sellars told reporters that the stump is indeed growing – and fast.
“I hoped the amputation would stabilize my condition, but I think I knew in my heart that it would start growing again,” Sellars told the Daily Mirror. “Almost straight away the stump began increasing in circumference and I was finding it harder to fit inside my prosthetic leg.”
“Then the stump got so heavy that it nearly broke the prosthetic leg.”
The stump now weighs 42 pounds and is nearly 40 inches in circumference, she said.
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