REDMOND, Ore. – Linda Rittenbach tried all the diets and workouts, but nothing would help her lose weight. Doctors even suggested weight-loss surgery.
It wasn't until the Redmond woman went to a different doctor this spring for flu-like symptoms that she found out why she couldn't shed the pounds. A 140-pound cancerous tumor had been growing near her stomach for the past 15 to 20 years.
"My doctor told me I had two choices," she told KTVZ-TV. "I could either live or die. And I had a 20 percent chance, if I had the surgery."
It took doctors in Redmond and Portland three surgeries, over two months, to remove the tumor. Doctors had to remove her kidneys to complete the surgery, and were only able to put one back.
"The type of tumor that wound up being extracted was extremely rare," said Dr. George Tsai at St. Charles Medical Center-Redmond. "But I think it underscores that when things don't quite make sense and become a chronic problem, don't stop until you find the answer."
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