'Dr Pimple Popper': Gerard wants to get rid of lumps on his body but his blood condition makes surgery risky
When one first looks at Gerard, one would think that there is nothing wrong with him. So, it wasn't a surprise that Dr Sandra Lee thought that Gerard was in perfectly good shape. However, she noticed the problem once she laid her eyes on his hands. She realized that Gerard had a number of lumps on his hand that looked enormous.
While the right side looked worse than the left, Dr Lee realized that his left hand also had lumps, which were noticeable once he lifted the sleeves of his T-shirt. Gerard stated that he first saw the lumps when he was 20 and since then he has seen them grow in all sizes, big and small.
Gerard added that his sister also has them but they are not as bad as his. After looking at the lumps closely, Dr Lee stated that Gerard had familial multiple lipomatosis. She said she has seen many patients who suffer from the same but they normally are of smaller size.
Dr Lee added that the lumps on Gerard's body were big and deformed his body. While she was optimistic that something could be done, she second-guessed her words when she had a look at Gerard's medical history. She realized that he had a blood condition called Factor Five Leiden in which the blood gets clot more than usual.
She was concerned because the condition meant that there were chances of Gerard's veins getting clotted easily. Gerard explained that in the past the doctors have told him that he could undergo surgery but since they are so many in number, they didn't think it would be possible.
He added that he used to be proud of his body in his 20s but things changed when the lumps started showing up. He says now he is too embarrassed to go to the gym or even look at a full-length mirror as it bothers him more than he talks about.
He assured Dr Lee that he had consulted his doctors if it was safe to undergo surgery if necessary. He further said he was taking the medicines that would stop his blood from getting clotted. However, Dr Lee was still concerned as this risk could even lead to death but looking at how Gerard seemed desperate to get rid of them, she decided to consider the surgery.
However, she made it clear that she will not be able to get rid of all of them together and would first focus on removing the lumps that are bigger in size and away from vessels that may get clotted. While there was risk involved, Dr Lee was able to successfully remove 16 of them in one go but there was a lot more to go.
Unfortunately, Gerard and Dr Lee were getting tired but she was happy with the progress they had made.
'Dr Pimple Popper' airs on Thursdays at 9 pm ET on TLC.