Kyomugisha is a farmer from Uganda. She is married with four children. Two years ago, she developed a mass in her right ear. The mass is disfiguring and increasing in size.
Kyomugisha traveled to our medical partner’s care center to receive treatment. On February 1, surgeons will remove the mass. Now, Kyomugisha needs help to raise $187 to fund this procedure.
Kyomugisha says, “I hope to continue farming and have a better quality of life after surgery.”
Kyomugisha did not receive treatment as expected.
When Kyomugisha came for admission, the mass had reduced. There is no need for surgery.
Kyomugisha was submitted by Joan Kadagaya, SAFE Senior Program Coordinator at African Mission Healthcare.
Kyomugisha was scheduled to receive treatment at Karoli Lwanga Hospital, Nyakibale in Uganda. Medical partners often provide care to patients accepted by Watsi before those patients are fully funded, operating under the guarantee that the cost of care will be paid for by donors.
Kyomugisha's profile was published to start raising funds.
Kyomugisha is no longer raising funds.
What kinds of symptoms do patients experience before receiving treatment?
Broadly speaking, masses come in two types: benign (not cancer) and malignant (cancer). The types of tumors are many and could range from osteosarcoma of the jaw (a bone tumor) to thyroid enlargement to breast lump to lipoma (benign fat tumor), among others. The symptoms vary depending on the type of tumor. Not all tumors, cancerous or benign, show symptoms. A common benign tumor, such as a lipoma (fatty tumor), may cause local pressure and pain, or may be disfiguring and socially stigmatizing. An ovarian mass may be benign or cancerous and may cause pain, bleeding, or, if malignant, death.
What is the impact on patients’ lives of living with these conditions?
If the tumor is cancerous, it is usually aggressive and invasive. If not treated (like certain skin cancers, for example) there could be great tissue destruction, pain, deformity, and ultimately death.
What cultural or regional factors affect the treatment of these conditions?
Due to lack of accessibility to treatment facilities, some of the patients have lived with masses for a long time. Access to medical facilities is difficult for people living in remote parts of Uganda.
What does the treatment process look like?
The patient is usually admitted for three days. They undergo three- to five-hour surgery depending on the location of the mass and whether it's cancerous. After surgery, they are continuously monitored in the wards.
What is the impact of this treatment on the patient’s life?
In the case of cancer, the procedure can be life-saving. In the case of benign tumors, patients can be free of pain or social stigma.
What potential side effects or risks come with this treatment?
If the tumor is cancerous, the surgeon will only try to remove it if the procedure would be curative. If cancer has already spread, then surgery cannot help. Most of these surgeries are not very risky.
How accessible is treatment in the area? What is the typical journey like for a patient to receive care?
There are few qualified facilities and surgeons to perform this procedure.
What are the alternatives to this treatment?
Alternatives depend on the type of tumor. If the tumor is cancerous, chemotherapy may help, but that treatment is even less available than surgery. If the tumor is benign, it depends on the condition but just watching the mass would be one option.