Imagine having something the size of a bowling ball growing inside your body.
Jim Gibbons, band director at Oxford High School, doesn’t have to imagine it because he did and he had it removed before it could potentially kill him.
‘I couldn’t believe I had something that big in my stomach,? he said.
On Nov. 18, Gibbons had a hemangioma that could roll a strike or two at Collier Lanes surgically removed from his liver.
Hemangiomas are noncancerous growths that form due to an abnormal collection of blood vessels. They’re often found on the skin or on internal organs, especially the liver. They can grow on other organs such as the kidneys, lungs, colon and brain. They’re usually small, but they can become large.
‘Most cases of liver hemangioma are discovered during a test or procedure for some other condition,? according to the Mayo Clinic’s website. ‘Most people who have a liver hemangioma never experience signs and symptoms and don’t need treatment.?
Apparently, Gibbons isn’t most people.
His hemangioma was discovered in 2012 when he was undergoing testing related to severe injuries he had sustained following a car crash he was involved in near the intersection of M-24 and Lincoln St. in the village.
Testing actually revealed three hemangiomas attached to Gibbon’s liver ? two small ones and a third that he said was roughly about the size of a softball.
‘If I hadn’t had the car accident, they wouldn’t have known that was there,? he said.
According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, symptoms of liver hemangioma include pain in the upper right abdomen, feeling full after eating only a small amount, lack of appetite, nausea and vomiting. ‘There’s no evidence that an untreated liver hemangioma can lead to liver cancer,? the website stated.
Because he wasn’t experiencing any symptoms related to the growths, Gibbons said, ‘It wasn’t something that anybody was overly concerned with.?
After he learned about his hemangiomas, Gibbons found out they apparently run in his family. ‘My mom has one. My brother has one,? he said. ‘For me, it’s probably a hereditary thing.?
Fast forward to last summer when he began experiencing some problems.
‘I was just having digestive issues,? Gibbons explained. ‘I’d get bloated. I would eat a little bit of food and be full or my stomach would be upset. I just wasn’t feeling real good.?
‘Over the course of the summer, I lost about 15 pounds,? he continued. ‘I was not eating as much because I wasn’t feeling good.?
His doctors conducted some initial tests and they thought it was just food allergies.
But Gibbons wasn’t sold on the idea.
‘I felt, the whole time, that it was like there was something structurally not right inside my stomach,? he said. ‘I thought that I had a hernia.?
So, Gibbons went to see his gastroenterologist, who found a hernia and something else.
‘She felt a bump up around my liver.?
An ultrasound test was ordered.
‘It still hadn’t dawned on (my doctor) or on me that the bump around my liver could be the hemangioma,? he noted.
Gibbons could feel part of it with his hand, but he assumed it was simply a remnant of a childhood surgery.
‘I just thought it was scar tissue,? he said. ‘It was like a lump. It almost felt like a golf ball. It didn’t hurt, but I could definitely feel that.?
During the ultrasound test, Gibbons mentioned his hemangioma to the technician. ‘She said, ‘Yeah, I know. I can see it. It’s huge.??
From there, Gibbons went to see a surgeon who told him he wasn’t going to do anything about the hernia until the hemangioma was checked out by a liver specialist.
‘That’s the biggest hemangioma he’d ever seen,? Gibbons said.
Ultimately, it was determined the abnormally-large growth had to be removed.
‘If it had ruptured, it would have been a life-threatening thing for me,? Gibbons said. ‘If it ruptures, you, at that point, have internal bleeding.?
That would have been especially dangerous for Gibbons because he takes blood thinners. This type of medicine increases the risk of heavy bleeding as it interferes with the blood’s natural ability to coagulate, the body’s normal reaction to halt bleeding.
Gibbons noted his surgeon told him it’s ‘very rare? for hemangiomas to ‘spontaneously rupture, but when they do, it’s when they’re really, really big? like his was.
His hematologist knew it had go and happily signed off on the surgery.
‘He said, ‘I want that thing out of Mr. Gibbons.? He was very adamant that it should be taken out,? he said.
When the hemangioma was finally excised, it was actually larger than the testing had shown.
‘They compared it to a bowling ball,? he said. ‘It had gone from a softball to a bowling ball.?
‘I was incredibly relieved that I had decided to go ahead and have the surgery,? Gibbons added.
During surgery, one of the small hemangiomas was removed, but the other one was left in place because it was on the other side of his liver and the doctor didn’t want to risk working on both sides.
‘It’s still there, but they don’t think it will grow or become a problem,? Gibbons said.
These days Gibbons is feeling much better as his digestive problems have subsided.
‘I’m able to eat more of the foods that I like without having issues now,? he said. ‘I think this thing was just pushing on my stomach to the point where it was affecting how well my stomach worked. There was food that my stomach just couldn’t deal with anymore. I would get nauseous.?
He returned to work on Jan. 4.
‘I appreciate all the well wishes I got from everybody,? he said. ‘The teachers, my band parents, they were incredibly supportive.?
Looking back, Gibbons believes he should have gone to the doctor a lot sooner.
‘If you don’t feel good, go to the doctor and have them check it out. Tell them what’s going on,? he said. ‘I didn’t feel good all summer and finally in September, I went to the doctor and that’s what started them on the process of getting this fixed. I should have just done it in July.?