Man known as 'the Hunchback of Notre Dame' has enormous lump removed from the back of his neck on Dr Pimple Popper - as she says 'it's like pulling cheese off a pizza'
- WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
- Paul, 51, from Texas, has been hiding gigantic lipoma located on back of his neck
- He thought the lump developed because of a treatment he was taking at the time
- He feature's in tonight's graphic episode of Doctor Pimple Popper on TLC
A man who has been labelled the Hunchback of Notre Dame due to the gigantic hump growing out the back of his neck has it removed in Dr Pimple Popper.
In tonight's episode of the TLC show, Paul, 51, from Texas, reveals that while he is used to living an active lifestyle in his job as an RV delivery driver, he's been held back by the enormous lump on the back of his neck.
But Paul's lipoma turns out to be one of the most stubborn and messiest lipoma's Dr Lee has ever dealt with.
'This lipoma has been there for over 10 years, so it's made itself a nice cosy home and it really doesn't want to leave,' Dr Lee says as she tugs and pulls away at the fatty lump, removing it piece by piece.
'This one needs romancing! Where's my big serving spoon when I need it? It's official: the messiest lipoma ever. Have you ever pulled the cheese off the top of a pizza? That's what it looks like!'
Paul, 51, from Texas, has an enormous lipoma removed from his neck in tonight's Dr Pimple Popper
Dr Sandra Lee, aka Dr Pimple Popper compares removing Paul's gigantic lipoma (pictured) to peeling cheese off a pizza
Paul explains he tries to hide his lump as much as possible when out and about. He thought it started growing because of a treatment he took for a sciatic nerve problem but Dr Sandra Lee has her own suspicions
The bump started out as a small pimple, but grew when Paul started receiving treatment for a sciatic nerve problem.
'About 10 years ago I started having sciatic nerve problems. When I got put on steroids to eliminate the pain, it made this thing [the lump] start growing,' he says.
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'My sciatic nerve problem finally went away and I quit steroids. But the lump is still growing and getting bigger and bigger. It was the size of a softball, and now it's probably tripled in size.'
Deeply embarrassed by the enormous bump, Paul admits that he struggles to hide it.
Dr Sandra Lee says she doesn't think Paul's lump developed because of his treatment, but can't confirm until she opens him up
Paul says he can only wear collared shirts because of his lump, and says he is embarrassed by the mass
Dr Sandra Lee gets working and opens Paul's lump up and deems it's 'the messiest lipoma ever'
'I try to hide it as much as possible,' he says. 'I used to wear t-shirts all the time, now I wear collared shirts all the time. Now it's getting to the point where the collared shirts can't hide it. So what's my next step? Put a bag over my head?'
Getting emotional, Paul reveals that he's had to put up with name calling when going out in public, and struggles to live a normal life because of the bump.
'It emotionally tears me apart when somebody callas me the Hunchback of Notre Dame or the man with the lump on his neck,' he says. 'It rips apart your soul. You almost want to crawl under a rock.'
After a decade of living with the lump, and with a little bit of friendly pressure from his friends, Paul finally heads off to California to visit Dr Sandra Lee and get the lump diagnoses and removed.
Sat in Dr Lee's chair for his consultation, Paul explains that the bump appeared after he started using steroids for his sciatic nerve problem. But Dr Lee isn't convinced, and doesn't think it's linked to the bump.
Dr Sandree Lee said the lipoma had been on Paul's neck for ten years and 'didn't want to leave' and that the extraction would require a little bit of elbow grease
The insides of Paul's lipoma in a bucket after the procedure. Paul says Dr Lee turned 'a lump into a smile'
Instead, Dr Lee is placing her bets that Paul has something a little more likely – a lipoma.
Unsure until she cuts Paul open and has a proper look, the expert whisks Paul straight into her surgery to get to the bottom of this one and for all.
'I feel like you have a head behind your head,' Dr Lee jokes as she numbs the area and preps Paul for surgery.
After making her initial incision, Dr Lee's suspicions pay off, revealing that Paul does indeed have a huge lipoma on the back of his neck.
'I can now tell that this is a lipoma because I can see that there is this fat pocket area that is separate from the rest of the body,' Dr Lee says.
Eventually, Dr Lee pulls the last of Paul's lipoma free, finally ridding him from his affliction.
'I'm ecstatic,' Paul enthuses. 'She took a lump and turned it into a smile!'
