craftyhunnypie Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Hi - did anyone watch the programme ' I am the elephant man' tonight? It was about a chinese lad who had got cancerous tumours on his face & in part of his brain. His face was all distorted & had like 2 hanging sacks of skin, his mouth & ear were in very strange places. He had an operation to remove part of the tumour / half of his hanging face skin. It was really awful, but I felt very very sorry for the poor lad! It was very interesting to watch! But I couldn't help wondering why - when he'd had these tumours since a small boy, why they hadn't removed them then, instead of letting them grow out of control? I don't think money was the issue, as I think he eventually went private for his treatment? There are some awful things in the world & I think some of the facial reconstruction surgeons are very very skilled people! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Yes I saw the end of it. Very sad, that poor boy I missed the bit about funding the private treatment but often these things don't get any funds until they become media worthy, once the story has become news benevelent funding is then often forthcoming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I meant to watch it and forgot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I watched it like Snowy says, there wouldn't have been the opportunity before he became newsworthy. He was such an optimist as well and cared for himself very well. The surgery scenes were quite horrific and I wondered how he would look after it had all healed - I was surprised to see the part that had been operated on looked quite good. I assume that there will be another programme to come as it ended in a sort of limbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I watched it all and cringed - the surgery was quite behind the times "in my opinion" and I felt sorry that they could not have got him to UK or US for his op as the end could have been better - the scene where they were looking for bandages was awful. Have we any bandages they asked????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I really dislike programes like that; Chanel 4 seem to do loads and sometimes they seem perilously close to the Victorian circus-side-freak-show stuff. I didn't watch last nights though, for just that reason! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riane Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I just about coped with the surgery but the killing of the pig had me hiding behind a cushion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susiepoos Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I watched it and was totally fascinated by it all. I think the family were really poor and the the hospital funded the surgery because as one Doctor put it 'it was experimental surgery' - I am amazed that he survived it - I could never work in such a noisy theatre and I suspect many of the Consultants I know would be the same - see, the NHS does have it's good points!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I just about coped with the surgery but the killing of the pig had me hiding behind a cushion It was distressing that it wasn't stunned first - but that is how they do things I suppose It was the stitches which got to me - it looked like a blindfolded person had been given a darning needle and a job lot of thick buttonhole thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
