'I feel like a monster': California recluse, 33, hid for more than a decade ... trends now
A California man has revealed how he lived 'like a monster' for more than a decade after a cantaloupe-sized tumor grew out of the back of his head.
Arlin, from Murrieta, California, retreated from the world as a teenager, dropping out of class and cutting ties with friends when he started being bullied in high school.
The now 33-year-old became extremely self conscious when the lump began to leak blood and pus and emit a smell so foul one of his nurses nearly fainted.
While he had spent more than a decade hiding and searching for a doctor to remove the growth, his lack of insurance and multiple surgeons who said they couldn't help him only led him to become more depressed.
Arlin, 33, from California, had a growth on the back of his head for more than a decade
He said he had seen 15 doctors but none were able to remove the mass
Dr Osborne said he noticed a change in Arlin's demeanor since the growth was removed - he was making more eye contact, was smiling more and was making healthier choices
But Arlin was given a second chance at a normal life when he met with Dr Ryan Osborne, a head and neck surgeon.
Arlin said on this week's episode of TLC's Take My Tumor: ‘Having this bump on my head has been really hard for me. I feel like a monster.'
Arlin and his mother said they had visited 10 to 15 doctors about the growth, but each said they couldn't remove it because of its size and anatomy and referred him to other specialists, but the family couldn't afford any treatment.
His mother, Jaqueline, said: ‘It’s not like we wanted it to get this big but we couldn’t get the help we needed and so it grew.
'It's hard to see anybody you love in pain or going through what they are going through. He might die. What’s at stake right now is his life.’
Arlin was suffering from a condition called hidradenitis suppurativa, a chronic inflammatory skin condition that causes lesions, drainage, odor, pain, abscesses and scarring.
The National Institutes of Health said the side effects of the condition go beyond the physical: 'Because of the associated pain, sensitive locations, drainage, odor, and scarring, this condition may have a negative psychosocial impact.'
Arlin was suffering from a condition called hidradenitis suppurativa, a chronic inflammatory skin condition that causes lesions, drainage, odor, pain, abscesses and scarring
