Richard BernsteinThe 62-year-old American had severe pain in his right toe five years ago. “I went to the podiatrist, I thought I broke my toe, but he couldn’t find anything wrong with it,” he told the New York Post.
Over the next two years the pain was no longer just in the foot but now in the ankle as well. He decided to see a sports medicine doctor who thought he had stenosis, a narrowing of the spaces within the spine that is sometimes treated with physical therapy.
The pain began to affect the mobility of his right lower limb. In March of this year, his leg became severely swollen. She went to her family doctor as soon as possible, who performed an abdominal scan during her examination.
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After verification, Richard was referred to Dr. Michael Grasso, director of urology at Phelps Hospital, who startled the man with the message. “He told me I had four days to live,” he recalled.
Examination of the abdomen revealed that Bernstein had a large cancerous tumor in his kidney and a tumor thrombus that had grown through the renal vein and filled the vena cava, the main vein that drains the heart.
Bernstein had to be admitted to Lenox Hill Hospital so Grasso, cardiothoracic surgeon Jonathan Hemli, and vascular surgeon Alfio Carroccio could perform a complex procedure to remove the tumor.
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Doctors determined that two of Bernstein’s major coronary arteries were 99% blocked and his liver had failed. The tumor was removed and a bypass created.
“The procedure lasted almost 12 hours and was a kind of medical symphony. Since they needed to control the circulatory system, they had to cut off the flow of blood without damaging the brain. While the body was going through the two-hour cooling process, we performed the coronary bypass. Then the kidney and the tumor were removed,” said Grasso.
According to Grasso, the pain in Bernstein’s foot, ankle and leg manifested itself because of a blocked vein. “The vena cava was clogged. There was pressure on his lower extremities,” he explained.
“There was no serious pain at all. My advice is if something isn’t right and you can’t find it, don’t stop looking, trust how you feel about your own body,” Bernstein advised People.