'It has saved my life': Man with 132lb scrotum speaks of relief after surgery to have it removed is a success



Wesley Warren Jr. drew international attention last year for the mass that made his day-to-day life a nightmare

The 48-year-old is now recovering after a team of surgeons in California spent nearly 13 hours operating on the enlarged organ on April 8

'Enough cannot be said for fans that helped me' says Mr Warren Jr.



A man whose scrotum swelled to weigh more than 130lb has spoken of his relief after he had most of removed via surgery.



Wesley Warren Jr.,from Las Vegas, drew international attention last year for the mass that made his day-to-day life a nightmare.

But he is now recovering after a team of surgeons in California led by Dr Joel Gelman spent nearly 13 hours operating on the 48-year-old for free.

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Surgery: Wesley Warren Jr., pictured before surgery, is recovering after his giant scrotum was removed

Discomfort: Warren could not urinate like a normal man and wore a hoodie for pants to conceal his enormous genitals

Mr Warren, who is staying at a nursing home in Orange, California, said he can finally wear normal underwear and pants, but he is not yet used to the dramatic change.

'My body is acclimatising,' he told ABC news.

'I'm still not able to get around much and enjoy driving or going to dinner. But I intend to make up for it and treat myself to a truly fabulous meal and enjoy relaxing for at least a few days.'

He said he would like to enjoy a meal of scampi served over fettuccini with a rack of lamb - having been eating only vegetarian meals at the nursing home.

'It's all part of the pathetic life one has to deal with trying to recuperate from such a devastating handicap,' he said.

'I call Dr. Gelman my lifesaver, and I'm grateful to him and all those caring fans of 'The Howard Stern Show' that have supported me through this,' he said.

'I cannot express,' he added, with an emotional pause. 'Enough cannot be said.'

On April 8, Gelman and three other physicians cut away simultaneously on the grossly enlarged protective sac of skin and muscles that contained Warren's testicles and penis, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal .

'There are a lot of shows about makeovers, but this is a real makeover,' Dr. Joel Gelman, who heads the Center for Reconstructive Urology at the University of California, Irvine, said of the procedure.

'He's basically a new man.'

The mass caused by the condition, known as scrotal lymphedema, had grown to 132 pounds in less than two years.

Warren, who has blood pressure problems and asthma, had previously spoken of his fear of dying during surgery.

'I'd say we put that fear to rest,' Gelman told the newspaper.

The patient was hospitalized for two weeks, with one of those weeks spent in intensive care.

The medical center told the Review Journal that he was able to get up, walk and start physical therapy within a week of surgery.



Warren is now recuperating in housing near the hospital but it's not clear how long he'll have to stay in California.



'There is a lot of follow-up to do,' Gelman said.

The Las Vegas man last year seemed to be basking in the fame that his giant organ had brought him after an initial interview with the Review Journal.



It was even said the attention was the reason he initially turned down Gelman's offer to perform the $1 million corrective surgery because he would have had to give up the rights to his story.



A second doctor also agreed to waive most of the cost for the procedure but Warren said he stalled because of his fear of bleeding out on the operating table.

The watermelon-size scrotum Warren carried between his legs landed him on the Howard Stern Show and Comedy Central and made him a local celebrity in his hometown.

Firecracker Films, the company behind 'Big Fat Gypsy Weddings' signed a contract to make a documentary about him, which included the surgery. And he also shot a segment for TLC.



When Warren spoke with a reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal in October 2011, he became emotional as he described the pain and humiliation of carrying the deformed genitals. He said he suffered from deep bouts of depression and health complications.

He had to wear a hooded sweatshirt on his legs when he was out in public to contain his enormous scrotum. His penis was buried so deeply in the abnormal growth that he was forced to urinate on himself.



He only wanted to urinate like a normal man and have a romantic relationship with a woman, he said.

Warren claimed he was going public to raise money so he could afford the operation -- which required the trip to the special surgeon.

'I don't like being a freak, who would?' he told the Review-Journal.



But his reaction to an offer he received from Dr Mehmet Oz, the celebrity physician whom Oprah made famous, was disturbing.



Warren claimed the Dr Oz Show said it would pay for the entire surgery at a top-notch hospital.

However, the show would keep exclusive rights to tell his story.

He said he didn't take the TV program up on its offer because Howard Stern wanted him on his show again.



But he also said the highly complicated surgery had him fearing he could die on the operating table.

The massive swelling is caused by fluid building up in his scrotum. Doctors had to remove the excess tissue and then completely rebuild his scrotum.



There was also a chance that complications could force the surgeons to cut off his genitals if his scrotum didn't stop bleeding.



'I still haven't lost a patient or a testicle (in patients with problems similar to Warren's),' Gelman told the Review Journal.

The extremely rare condition is much more common in Africa and Southeast Asia, where it is caused by parasites, than it is in the western world.