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The man who’s covered in hundreds of balls of FAT: Father, 31, suffers from incurable disease that causes painful lumps to erupt under his skin
- Carl Hallam has Adiposis Dolorosa — or Dercum’s disease — which causes painful fatty deposits to develop on his chest, arms and back
- He has had ten operations in the last seven years to remove the lumps
- He is one of only 22 people in Britain with the condition
- He says it could be fatal if some of the hard tissue moves into one of his organs or if it blocks one of his arteries
- The condition also causes Mr Hallam to be very stiff and in pain
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A father-of-three has told how a rare disease has left his entire body covered in hundreds of tiny balls of fat.
Carl Hallam, 31, has been through 10 operations in the last seven years to remove the painful lumps of tissue which erupt just under his skin.
The former barman is one of only 22 people in Britain who suffer from the incurable condition Adiposis Dolorosa — also known as Dercum’s disease.
Carl Hallam, 31, is one of only 22 people in Britain who suffer from the incurable condition Adiposis Dolorosa — also known as Dercum’s disease
It causes fatty sacks — some as big and hard as golf balls — to appear all over Mr Hallam’s chest, arms and back.
He says the disease could cause him to be wheelchair-bound before he is 40 and could even be fatal if the hard pieces of tissue move to a vital organ or block an artery.
Mr Hallam, from Nottingham, said: ‘In the past 11 years I’ve had 275 appear all over the body.
‘They stay until they are removed.Basically it’s like grey hairs — you take one out and two pop up.
‘I’ve always tried to put it behind me and carry on working and I never tell anyone about it — they are all over my chest and my arms and my back as well.
‘It’s a real struggle to get work — it’s difficult to stand up for long periods of time.
Mr Hallam has been through 10 operations in the last seven years to remove the painful lumps of tissue which erupt just under his skin
‘There are only 22 people in the UK who have got it and I think it’s the third rarest disease in the world.
‘There’s no cure at all and I just want to raise awareness.
‘Obviously there are people out there going through it and I wouldn’t wish the pain on anybody — not even my worst enemy.
‘I try to keep a brave face whenever I am walking about but deep inside I am in pain and I don’t like to show it.I am male and that’s how we are.
Mr Hallam, pictured with his wife, Joanne, has the lumps over his arms, chest and back.The disease could eventually prove fatal if hard tissue blocks an artery or moves to a vital organ
‘It does have a massive impact on my life. There’s between 75 and 100 on my back down my spine.
‘If they move to a vital organ or an artery it is definitely fatal.And the probability for me, with having so many, is that there’s a good chance that could happen.’
Married Mr Hallam believes the worst thing about the disease is the effect it has on his family and working life — even causing him to struggle to hold down a job.
It has also affected his body and he says meant he has gained five stone in the last five years.
He added: ‘It does really affect my family life — I can be sitting in the front room and the children need to be seen to but I can’t get up and do the things they need me to do.
Mr Hallam said: ‘In the past 11 years I’ve had 275 appear all over the body.They stay until they are removed. Basically it’s like grey hairs — you take one out and two pop up’
‘I have to take more tablets and wait until they kick in and do it to the best of my ability — I can’t do any more.I can’t even go the gym.
‘The lumps can make you overweight and I used to go quite a lot but if I try and lose the weight the scars and the lumps will be even more visible.
‘At the moment I am on Tramadol — a morphine based drug — that’s the only thing they can do.
‘It’s chronic pain, it takes me 20 minutes to get out of bed in the morning because I’m so stiff.
‘I’m on anti-depressants too — so it’s not ideal because I’ve got three children and I can be a bit spaced out and I just want to play with my children and be a happy family.
Mr Hallam believes the worst thing about the disease is the effect it has on his family and working life
‘As I’m getting older the pain is more and more horrible.’
Mr Hallam’s wife, Joanne, 28, said the disease can make her husband incredibly difficult to live with.
She said: ‘It’s hard and I just have to leave him to deal with it, I can only give him painkillers and support him.When he’s in pain he can be clumsy and drops everything.
‘It’s hard with the kids because he can’t play — he can’t do that. Sometimes I have to double as mum and dad.
Mrs Hallam said: ‘It’s hard and I just have to leave him to deal with it, I can only give him painkillers and support him.When he’s in pain he can be clumsy and drops everything’
‘The majority of his lumps are round his chest and it’s a concern that one day it won’t be in the right place and something will happen.
‘We need a better treatment if not a cure.’
Dercum’s disease was named after Dr Francis Xavier Dercum who was the personal physician to President Woodrow Wilson in the U.S.
He first described the group of signs and symptoms that are characteristic of the disease in 1888.
Dercum’s disease is a syndrome of painful growths in subcutaneous fat which can occur anywhere from the scalp to the foot.
WHAT IS ADIPOSIS DOLOROSA?
Adiposis Dolorosa is a condition characterised by painful folds of fatty tissue or the growth of benign fatty tumours.
It occurs most often in women who are overweight and symptoms tend to appear between the ages of 35 and 50.
The lumps can occur anywhere on the body but are most common on the torso, buttocks, arms and legs.
The growths can cause a burning or aching pain that can be severe.
Other symptoms include weakness, fatigue, depression, confusion and epilepsy — these symptoms do not occur in everyone with the condition.
The cause of the condition is unknown but it is thought to have a genetic component.
Treatment usually involves pain relief and the surgical removal of lumps.