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HEALTH

Austrian has eight kg tumour removed

A 75-year-old Austrian woman is recovering in hospital after having an eight kilogram (18 pounds) tumour removed from her stomach - the largest and heaviest tumour the medical team in Graz has ever seen.

Austrian has eight kg tumour removed
CT scan of the tumour. Photo: APA/Marija Kanizaj/LKH-Univ. Klinikum Graz

The tumour – which was as heavy as a seven-month-old baby – had been growing inside Maria Krammer’s stomach for several years, without her realising.

It was only when she started experiencing problems with her digestive system and severe pain that she went to the doctor, who recommended a CT scan.

She was diagnosed with the massive tumour last week, and operated on three days later. Gerhard Wolf from the Graz hospital surgery team said that it was an exceptional case. “We’ve removed tumours half this size, but to have concealed something the size of a medicine ball inside your stomach is very unusual,” he said.

A complicating factor was that Krammer’s abdominal organs had been squashed and moved by the tumour. “This was a really big operation, and we had a great sense of responsibility,” Wolf said.

Surgeons at Graz hospital treat around 2,500 patients every year, half of whom are cancer patients who need surgery to remove tumours.

It took two hours to remove Krammer’s tumour. It is now being analysed at the Institute of Pathology, to find out why it grew so large. Doctors believe it is benign.

Krammer is already able to walk around and hopes to be able to leave hospital next week.

Gerhard Wolf und Maria Krammer. Photo: Marija Kanizaj/LKH-Univ. Klinikum Graz

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HEALTH

What do you do in Austria if your nearest pharmacy is closed?

It's nine pm in Austria, and you're out of painkillers or decongestants. You're desperate for pain relief but your local Apotheke is shut, so what do you do?

What do you do in Austria if your nearest pharmacy is closed?

In Austria Apotheken (pharmacies) are the only places in which you can purchase painkillers and decongestants. Ostensibly in the public interest, but it’s also a lucrative moneymaker for the businesses. This monopoly on the sale of certain pharmaceutical drugs is a subject frequently debated and is of much consternation for overseas arrivals. 

READ MORE: Why are painkillers only sold in pharmacies in Austria?

However, many Apotheken can close as early as six pm, especially if you live outside a major city centre. If you’re suffering from a cold or a nasty headache, it can seem like an eternity until they reopen. 

Fortunately, there is relief. Emergency situations will always arise, and pharmacies often band together to provide service at nights, over weekends and on public holidays.

This is done on a rota basis, so your local Apotheke may not be open, there will be a Apotheken-Notdienst (Emergency-service pharmacy) within a 5 – 10km range. 

Often, Apotheken will have a sign or screen out the front that gives the address and opening times for Apotheken-Notdienst in the area, updated frequently.

A number of websites also exist that can give you the location of operating Apotheken-Notdienst across Austria, such as APO24.at. Entering your PLZ (or postcode) will list the nearest to you. 

However, if they don’t have online access, dialling 1455 while put you in touch with a service who can either direct you to the Apotheken-Notdienst on duty, or help you in getting you further assistance. 

If all else fails, your local hospital should have a Notfall-Praxis – ostensibly an emergency doctor service out of hours. If you’re prepared to wait, you will be able to see a doctor, and they can either dispense medication, or direct you to the hospital pharmacy with a prescription. 

Before you go, it’s worth brushing up on your vocabulary. The Local has developed a list of vocabulary and phrases that you can use to describe your symptoms to pharmacists and doctors, to help them prescribe the best possible medication.

READ MORE: Colds and flu: What to say if you get sick in Austria

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