[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
So let's check out your other foot.
Is it just like this?
BASIL: Worse than that.
DR. BRAD: Worse?
Oh, my gosh, Basil.
CHRIS: Ugh.
DR. BRAD (VOICEOVER): They're hard as a rock.
You know, to me they easily look like a coral reef.
We're just going to stick with sea analogies today.
CHRIS: Ugh.
How long have you had this?
Were you born with it?
I was-- I was about 28, 29, when I got that.
My mother had that.
And do you have it?
No, not like that.
OK.
DR. BRAD: Yeah.
I'm just going to press around here.
And you let me know where most of your pain is coming from.
Does it hurt when I squeeze them?
Yeah.
That's the one I put the pressure down when I'm walking,
you know?
Yeah.
Do they ever bleed?
When I shave them.
Yeah.
What do you shave them with?
Like, a knife, you know?
Yeah.
He says he uses a pumice stone,
but it just disintegrates. DR. BRAD: Yeah.
I don't know what pumice stone--
BASIL: The pumice stones disintegrate.
CHRIS: Yeah. I don't know what--
I don't think a pumice stone is going to touch this.
CHRIS: No. Yeah, he needs a sander--
DR. BRAD: Yeah. CHRIS: --a belt sander.
DR. BRAD: Seriously.
DR. BRAD (VOICEOVER): The growths on Basil's feet
were very hard.
It's almost like, you know, rigid sandpaper.
If you ran your hands across them,
I would definitely be cutting my gloves up.
Basil's feet were easily on my top
three of most perplexing cases that I've ever seen.
The fact is, is they might not be calluses.
You know, the calluses are kind of
like the things on your hands, right,
when you're working outside.
In your case, I mean, they're flaking off.
They're growing into, like, mountaintop growths.
It's very unusual.
Yeah.
What a callus should look like versus what it actually looks
like.
So, to me, it's kind of a mystery.
It could be warts.
You know, it could be something as crazy as Tree Man Syndrome.
It can be life threatening.
You know, hopefully it's not that,
but that's a really rare genetic condition.
And if your mom had it too, it's clearly a genetic issue.
You're lucky you don't have it.
Very lucky.
Yeah.
Because that's the most terrifying thing
I've ever leave my eyes on.
DR. BRAD: This is pretty rough. CHRIS: Yeah.
DR. BRAD: I'm not going to lie.
Is there anything that you can possibly do or is--
DR. BRAD: So we're going to get a biopsy of this,
and sending it to a lab.
That will determine exactly what you have.
OK?
[SIGHS] This isn't a light matter.
Whatever these lesions are, it could be down
deep to get to those roots.
So I don't know if I can do this in the office today.
This is going to require a surgery.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
Wow.
I just feel like it should be in a sterile surgery center,
just in case we go, you know, too low at some points
and you get cut.
I don't need that getting infected.
I don't need you getting sick.
So I just want to be in a sterile environment,
and really take care of this for you.
- OK. - OK?
While we're in surgery, what I'm going to do
is I'm going to shave all of these growths off your feet,
so it really looks like a normal foot again.
Sound good?
You're the doctor and I'm with you.
Basil, you've waited a long time for an answer to this,
and I'm going to make sure that you get it.
I appreciate it, Dr. Schaeffer.
I appreciate it.
Basil's foot is very interesting
because it's a mystery.
There could be ulcerations underneath these things,
which could develop infection, which could cause loss of limb.
If it's Tree Man Syndrome, that's a life
threatening complication.
It's literally like you're opening up Pandora's box,
and you don't know what to expect.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
DR. BRAD: I just had the consultation with Basil.
You know, his callouses, although they were very thick,
they formed, like, little stalks coming out.
So I was thinking that it has to be something that I
haven't even seen before.
And that's when I was thinking about Ebony and her patient
with the Tree Man Syndrome.
EBONY: Sebastian, he's got a very, very, very rare disorder.
There's been a case of this that was in the media,
the Tree Man of Indonesia.
He died at the age of 45.
And what this condition does is to form
large growth that are very, very painful and continue to grow.
Let me get Ebony on the horn.
[RINGING]
What's up, buddy?
How-- how's it going?
Not too bad.
I just saw a crazy case.
Did you?
Did you get the pictures I sent over?
I did.
Well, I mean, what is his background?
When-- when did he say these things kind of showed up?
Well, he said he's had it his whole life.
He said his mom actually had it, so it's hereditary.
If his mom had it too, it was probably like, a sense
of normalcy in their household.
It's just like, this is what we have kind of thing.
Huh? - Right.
It was pretty wild.
I mean, this-- there was, like, stalks
growing out of the calluses.
I honestly think it's a form of Tree Man Syndrome.
And who better to call than someone
that's actually treated that?
So what are your thoughts on that?
Yeah.
Definitely that would indicate Tree Man Syndrome.
It's definitely worth a deeper dive.
Like, things on the skin are just really
hard to diagnose without--
without a biopsy, you know--
I agree.
--in order to make that Tree Man Syndrome diagnosis.
I'm actually going to take him to surgery.
And I'm going to biopsy everything.
Well, I'm happy he found you.
I mean, jeez.
It's boiling down to the mystery continues.
All right?
So let's just-- let's see what the biopsy shows
and we'll talk soon.
All right, Brad. Have a great one.
DR. BRAD: All right, Ebony. Thanks.
Bye.
See you.
DR. BRAD: This is easily one of the strangest cases
that I've ever seen.
The mystery continues with Basil's condition.
It's going to be hands down one of the most
interesting surgeries because I want to know what it is, too.
I want to figure out how I can help him,
what it is, and move forward.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
What's up, Basil?
BASIL: Good day, Dr. Schaeffer. How are you?
There's my guy. How are you?
Nice to see you. We'll pound it.
What's up, dude?
DR. BRAD: Today's Basil's surgery,
and I'm pretty concerned about how I'm going
to cut through these growths.
But I think I have a pretty good solution.
When I was in the office they were like a rock.
So in my mind I was like, you know,
what can we do to essentially chip away at those.
Right?
BASIL: Yeah, exactly.
It's like, let's-- let's soak this guy's feet.
And if they get to that, you know, consistency of clay,
we'll be able to really remove that layer,
and layer, and layer--
BASIL: Much better than when it's hard.
--and really get it down to a smooth layer like our hands.
BASIL: Yes, sir. - OK?
We're going to get you-- get you in these water basins.
So the plan is right now we're going
to soften them up with some warm water and some moisturizer.
OK.
Just let that soak in there and I'll be back.
OK?
I'm going to go prep for surgery.
- OK, buddy. - All right, Doctor.
Appreciate it. - Later.
Thanks, guys. Absolutely.
DR. BRAD: I feel like these growths should soften
up like a warm, moist cheese.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
He has a pretty unexplainable, you know, condition.
Initially I thought it was just extreme calluses.
Then I went to warts.
There's things out there called Tree Man's Disease.
During the surgery, we're definitely
going to get a bunch of clues to figure out what this is.
Let's go, young men.
The time has come.
I'm going to be looking for things
like pinpoint bleeding, which would lead me to, like, a wart.
I would be looking for types of ulcerations
underneath these stalks.
We're going to go in there, we're
going to remove the growths, and we're going to biopsy them.
So we'll drape this like normal, get everything sterile.
The antiseptic that we're putting on the foot right
now is orange, and it's making Basil's
foot look like cheese puffs.
Is it what you thought I was describing--
DR. SARAH HALLER: No. [LAUGHS]
DR. BRAD: --when I was describing it to you?
There's lots of different food categories
that I could kind of reference here.
Some granola on top of your yogurt, yes.
It makes you really hate yogurt.
These are like macaroni.
Like, these are thicker.
But it does look like string cheese.
It just makes you never want to eat it again.
DR. BRAD: All right.
I'm going after this.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
I mean, literally cutting through this,
I don't even know what I could find.
See?
This looks like warts.
DR. SARAH HALLER: That looks like a verucca.
That looks like a wart.
Right in this area--
DR. SARAH HALLER: Yeah.
DR. BRAD: --you can really see that pinpoint bleeding there.
DR. SARAH HALLER: That looks like a wart.
DR. BRAD: Ugh.
We got a biopsy it, though.
Here. DR. SARAH HALLER: Yeah.
Let's send that out.
DR. BRAD: So when we're biopsying something,
usually you take, you know, part of the bad area
and then part of the good area.
That's, like, a clean biopsy.
You know, just because these have
been neglected for so long--
DR. SARAH HALLER: That's why you have--
DR. BRAD: --that some areas are warts, right, just
like you or I would get a wart.
And then this covers it up.
DR. SARAH HALLER: You're right.
DR. BRAD: I might need another blade.
DR. SARAH HALLER: We're probably going to go
through a bunch of blades.
DR. BRAD: This floor is going to be destroyed.
DR. SARAH HALLER: Yep.
DR. BRAD: I'm feeling it.
DR. SARAH HALLER: And you soaked him for an hour.
DR. BRAD: I wish I soaked him for three.
DR. SARAH HALLER: [LAUGHS]
DR. BRAD: You know, honestly, this
is-- this is like a workout.
DR. SARAH HALLER: This is a workout.
I mean, what is it like to cut it?
It looks like butter, hard butter.
DR. BRAD: It's a lot harder than butter.
DR. SARAH HALLER: It looks like hard butter,
like, if you put it in the freezer.
DR. BRAD: It's like clay.
This is a big chunk from his heel.
I think we'll biopsy that.
And we'll also biopsy a lot more.
I'm huffing and puffing.
But, you know, foot number one is done.
But right now, I just want to catch my breath
and move on to the next one.
So I'm about to start the second foot.
I'm ready to go.
[BEEPING]
DR. SARAH HALLER: That is think.
We may need another blade.
DR. BRAD: Another blade.
DR. SARAH HALLER: It's up, my friend.
DR. BRAD: How many blades do you think I've been through?
DR. SARAH HALLER: Six. NURSE: Seven
DR. BRAD: Seven? DR. SARAH HALLER: Yes.
I was on it.
DR. BRAD: This is blade number seven.
I was close.
OK.
DR. SARAH HALLER: Another one?
DR. BRAD: Another one.
DR. BRAD (VOICEOVER): Initially, the warm water
and the moisturizer really softened up these growths so I
was able to cut through them.
But by the time I got to the second foot,
the growths are already starting to harden.
Everything is getting a lot more challenging.
I'm like, woo! DR. SARAH HALLER: I know.
Right? DR. BRAD: It's my wrist.
When you're cutting, you're really
trying to make, like, fine strokes with your wrist,
with your thumb.
Everything starts, you know, tightening up.
Basil's surgery is oddly physical right now.
The second foot is extremely challenging on my hand
and wrist.
It went from butter to cheese to clay.
It wasn't the easiest.
OK.
That's a crazy part.
DR. BRAD (VOICEOVER): You know, whenever you're in surgery
and things are very long, you really
have to just dig inside yourself and just bring everything
out that you possibly have.
OK.
Good.
DR. SARAH HALLER: That's probably a good one.
Might be good to send some of that.
DR. BRAD: OK.
DR. SARAH HALLER: This is incredible.
DR. BRAD: Yeah.
DR. SARAH HALLER: It's like a completely different foot.
He'll walk out of here a different man.
DR. BRAD: All right, guys, that's--
that's it.
I am sweaty.
I'm a little exhausted.
But, honestly, it was all worth it.
Because Basil's feet-- they look actually like feet.
Ugh.
We're all done.
You know, I didn't know what type of lesions these were.
I saw some warts, some, you know,
extreme calluses, some ulcerations.
There's nothing, you know, totally severe that I found.
But the biopsies are really going to show
how we can help him long-term.
Honestly, it could be a bunch of issues--
Tree Man Syndrome, cancer--
it can be life threatening.
And the pathologist will be able to tell me that.
DR. SARAH HALLER: Clean it up.
DR. BRAD: Woo!
What a case.