Ramon Canton
I am very excited about talking to this special group about a condition that no one knows allot about. I have just reciently gone through my first cemothreapy and feel relativly good. A few months ago I started coughing for no apparent reason and I went to my doctor. She decided to do a chest x ray and saw a “cloudy” area near my heart. We did a CT scan and saw the “beast” on my thymus. We followed up with a biopsy and it had inconclusive results. I met with my oncologist and since we had no information on if it was benign or maliginant,we decided to take “it” out. I had my surgery on June 24,2004 and it went well. I underwent median sternomy with resection of the mediastinal mass and suture plication of the right hemidiaphram. The tumor was 5-6 cm mass irregular in shape, extended ever to the right side of the mediastinum invating the paricadium and right pleura. The phrenic nerve was contained and resected. The lesion was adherent too and it was striped off the superior vena cava and the azageous vein. My surgeon was and is one of the most amazingly compentent people on the planent. She saw the extent that this tumor had spread, rose to the moment and took it all out. Her name is Dr Regal and does contract work with 6-7 Bay area hospitals, including of couse mine, Kaiser.
After I recoved from the surgery and it was determined I have thymic carcinoma, we started researching the types of therapy both from my oncologist (Kaiser hospital) and by soliciting a second opinon. I when to Stanford University, brought all of my records, slides etc and met with the tumor board. Stanford agreed on the thymic carcinoma and We settled on chemotherapy with cisplatin and etoposide, combined with radiation at the same time. We started the chemo August 5,2004 with the cisplatin administed through the vein and the etoposide by pills over two subsequent days. I have had nausea and felt tierd, but other that that I’m doing well. I am concentrating on making it through all of this and thinking of going back to work in four months, when this is done. I have not read of many who are working after this, with reoccurences and just the difficulty of dealing with the whole regime. I’m looking for anyone who can share there experience in dealing with this “rare bird” and going on. Right now, other than the surgery and the nausea, I feel somewhat normal and feel as though this is what it is and I’m going on with my life.
My Doctors:
My primary Kaiser Oncologist.
Dr. Krista Muirhead
99 Montecillo Road
San Rafael, CA 94903
(415) 444-4897
My Surgeon
Dr. Anne-Marie Regal
One Shrader Street #600
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 831-8800
Kaiser Radiation
Dr. Daine Tsai
301 Professional Center Drive
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
(707) 584-2200