Stories

So far I’ve been very fortunate compared to a lot of thymus carcinoma patients.  In March 2019 I was have trouble taking a deep breath, so my doctor ordered a CAT scan thinking I might have lung cancer.  I then had a CAT scan with dye and then a PET scan.  The PET scan showed two spots around the thymus and one spot on what they thought was my lung.   I was sent to a cardiac surgeon.  They then ordered a biopsy on the spot on my lung and it was cancerous.  So we scheduled surgery to remove everything.  On May 8, 2019 they openedRead More →

I am 37 years old. I went to the ER with chest pain and a CT indicated that I had an anterior mediastinal mass. I saw many doctors and even went to Cleveland Clinic. Several doctors told me to watch and wait. My mass grew 3 cm in just a few weeks. I finally convinced cardiothoracic surgeon at Christ Hospital to remove it. I just learned that the pathology report indicates I had a B1 thymoma. The surgeon is convinced that he removed the entire mass and that chemo/radiation is not necessary. I found out that doctor Loehrer at IU specializes in thymic cancer. IRead More →

Hello, My name is joan fitzgerald, I’m a 35yr old Caucasian female with a diagnosis of malignant thymoma with major indentation of the right atrium. The tumour is extending from the left pulmonary artery effectively surrounding the svc, occluding the innominate and involving the right superior pulmonary vein. I was diagnosed July 2015 and I had a good response to 6 cycles of chemotherapy cisplatin and etoposide with an apperant good response, followed by 24 fraction of radiotherapy. I recently undergone surgery where the cardiothoraic surgeon failed to debunk or resection the mediastinal  mass as it was adhering the RA/svc junction invading into the cardiacRead More →

My experience seems be a total tale of confusion and I have often felt like Alice down the rabbit hole, except with no happy ending. I was always a fairly healthy person in the big picture.  Tons of allergies, very susceptible to colds and flu, in the hospital only 3 times, pneumonia as a child, c section, and appendicitis in my 30s. Never any major problems.   In 2008, I had a pain in my right shoulder, this in itself was not unusual, I worked in an office.  I was always using the phone and the computer, my shoulders had always been weak.  This painRead More →

April 2012 My thymic carcinoma was diagnosed in July 2011. In May and June, I was complaining of breathlessness, weakness, & shortness of breath. When I walked up 1 flight of stairs, I was gasping for air at the top. This seemed very odd, as I had been going to a rigorous aerobics program 5x a week for 3 years. After 2 months of whining, I finally went to the doctor. I asked for a full blood panel analysis and x-rays. My x-rays were clear; no sign of anything. All scores on blood panel were very good, except one: the D-Dimer score. My doctor saidRead More →

Posted May 2012 In February 2007, Lori, our then sixteen year old son Josh, and I were in China adopting our precious 19 month old baby girl, Joyanna. Although Lori had suffered from migraines all her life, the headaches were increasing. We attributed them to older age and medication sometimes helped. In May 2007 we went to a local emergency room, but they simply treated my wife for a migraine, even when I insisted this was not a typical headache. Then on June 13, 2007 (Lori’s birthday), another painful headache began. That Friday I took my dear wife to a doctor friend who performs occipitalRead More →

Posted May 2012 My husband Allan, age 54, went for a routine physical in February 2012. He hadn’t had one for 7 years. They asked him if he wanted a chest xray? Luckily he said yes. (His father had passed away in 2008 from lung cancer). The chest xray showed a “mass in his chest.” Then MRI and CAT scans showed a lime sized growth in the thymus region. I researched a thoracic surgeon in Orlando where we live and luckily found Dr Luis Herrera at MD Anderson. I chose him because of his high ratings and because he seemed up to speed on noninvasiveRead More →

Barbara passed away on September 4, 2005. Barbara’s personal journal:  www.thebarbie.us In November 2001, my wife’s (Barbara) GYN felt a lump in her neck. The lump did not show from the outside but could be felt by examination. Barbara didn’t do anything about it for a while but when she had some slight trouble swallowing she went to our family doctor. The family MD sent her for some tests [a barium swallow and thyroid ultrasound] that showed that her esophagus was being bent by something, and he sent her for an endoscope. Dr. Richard Moses examined Barbara and realized, without doing the endoscope,  that itRead More →

Alan Blaustein My name is Alan Blaustein and I was diagnosed with stage IVa thymus cancer on May 18, 2005 (by the way, I also have thyroid cancer). Since that time I have had surgery to remove the thymus and half of my left lung. The disease still exists in my chest cavity, diaphragm and left lung. I am having PAC chemotherapy at the suggestion of Dr. Loehrer. I began treatment at Sloan Kettering on July 5. They’ve worked with Dr. Loehrer in the past and everyone (including Pat) is in agreement that treatment locally with him as an extensive resource is the way toRead More →