Kimberly updated:2007.5.19

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Introduction:
Please, tell us your first name, gender and your age and maybe a short description about yourself, family, profession, where you live......
Answer: My name is Kimberly and i'm 42...married with no children. I practiced as an X-ray technologist for 10 yrs until contracting Mononucleosis, which led to Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome. I've lived in Tampa, Florida all my life.

Diagnosis:
1. How was your cancer detected?
Answer: My thymoma was detected before it became cancerous...though i was told it would have become malignant if left there. I was in a high speed head on auto collision Dec, '06, which fractured my sternum. 1 1/2 mths later i began coughing severely after eating dinner. My husband grew suspicious and requested lots of tests be done. The CT and MRI detected a quarter size mass, which they felt was Thymoma or Lymphoma. My regular dr felt that it was probably just a hematoma from the severe impact of the accident. Then they did a Pet Scan when my chest started feeling very full and said this mass definitely needed to be removed ASAP. The biopsy was unsuccessful as they couldn't determine if it was Lymphoma or Thymoma...tumor was purple and "squashed" unlike any they'd seen before. During open chest surgery they found what turned out to be benign Thymoma the size of a hamburger and attaching itself to my heart, but praise God, still encapsulated so it hadn't spread. They removed thymoma and all surrounding fatty tissue. NO DAMAGE TO PHRENIC NERVE! I had an awesome surgeon.

2. Did you feel any kind of pain or did you notice a change of your body?
Answer: Nothing whatsoever until after the accident when the coughing started and a fullness in chest began
3. Do you know your staging?
Answer: N/A

4. Do you have a family history of cancer?
Answer: Lung cancer, grandmother-colon cancer, other grandmother, colon cancer, Aunt
brain cancer, Uncle

5. Did you have any kind of surgery before?
Answer: 2 laparoscopys for Endometriosis, knee surgery
Treatment:
6. What kind of treatment did you receive (be as specific as possible)
-surgery (was your cancer invasive? which organs where involved?)
Answer:N/A

-chemotherapy ( name the chemo and write down how many rounds you received)
Answer:N/A

-radiation (what doses did you receive)
-or a different kind of treatment
Answer:N/A

Where there any kind of side effects involved in your treatment?
Answer: N/A
7. Feelings - Emotions
What was your feeling when you heard your diagnosis?
( The answer to this question might be very helpful for all new patients!)
Answer: The initial diagnosis by radiologists scared the begeebies out of me

How did you feel during your treatment
- For example: During chemo you might have felt nauseated
Answer:N/A

8. What was the most difficult part during your treatment
Answer: surgery

9. Where were you treated (name the hospital with the full address )
Answer: Biopsy and surgery at University Community Hospital-Fletcher

10. If you can recommend your doctor let us know his/her name.
Answer: Dr. Marc Bloom-awesome!

11. What tip could you give a new patient?
Answer: So far i haven't met any with a benign thymoma...still looking for one

12. What bothered you the most during your treatment?
Answer:N/A

13. What helped you most during this period?
Answer: I prayed a LOT and felt very close to God....friends and family flooded me with love and support

14. How're you feeling today?
Answer: fine, 2 yrs after surgery, except for residual pain from open heart surgery
15. Tell us a bit about your check-ups? N/A
- Where do you get your check-ups
- How often do you go for a check up?i haven't been required to get any checkups
- What do they do at your check up?
Answer: N/A
16. How do you feel before you have to go to a check up
- Are you nervous, relaxed .....
Answer:N/A
17. What do you do to make this time as easy as possible?
- For example: You take a friend or relative with you
Answer: N/A
18. Do you take any precautions to prevent the recurrence from cancer?
Answer: N/A
19. Have you made significant changes to your life after you got cancer?
Answer: N/A
20. How 're you feeling about the disease
- are you optimistic about outcome from your cancer
- are you more afraid that it might return
Answer: Though i didn't have cancer, once in a while i worry that i could have a recurrence of Thymoma, even though they removed thymus gland
21. Status - how is your progress?
ie. chemo didn't work, don't want to do surgery or radiation since it is too invasive at this point.
Answer:N/A

22. Ideas/recommendation ...
Answer: If something doesn't feel right or is out of the ordinary for you...GET A FULL CHECK UP! Mine saved my life. If not removed, like i said, it would have become malignant OR would have caused a heart attack as it grew.
23. Leave your e-mail address in case you want to get contacted from Jama1190@aol.com I would LOVE to hear from anyone who had a BENIGN thymoma and see how they're doing now. For all the others, i pray that you get through this very difficult time