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This is my story. In February 2018 my husband and I flew to the Seychelles to join a cruise going to the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India. For a couple of months before that he was concerned that I had started snoring at night.
The morning after we arrived in the Seychelles, I noted that my arms and face were swollen. I went to the local hospital where blood tests and a chest x ray were normal. The doctor thought it would be fine to join the cruise. But between The Maldives and Sri Lanka the swelling got worse, and we decided to come home. My husband- then aged 89 made all the arrangements. At home, in Bath, we went to the local hospital.
A CT scan that night was sent to Australia for reporting -because they are awake when we are asleep- showed the mass in my chest causing Superior Vena Cava obstruction. 2 days later I was transferred to the Royal Marsden.
There I had a biopsy which showed thymic carcinoma, graded T4 N2 M0. I was treated with steroids, then chemotherapy and with an SVC stent which helped massively. Chemo didn’t help. After this I had radiotherapy which shrank the tumour and enabled me to be fine for my youngest daughter’s wedding in July that year. All was well until August 2020 when a scan showed metastases in my brain, neck, and abdomen.
Different chemo again did not help but brain radiotherapy shrank the lesions. I had to stop driving and I moved house to be nearer to my family. Now I am on targeted therapy, Lenvatinib, which has shrunk the metastases. It does have side effects, mainly nausea and intermittent vomiting but all worth it for the response!
I have had excellent care from Prof Popat and have really valued these last 4 years when I have developed my DIY skills, been on UK holidays with my husband, qualified as a teacher of Scottish dancing and seen 7, soon to be 9, grandchildren growing up.
