Rebecca Carreto: Patient Stories

Rebecca had her yearly physical exam with her PA (Bella Arshinova, PAC) at Franciscan Medical Clinic in Des Moines; During the exam she went over her health record and reviewed a CT scan of her abdomen that was done a few months back by another physician. In the CT scan one of the results showed that there was a cystic lesion on the border of the heart. Her PA referred her to have an MRI and was diagnosed with a pericardial cyst. Her PA was concerned this could possibly put pressure on the heart if it became larger.

Rebecca was referred to Franciscan Cardiothoracic Surgical Associates in Tacoma and was seen by Thomas Templin, II, MD, FACS. After another CT scan of her chest for the pericardial cyst the results identified a spot on her lung which was confirmed as early lung cancer after additional testing.

She was completely shocked by this accidental finding with no idea this diagnosis was even possible given her age and lifestyle, but Dr. Templin was very reassuring, very confident and organized. “He told me “we’re going to take good care of you.” And that’s exactly what they did. He provided her with all of her necessary appointments before she even left the office so she knew exactly what was going to happen and exactly what to do. She was scheduled for surgery at St. Joseph Medical Center and had 10% of the upper left lobe removed. No radiation and no chemotherapy was needed.

Recovery has been amazing. With the love and support of her son, her brother and sister-in-law from California and her boyfriend it helped her relax, rest and heal faster.