Every woman, as she hits her 40s, knows she’s on the road to menopause. Before arriving at the ‘final stage’, many women experience years of perimenopause. During this time, women can experience a myriad of symptoms such as irregular periods, hot flashes, weight gain, sleep problems and mood swings….to name a few!
Brisbane Skin and Body Clinic Owner, Tatham was in the age range to be a prime candidate for perimenopause. But as well as some of the typical symptoms, she had some more unusual ones, such as pain in her shoulder and arms when she exercised and vomiting. “My asthma symptoms kept getting worse, my face and eyes swelled, and I had fatigue like I’d never experienced before,” Tatham said.
Worried it may be something more serious, she visited her doctor on numerous occasions. When a blood test failed to show any issues, her horrible symptoms that persisted for two years, were put down to perimenopause and anxiety.
It wasn’t until she was rushed to hospital by an employee in May 2023 because Tatham couldn’t breathe, that the mystery was finally solved. A routine covid swab was performed which came back positive, whilst waiting for results an x-ray and then scans uncovered a large tumour on her lung that was compromising her heart.
Tatham remembers feeling such a sense of relief, mixed with fear. “It was scary to learn I had a rare type of lung cancer but I was so glad to finally have a diagnosis so I could get the proper treatment.”
PHOTO: One of Tatham's unusual symptoms was that her eyes would swell up out of nowhere at least three times a week.
It turns out getting the right treatment was more challenging than Tatham had first thought.
No specialist she saw in Queensland wanted to operate because her case was so complex. The location of the tumour on her lung and how close it was to her heart made it a particularly risky surgery. Luckily, she was referred to Associate Professor Gavin Wright at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Melbourne, who agreed to take on her case.
Internationally renowned thoracic surgeon A/Prof Wright not only specialises in complex major surgery for lung cancer and other tumours in the chest, but he has also performed hundreds of surgeries assisted by the Davinci robot.
“Robot-assisted surgery allows surgeons to perform a variety of complex procedures with greater precision and greater technical capabilities, alongside our highly skilled surgical team,” A/Prof Wright said.
After their first consult, everything moved very fast. Just three weeks later Tatham had her surgery at St Vincent’s and was on the road to recovery.
Tatham said, “A/Prof Wright was amazing. He was so empathetic and explained everything in detail to me before my surgery, including how he would use the Davinci robot.
“He said the robot would be attached to his fingers, making the tricky removal of the mass more accurate. And a less invasive surgery meant I have been able to recover much quicker.”
PHOTO: Left - Associate Professor Gavin Wright operating with the Davinci Robot. Right - Associate Professor Gavin Wright.
St Vincent's Private is one of the biggest and busiest thoracic surgery centres in Australia. The Davinci robot makes it a full-service hospital in this field.
A/Prof Wright said robotic surgery benefits both the patient and the surgeon. Surgeries are of the utmost precision. The robot has more wrist movement than a human so I can delicately get all the tissue, especially on very complex surgeries like Tatham’s.”
Despite having her lung removed, Tatham has been able to return to work a month after her surgery. “My recovery has been amazing. I stayed at St Vincent’s for around six days. The nursing team were just incredible. My ribs are still very painful, but my incision sites have all pretty much healed.
“I feel like a completely different person! My face is no longer swollen, and I’ve stopped waking up to vomit throughout the night. I feel so much better already.”
Photo: Tatham is finally looking and feeling like old self again.
Rebuilding her lung capacity will be the hardest part of her recovery. Before she got sick, Tatham was a marathon runner.
“Many specialists I saw before A/Prof Wright said my running days were over. I want to defy the odds and prove them wrong. I’m already walking 8km a day. It may take a while, but I’m determined to get back into marathon running.
“I’m so thankful to A/Prof Wright and his team, they’re amazing. The robot is a great investment. It’s certainly made all the difference for me.”
If you would like to find out more about supporting the latest technology at St Vincent's Private Hospital, please contact:
St Vincent's Foundation Capital Campaign Director Cameron Smith at cameron.smith@svha.org.au
