MGH Surgery Clinic, formerly known as Mountain View Surgical Services, joined Public Hospital District No. 1 in May 2008.  Public Hospital District No. 1 is the governing body of Mason General Hospital and its “Family of Clinics”;MGH Eye Clinic, MGH Shelton Orthopedics, Mt. View Women’s Health Clinic, Oakland Bay Pediatrics, Shelton Family Medicine, and the respective MGH Surgery Clinic. 

MGH Surgery Clinic is staffed by local, board-certified general surgeon, Vanni C. Manthiram, M.D. and Eldie Cruz, M.D.. Dr. Manthiram has been practicing general surgery at Mason General Hospital since 2006, and came to MGH after working in Northern California for several years.  During a visit to the area, she was pleased with the friendliness of the hospital staff and the natural beauty of the area, and thus, deciding she wanted a change of pace, decided to make the move to Shelton and Mason General Hospital.

Dr. Manthiram received her undergraduate degree at the University of California, San Diego, and went to medical school in Detroit at Wayne State University School of Medicine.  Her surgical residency was completed at the University of California, San Francisco-Fresno program. 

She has a broad area of surgical interests, which include surgery of the gastrointestinal tract, men’s and women’s breast issues and diseases, colon, hernia, cancer surgery, thyroid disorders, and laproscopic surgery.  All of these surgeries are performed in the comfort and convenience of Mason General Hospital (Joint Commission approved).

Dr. Manthiram wants you to feel at ease about your surgery, which can be close to home in the comfort and convenience of Mason General Hospital.  She is now seeing new patients at MGH Surgery Clinic, across the street from MGH at 1710 N. 13th Loop Road, Shelton. 

Dr. Eldie Cruz, M.D., board eligible in general surgery, has recently joined the staff at MGH Surgery Clinic.  He received his medical degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in 2004, and completed his internship and residency at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in 2009. 

Dr. Cruz is trained in general surgery and can take care of a variety of surgical problems.  He is especially interested in laparoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.  You will find Dr. Cruz very friendly and easy to talk to.  His patients have always appreciated his ability to communicate complex medical problems into words they are comfortable understanding.  In his spare time, Dr. Cruz enjoys reading, fishing, and watching movies.  He is now accepting new patients. 

Get back to your life again! Stay close to home for your surgery!

To make an appointment please call (360) 426-4142.

What do I need to know about breast cancer surgery?

There are two types of surgery to treat breast cancer.  One is to have a mastectomy, which is surgery to remove the breast, and the other is breast-conserving surgery, or lumpectomy, which is surgery to remove just the area of the breast that contains cancer.

What will help me decide which type of treatment to choose?

How far the cancer has spread within your breast and whether it has spread to nearby tissues or other organs is called the ‘stage’.  Your doctor will determine the stage of your breast cancer by gathering information from other tests such as lymph node biopsies, blood tests, bone scans, and X-rays.  The stage of cancer is one of the most important factors in selecting the treatment option that is right for you.

Other Factors to consider:

• One of the factors to consider is what stage the cancer is in, whether it is Stage 1 or Stage 2.
•  The other is the size and location of your breast cancer.  What your breast cancer looks like on the mammogram makes a difference.
• Whether you have very large breasts.  If you choose to have a mastectomy, you may have muscle strain or back and neck problems because of a weight imbalance. 
• Your feeling about keeping your breast.  This is a very personal choice.  Choose what feels right to you.
• Your feelings about the need for radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery.  Think about the distance you will have to travel for the treatment as well as additional time you may have to take from work versus a longer time off from work that may be needed to recover from a mastectomy.

Does one type of treatment work better than the other?

For many years experts thought that having a mastectomy would help you live longer and reduce the chance that your breast cancer would come back.  Studies now show that breast-conserving surgery followed by radiation therapy is as good as mastectomy in treating early-stage breast cancer.

Source: WebMD.com