Shannon has made the complete rounds of all three of the doctors that are still following him for his cancer. He has also had a PET scan. He is still cancer free! We are both so very relieved at this news. His radiation oncologist has said that this type of cancer has a low chance of recurrence as compared to other types so we are very hopeful we have seen the last of it. The biggest concern was that he had two lymph nodes involved when the cancer was discovered but the chemo and radiation seems to have cleared them up as well as the tumor. He has not had surgery at all. This has been the answer to all our prayers.
A little side note that we thought was very interesting. Shannon used to catch at least one fairly bad cold every year. He’s done that since he was a baby. He has not had a cold since the radiation treatments.. not that he misses them at all. He mentioned that to the radiation oncologist and he said it’s not the first time he’s heard of a patient who stopped catching frequent colds after radiation in the neck area. There haven’t been any kind of studies done on this but it isn’t unheard of at all.
To those of you who have surfed in here while researching this form of cancer for yourself or a loved one, please take heart. A good outcome can and does happen. It isn’t easy to go through and it’s horrible for the patient and the family both. The treatment is scary and hard to deal with. There is a lot of hope though. I wish for all of you a safe passage through the hard parts and wellness at the end of your journey.
I know it’s been a long time since I have updated our little blog here. I’m very happy to say that it is because things have been going very well. Shannon is doing better and better as time goes by. He is able to eat enough now that he doesn’t need to drink Boost to keep his weight up. He has lost a lot of weight but he is at a good weight for his height and he intends to maintain now and not gain back all the weight he lost. He is feeling better and able to do a lot more than before. We have been out running around and doing things again which is my excuse for not updating here. He is still a bit impatient because all this is happening so slowly but since there is a steady improvement and it’s still going on we are both satisfied. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be busy and able to go out and do some normal things again. We are both grateful for every bit of that. 
Shannon has a follow-up appointment with his chemo doctor on the 24th of this month. I will be sure to update the blog after we’ve talked to the doctor.
Thank you all again for your good thoughts and prayers. That is what has seen Shannon and me through all this. I hope you will keep us in your prayers that this cancer does not return and that Shannon will continue to get better and better.
Today was the day Shannon had his PET scan to see if there is any cancer remaining and to help the doctors and us decide where to go next. We are hoping and praying that this scan is going to come back clear. We’ll go in to see the radiation oncologist a week from today to find out what the results are. I think it’s going to be a long week waiting for word on this but we plan to try and stay busy and occupied until then.
We had to get up very early this morning. It takes quite awhile for them to prepare him for the scan so we were there about 3 hours. He says it is an easy test to take. They inject some dye in that contains a small amount of radiation so that it will react with any cancer in the body and this shows up in the scan. He tells me they gave him a comfy bed to lay on and dimmed the lights for him to relax while he waited to be ready for the scan itself. That only took a few minutes.
The doctor we saw last told us not to be alarmed if something shows on the scan. Seems the dye will also react to any damage that is left unhealed from the radiation treatments he has had. If that’s the case another scan will be given further down the road, but they still may be able to see what they need to know.
The CT scan he had earlier showed us that the tumor is either greatly shrunken so it doesn’t show up or gone all together. We really feel hopeful that this scan will confirm that result.
Shannon continues to improve since his treatment. It is a little frustrating for him that the improvement is so slow but we are both very pleased that the he keeps getting better as time goes on.
He is still using the Boost as his main source of nutrition and he’s getting quite tired of that. He is able to eat a little more than before. One thing that is hard for him is that things don’t taste the same as they did before. We are hoping that his taste will continue to improve though and soon eating will be easier because of it.
Shannon has had cravings for Mexican food all through this. Part of his Texas heritage I think. 
With an extremely sore throat it hasn’t been possible for him to eat anything like that. I made a pot of very mild chili for him though and it went down very well. It didn’t completely satisfy his craving though. One day he had run a small errand in his truck and passed by a Taco Belle restaurant and just couldn’t resist. He went in and ordered a beef and bean burrito and brought it home. No, he wasn’t able to finish it but he did manage nearly half with a lot of water on the side to help wash it down. It was a huge milestone for him and we were both so thrilled! He says it still doesn’t taste like it used to but that it was still very good and helped with his craving.
Things like that are scattered all through his recovery so far. Small things that feel like huge milestones. We are very grateful for each and every one of them. We both feel very strongly that these things will continue and will begin coming more and more often until he is feeling much more like his normal self again.
We both do our very best to dwell on the progress he makes. Sometimes there are little set backs and they are a little frustrating and worrisome for us. Still, we count all our blessings every day and it is clear that even though progress is slow, there are many more accomplishments than there are setbacks. As long as that continues we know everything is going to be okay.
I know it has been quite a while since I’ve posted an update here. I apologize to those of you who have been following Shannon’s progress and I hope that the lack of updates hasn’t discouraged or worried anyone.
Shannon has been doing better and better each day. We are both so thankful for the continued progress. There are times when it seems so slow and both of us get a little worried about that but when we think back to how badly he felt during the treatments, we realize that he has improved greatly. It’s just very hard to see it since the improvements are so gradual.
We had one of our sons and his family here from just after Christmas to this morning. It was a joy to be able to celebrate with three of our grandchildren and we had such fun watching them open their presents, celebrate a birthday and watch the new year come in. We missed our other son and his family. Having them here too would have made it all perfect.
Shannon did very well even with all the action and giggles and laughing going on around here. We had been afraid it would tire him but I think it had the opposite effect. He seemed to do much better with the family here. He was even able to stay up on New Year’s Eve to watch the ball drop on TV and we had a little kiss for luck. We have great faith that this next year will be a much better and healthier one for us.
Today Shannon had his CT scan to check and see how the treatments have done and to help determine our next step. Of course, the technician isn’t allowed to tell us anything so now we will be in waiting mode until January 10 when he has an appointment with the oncologist. It will probably seem a very long time between now and then. Actually, it already feels like a long time and it’s only a few hours since the scan. We will do our best to stay in the here and now and not worry about the future but it’s very difficult to do that. So long as he continues to improve though, it will be much easier.
We are still working on getting Shannon back onto eating solid foods. It is still quite difficult for him to eat but he can eat mashed potato and gravy and a few things like that. He is beginning to get his taste back but sweet things don’t always taste right to him. We try and stick with the things that taste right for him as it’s just much better for him that way. Food is beginning to smell good to him and his appetite is slowly coming back. We are hoping that once he can eat a little more, he will start feeling more like himself again.
I want to thank all of you again who are checking in on our blog and praying for Shannon and me. It makes all the difference knowing we have friends and loved ones supporting us the way you all do. We both appreciate you all more than you know.