Shannon had a follow-up appointment and exam with his surgeon yesterday. He used a scope to examine Shannon’s throat as well as did a manual exam of the lymph nodes in Shannon’s neck. I’m very happy to say it was all clear again. No sign of anything in the throat or in the lymph nodes. The surgeon was very pleased with the results of the last PET scan and with that and the exam says that Shannon is still all clear. He also said that if this continues like this for 5 years then they will consider Shannon cured. That is what we are shooting for and I know he’s going to make it.
Our other good news is that we took a little trip to Texas to visit Shannon’s family and spend Father’s Day with his Dad and the rest of the family. It is hard to get a large family together all at the same time but it happened for Father’s Day and we had a wonderful time. Shannon did excellent with everything. We took some little side trips to see different things and take some pictures and visited with some old friends. It was a trip we have been wanting to make for some time and at some points wondered if we’d ever be able to do. It feels like such an accomplishment. Taking a trip requires eating in different restaurants. Eating can be a challenge for someone who has had radiation to his neck but Shannon did wonderfully. He was able to eat more than he has been before. We even ate in a few Mexican food restaurants and he was even able to sample the salsa. Amazing and wonderful!
Shannon will have a follow-up with his chemo oncologist in August and another with the surgeon in October and then another with the radiation oncologist in December. This first year they want more follow-ups to be sure the cancer stays gone. There will be yearly PET scans and fewer follow-ups after that but they will still keep a close eye on things for the 5 years. We are both keeping very positive and will continue to pray that Shannon will have his cure. In the meantime we will enjoy every minute of every day because each one is a gift.
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.
I am so pleased to be able to write here that Shannon is still improving. Every day he is a little better and is able to do a little more.
Last week he had an appointment with the surgeon that did the original biopsy and diagnosed the cancer. This was the first time we’ve been to see him since that time. He read all the reports and saw the scans that have been done since then and told us that the cancer is completely gone. He sees no reason to do any surgery at this time but says we need to follow up carefully and often for at least a year. There had been talk of removing the two lymph nodes that were involved in the beginning even if they appear clear now. This is how they used to do this as a routine. Now because of the advances of scans and PET scans they can see if there is even a few cancer cells present so it isn’t necessary to do any surgery unless something shows up. This is such a huge relief to both of us.
Shannon is beginning to be able to eat a little better now too. He is still drinking Boost as a supplement but it is not his main source of nutrition now. We have been out to eat several times in the past couple of weeks. Yesterday we went to the movies together. It is almost like dating again. 
Each thing he is able to do and every time we go out together is a joy. We are having fun!
Once again, I want to thank everyone for all the prayers and the good thoughts. It has meant so much to both of us to know you are all there and that you care. I know that neither of us could have made it through this very difficult time without that.
Shannon continues to improve in just tiny amounts each day. Even though it’s slow we are both extremely happy to see this progress continue.
Yesterday Shannon had an appointment with the chemo doctor as a follow up to make sure he’s had no trouble as a result of that treatment. There were no problems. He did have a chance to look at the CT scan and said he and the other doctor were having a hard time seeing any tumor at all left in the tonsil area where it all started. There is still some very soft tissue where the swollen lymph nodes were but nothing to say that’s what it was from.
He recommended Shannon suck on hard, sugar free candies to help stimulate the salivary glands to begin to work again. Shannon has been having trouble eating much more than a liquid diet. Your salivary glands play a big part in anyone being able to eat I suppose.
The good news is that Shannon has begun to eat small amounts of things and the flavors of the food are beginning to come back to him.
His PET scan which is the most comprehensive of the two scans will be on Valentine’s Day but we likely won’t find any info for a week after that when we go to see the radiation doctor again.
We will also see the original doctor… the surgeon who wanted radiation and chemo done before hand to make it at least shrink small enough to make the surgery minor. We’ll see what he says. He is our expert on the need for surgery so we will just have to wait until then to find out for certain.
At least we know for sure the main tumor is gone. That is the most imporant thing… and means there is possibility of remission.
Shannon is getting stronger as time goes on. He is now able to pop over to the neighbors houses and have little visits with them. It does him so much good to get out even if it’s just across the street. He’s even gone back to doing some of the household chores he used to do before he was sick. Twice a week we take our rubbish out to be picked up by the truck. He’s been gathering it from all through the house and then taking the bag out to the curb for the truck to pick up. He says it makes him feel useful and much better about things.
So, Still nothing but good to report. We’ve had lots of people praying for us and I know that this has helped get us good results. I hope you will all continue to remember us in your prayers because it will be a long time before we can relax and not have to worry about this cancer taking our family apart. Thank you so much for all the support we’ve been given. It means the world to us.