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.
We have just gotten home from seeing the radiation oncologist and we got the news we’ve been praying to hear. All clear! No sign of the cancer in the PET scan he had on Monday or in the doctor’s exam. We are relieved, thrilled, ecstatic and we feel so blessed. There really aren’t enough words there to describe how wonderful it is to get this news but you get the idea. 
The doctor says that from now on Shannon only needs a once a year PET scan along with follow-up doctor visits in between to keep an eye on things. We will be going back to this doctor in 6 months. We already had an appointment with the surgeon for the end of June and there is an appointment with the chemo oncologist shortly before Shannon sees this doctor again.
The doctor today seemed very pleased with Shannon’s progress as far as maintaining his weight and his eating. Shannon does still have problems with a few things because the radiation has damaged his saliva glands. The biggest trouble he has is with things like bread which tends to just clump up in his mouth and form a lump he can’t swallow. Most other things he can eat fairly well. Acidic type foods such as citrus or vinegar and very spicy things are also still hard for him to eat but that has improved a lot so maybe he’ll be able to get back to his spicy Mexican food yet. The doctor says he sees a big improvement since the last visit and that the eating will continue to improve slowly over the next couple of years.
Thank you all so much for all the support you’ve given to Shannon and me through all this. All the prayers and well wishes have touched both of us so much and best of all… they worked! I will continue to update this blog whenever Shannon has a doctor visit and I hope to update a bit in between to keep you all informed of his progress. I am not the best at posting updates and I apologize for that. I can promise though that I will update whenever there is any news from a test or a doctor.
Shannon had a follow up appointment with his chemo doctor last week. He was pleased with Shannon’s progress. The doctors are all working together to make sure Shannon has a follow up appointment with at least one of them every couple of months. So far all has been great since the clear PET scan. His next appointment is for his second post-treatment PET scan on May 21 and the appointment to get the results is set for May 23. Waiting for the scans is probably the most difficult thing. We are hoping and praying for another all clear scan.
Shannon has been doing very well with his eating and nutrition. He is very much thinner than he used to be but he feels good at the lighter weight and he is able to maintain. According to most of the charts and things they use these days, he is a healthy weight so there is no need for him to try and gain back all that he lost. He is completely off the Boost and maintaining strictly with what he eats for meals now. That is such a great thing. While his lifestyle is still a bit altered after all the treatments, it is getting more and more normal as time goes on. His progress has been fantastic.
I will continue to post updates when Shannon has had a doctor’s appointment or scan. I am looking forward to being able to continue giving you good news.
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.