Shannon had an excellent report at his weekly doctor’s appointment today. All the treatments he’s had are beginning to work. We are just so thrilled and relieved with this news! The doctor said that the lymph nodes in his neck have gotten smaller by quite a bit. Also, the tumor itself appears to be shrinking. Today was radiation treatment 15 of 37 so he’s not quite half way through and it’s fantastic that he is showing this kind of good progress.
His throat is very sore and he is having trouble talking and swallowing now. The Magic Mouthwash just isn’t going to work for him so he is taking a liquid pain medication now. The doctor said that while it is a strong medicine, it is very safe. It isn’t likely he will become dependent on it which I think was a worry to Shannon. He has been trying to take only small doses. It’s nice to know that he can take a little more if he needs it without any problem. I’m hoping that will help him feel a little more comfortable.
Shannon has lost quite a lot of weight since he first found out he had cancer but not a lot since the treatment began. The doctor said it isn’t a worry if he loses 25 pounds and he hasn’t lost even half that much yet so he is in good shape as far as that goes.
Tomorrow is his second of 3 chemo treatments. The chemo treatments are quite strong and make him sick to his stomach and weak. Those side effects took about 6 days to gradually clear out last time and were only at their worst for about half that time. The meds they gave him for that worked well though so hopefully we can handle the problems as they appear. Knowing what to expect will be a big help there. Knowing that all this is actually working and that the tumor is shrinking is the biggest help of all.
Please keep all the prayers and good thoughts coming. They are working! I am hoping to have the best Christmas gift of my life this year… a cured husband.
Just as the doctor said it would be Shannon has developed a very sore throat during this past week. It’s becoming more and more difficult for him to eat and he’s had to switch to eating liquid and very soft things. The Magic Mouthwash works but makes him sick when he takes it so this morning he had to take the stronger med. We had both hoped he would be among the 25% that wouldn’t need that one but anything that helps is a blessing. He is able to eat a little more today and keeping up with the nutrition is very important for him right now.
We received a great tip from a friend that has really helped. If you freeze Gatoraid it makes a great “slushie” that both soothes the throat and helps keep him hydrated. Another tip that has been helpful to us is that it’s better for him to try and eat lots of tiny meals and snacks than to try and get through a larger meal. Instant Breakfast is another good thing. So, lots of ways to get past the sore throat.
We are both still taking things day by day and we are going to make it through this. Even if things are getting a little harder to deal with, we are getting through it and will continue until it’s a thing of the past. We’ve been getting so much support from everyone and lots of prayers are being said. That is what is seeing us through this. We are nearly half way through too so that’s a good thing to know.
Yesterday marked the official end of week two for Shannon’s radiation treatments. Five more to go. He saw the doctor as he does every week. There is evidence now that the radiation is beginning to work. The area where the tumor is growing is starting to be a bit inflamed. Guess that is a sort of good news bad news thing though because it also means that Shannon will probably begin getting a sore throat. To help with that the doctor wrote a prescription for “Magic Mouthwash”. No kidding, that is the name of it. It’s on the prescription label. It is a liquid containing the same type medicine the dentist puts against your gum before he uses the novocaine to numb your jaw. We are hoping that the magic part will do it’s thing so that Shannon won’t have too much trouble eating as he gets further into the treatment.
All in all, everything is going well. Shannon is still able to eat and since the effects of the last chemo have worn off a little bit, he’s eating better. He has gained back 2 of the 10 pounds he’s lost in the past 2 weeks. He is still trying to be as active as he can but is needing much more rest now. He did manage a walk around the block with me and our dog last night now that we finally have some autumn weather and he seemed to enjoy that.
It seems I close every post this way but I can’t thank all of you enough for the good thoughts and prayers. It is such a comfort to know we have so many people thinking about us.
Well, tomorrow is back to daily radiation treatments for Shannon. It’s nice to have the weekends without needing to be at any appointments on time and have time to ourselves. I am extremely happy that there is a suitable treatment for this cancer of Shannon’s but it’s still good to be able to have a couple of days off from it.
Shannon has had another troublesome side effect come up. He’s beginning to lose his sense of taste a little bit. Mild things such as cooked carrots, he can’t taste at all. He can still taste other things but it’s all muted to some extent. He tends to want to use much more salt than he should so I’m going to have to find something else for him to spark up his food for him.
Some of our very nice neighbors brought us a container full of vegetable soup. It’s real yummy… we had a little taste of it with our dinner earlier. I think it’s going to be dinner tomorrow. 
All of our neighbors have been so kind and helpful to us. We live in a real friendly neighborhood with good people.
Take care everyone… make sure you let your loved ones know you love them. It’s much more important than you may realize.