Follow-Up with Surgeon
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.