Still All Clear
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.