dennismcgn's Cancer Blog
January 28, 2010
just wanted to share some good news…
the end of December, i had my first petscan since completing radiation and chemotherapy in July’09….
today i saw my main doctor {ENT surgeon}....he shared my scans showed….no cancer activity !
will be continuing to have petscans every 4 months…and guessing the timeframe for follow-up scans will lengthen in time
my life has returned to normalcy…
- within 10 months from initial surgeries
- within 7 months of completing chemo/radiation
i hope this might be encouraging information for anyone in the early steps of this tonsil cancer journey…perhaps dealing with overwhelming fear and uncertainity….
god bless to you all…
*now i get to face a “different kind of reality”...getting all my medical bills in order for tax purposes…what a different kind of nightmare !
dennismcgn
1st PetScan Since Completing Treatments, 
6 comments)
Dennis—
This is all fantastic news! I’m so glad you are doing well and that your PET scan shows NED! Congratulations! As for the taxes, well that’s just another one of life’s unpleasantries, but you can get through it! Take care and may God bless.
Hugs—
Martha
Posted on Hi Dennis,
Congrats on the good results of your PET. You are an inspiration. And A special thanks for posting the timeframes of healing. Im in the healing stages and I keep complaining how slow it seems to be going. As I read 10 months post surgeries, I feel relieved. I thought I was doing something wrong. You take care of yourself and GOD Bless.
Best Regards,
Elena Cuomo
Posted on Dennis Congradulations to you what good news! Us who are starting our journeys do appreciate your blog. You really are an inspiration to the rest of us! I am going to read you full blog, and take and use from it what I can. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your posts Hugs Val
Posted on Hi Dennis! What wonderful news! I know you breathed a big sigh of relief…I’m waiting to breath mine! My PET scan is scheduled for March 5th. Dennis I was wondering when you first started trying to eat food again when it hit your tongue did it just feel almost revolting? I’ve been trying yogurt, pudding, canned pears, mashed tators…but oh my word when it touches my tongue it’s just the most horrid feeling and I don’t know if that’s because I haven’t eaten or drank anything for so long or I was thinking maybe it was because of this awful thrush I have on my tongue. The mucous situation seemed so much better and now it’s back too…yuck! They put me on Nystatin and that didn’t put a dent in it so just yesterday I started on Diflucan for 7 days…have my fingers crossed that it will finally leave me!
I am so glad you are doing so well Dennis! I’ve read your blog and you are an inspiration! Thanks for sharing your journey with us!
Hugs,
Trice :-)
Posted on Hey Dennis,
So…did you do a dance? Yell out “Yoo Hoo”? Celebrate somehow? That has to be a GREAT feeling! Thanks for posting the information about timing, although I would prefer you to revise the timeframes to make them shorter :o)
I’m only one week, today, out of radiation. It’s not easy to imagine 7 months from now. I am praying for patience.
Thanks for all of your posts and your comments on my posts. They have been informative and inspiring.
Now get to work on those taxes!
With gratitude,
Greg
Posted on Hi D!
Thanks for your comment on my post. I just wanted to ask if you are taking zinc? I take one tablet per day and I notice that it is increasing my taste. If I skip a day, I do get that pasty bland taste for everything. I am glad to see you are cancer free and improving right along!
Take care my friend,
Anna
Posted on November 30, 2009
hey…
hope you and your families had a happy thanksgiving and you were able to enjoy thanksgiving foods & tastes !
special prayers for cheryl—-
one of our special cancer blog members
i just wanted to reconnect with you all on my 6 month anniversary since completing radiation and chemo for tonsil cancer…
i am happy to say….my life is starting to return to normalcy…
- working full-time…first 3-4 weeks,easily tired, though as the days went by i re-gained normal strength to handle pressures & strain of working
- exercising 4-5x per week—first 2-3 months easily tired, low endurance, i was shocked when i first went on the treadmill—i became exhausted after first 2-3 minutes—though as time went by i returned to my normal exercise schedule.
- taste…i am happy to say my taste has returned to normalcy…no more metal taste, no more NO TASTE, no more mucus, no more nausea…just “true” taste!
- saliva…still have dry mouth and always need to have water close by…even at night…also completing daily fluoride treatments {both will be a permanent thing due to loss of saliva}
- throat pain…pain level is low {2 out of 10}...still taking neurontin to manage the pain level {600mg 2x/day}...this medication has been a Godsend…i hope to off this in about 1-2 months
- appetite…improving…continue to mostly eat soft foods…angel hair noodles with sauce…though over thanksgiving {without any discomfort}...i found i was able to eat different types of foods {turkey, stuffing, potatoes, yams, green beans, cranberries..mmm !}
i find soda {carbonation} irritates my throat
this past week i started to have physical therapy on the neck dissection surgical area…to loosen the scar tissue; stretch the constricted neck muscles; continue stretching constricted mouth muscles
finally…the end of december i will be getting my follow-up PetScan to see if there is any “cancer activity” or i am “cancer free”...i will get the results at end of january…
please pray for a good result…
god bless to you all
dennismcgn
6 months since completing radiation & chemotherapy, 8 comments)
Hi Dennis,
Great to hear from you! You sound like you’re right on track. Don’t worry to much about the pet scan as there is nothing you can do about it. You will probably have them every 6 months to a year for a while. The saliva will improve a bit over the next several months, though i still have a lot of dry mouth and saliva that is thicker than normal. I’m 1 1/2 years after radiation. My next petscan is coming up to in Dec. We’ll see!
God bless,
Jacques
Posted on Dennis—
It’s great to hear from you and hear all the great news! It sounds like you are doing very well and getting back to doing all the things you have missed the past few months. It’s wonderful that you are working and exercising, and it sounds like the appetite is doing very well too. I couldn’t be happier for you! Keep going forward, dear friend, and no looking back! I will continue to keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
Hugs—
Martha
Hey Dennis,
This post is encouraging. It helps me to see a sliver of light at the end of the tunnel. I’ll begin my radiation and chemo treatments next Monday. Had the mask made today.
Didn’t realize you can still have side effects 6 months after treatments. I was told today by the Radiation Oncologist that I will permanently lose my salivary glands on the side where the neck dissection was performed.
We will pray that your upcoming PET scan will be negative, thank God that He has carried you this far and that you make a complete return to good and healthy life.
Be well Dennis,
Greg
Hi Dennis,
It sure sounds like you are doing well and recovering nicely! Way to go! I am out of chemo about 6 weeks now and starting to feel somewhat normal myself. I’ll be headed back to work in 3 weeks and it can’t come soon enough because I am going stir crazy!
Have a wonderful Christmas!
hugs,
Amy
Posted on hi, dennis. so glad to hear that your life is beginning to return to normal. that is what we all strive for. as normal a life as possible after having cancer. i will keep praying for you as i have in the past. keep the faith. debby
Posted on Hello Dearest Dennis,
How sweet you are. I’m still hanging in there. I pray that I at least get to my 52 birthday Jan 23. That is my goal now because my son has a trip planned to Colorado Jan 2, for about 5 days. He so deserves it. The trip he had planned last year didn’t work out do to a blizzard and the closing down of the interstate. I do not want anything to interfer with his trip this time. It is God’s will that will be done not ours but I can still put in a request.
Love you, Cheryl
Posted on Hi Dennis,
Thanks for the info. Its very inspirational to know what lies ahead. Its great to know your taste is back. Im in my 5th month of this CRAP. But I had to have a neck disection to remove the remainder of the lump that rads and chemo didnt get. So ENT Surgeon did that one month ago. He tells me ALL “C” is OUT. GLORY TO GOD. Ive been doing OK, but I still cant eat or swallow, using the tube. Im getting frustrated and want to exercise, and go back to work. Doc says its a slow process. I am ever so gratelful that I defeated the BEAST. Ready to move on…cant wait. AS for you, you sound fantastic. GOOD LUCK to you always. Have a wonderful Holiday.
Best Regards,
Elena Cuomo
Thanks for your support - 
