First PET/CT After Husband's BOT/Lymph Node SCC HPV+ 16 Journey

Swoosh13

Hi All,

I've written before about my husband's cancer journey, diagnosed with Stage I, base of tongue (left side) and 2 left lymph nodes as SCC HPV+ 16 in late July 2023. You can search my screen name Swoosh13 as I detailed my husband's journey through treatment, which started September 5 and ended on October 24, 2023. He had 7 weeks of daily rads (33 in total in the end) and 7 weekly chemo Cisplatin.

He is just shy of 17 weeks post treatment and had his first PET/CT today, followed with meetings with both his Radiologist and Oncologist. He was scoped and everything looked great.

So, got the PET results from both doctors (except from Chest/Abdomen down through Pelvis) which will be read in a day or two.

Here's what it basically said: "Treated left base of tongue malignancy. No residual or recurrent disease is identified. No hypermetabolic lymphadenopathy in the head or neck."

So yes, NED after his treatment! He has some (minor) lymph fluid under his chin (basically) which he is going to get at least one PT treatment for, that was up to us, but they said he could massage it himself if he wanted (I said sign him up because I know he won't do it, LOL)!

Here's the game plan going forward. He'll go back for more scans every 3-4 months for the first 2 years and rotate between the 3 tumor board doctors that determined his care initially. After that every 6 months as he moves away from this "journey."

We also had a journey with his diabetes during chemo as the steroid they gave him for 4 days/week during chemo jacked his blood sugars. We found a wonderful new (somewhat young and diligent) endocrinologist at the same hospital facility who he saw last Thursday and his A1C (3 month average of blood sugar) had come down significantly (partially due to weight loss during treatment).

Finally, as anyone who has read his journey (by me documenting everything) as of February 10 (Valentine's Day date night) he told me he could successfully taste at around 80%. He had been plateaued at 60% for a few months and even the doctors are pretty amazed at that level of taste return so quickly and his saliva is not terrible, although he carries around a 40 oz. Stanley water mug I bought him that he finishes 2-3 of a day.

We are so blessed, and it was a "journey." He is 67 and had been working part-time before all of this and is planning to go back to work a couple of days a week in April. His boss had his back, which was also great.

Thank you to all who have followed us and feel free to reach out as necessary.

Swoosh13/Gail

scoleh

Terrific news, Swoosh. Happy for you and your man. I feel as if he and I are on similar paths. I’m just a couple months behind him.

Peace!

wbcgaruss

Oh My, Gail, such wonderful news. NED it is then. And In fact NED is the #1 requested post-treatment ranking according to the last unofficial survey I took. Definitely unofficial but still true. So it sounds like he made it through treatment and came out the other side better than the docs expected, great news. So glad for your husband there is no better news in the cancer world except maybe the docs looking at his scans and saying "Unremarkable". And even has most of his taste back, who knows it just might get better yet. I celebrate with you.

Wishing You The Best-Take Care, God Bless

Russ