Chugging along...

Sam’s appointment today with his E/N/T, Dr. Celin, went well.

Dr. Celin said he like the way Sam appeared and, after examining him with a Fiberoptic Laryngoscope and then physically examining his tongue, he said did not detect any problems.
He also told us that he prefers to do physical exams because he said he can generally detect head and neck tumors at fairly early stages by exams and that Oncologists tend to use more frequent PET/CT Scans for their diagnoses.

In the interest of being proactive, Dr. Celin schedules follow up appointments every 6 weeks the first year, then every 3 months the next year and then every 6 months – ongoing – unless any secondary cancers occur – then it’s back to every 6 weeks. He said that if this cancer returns, it most usually recurs in the first two years after treatment, but he has seen patients with a recurrence at six years out. Also, he feels that it is easier to keep track of the changes in the patient with more frequent exams. We concur.

After a few questions that were minor in nature, i.e. dealing with acid reflux and saliva deficiency, Sam asked if Dr. Celin would call with the results of the PET/CT. Sam related the feelings he had regarding the Oncologist and Dr. Celin suggested that it’s probably a style issue and that he sometimes finds that some patients are better suited to other physicians. So, that validates the idea of changing Oncologists if we continue to be unhappy with that physician. Anyway, we’re glad he will be the one to call.

Sam’s weight is holding at 145 pounds which means he has not gained any weight in the past two weeks – but he hasn’t lost any weight either.

Overall, after this visit, we feel like Sam’s on track but we continue to pray to prepare our hearts for any possible derailments. Prayer is the power for peace.