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More tests? Aren't we done yet?

We had a horrible ride to U of M today. We were stuck in traffic in Kzoo for over 1/2 hour with traffic backed up as far as the eye can see. Tom was a great driver and we were only 10 minutes late for the appointment. They must have been waiting for us because Tom got right in to see Dr. Teknos, which was a first! Tom was poked & prodded and then we got to the consult.

Tom's neck continues to swell in the evening and Dr. says this is normal. He warned that his swelling and firmness may stay with him for up to a year. The edema (fluid) in Tom's neck it's turning to scar tissue. Tom will need to start Physical Therapy. He still does not have full movement of his neck and Dr. doesn't want scar tissue to hamper the movement of his head and neck. Dr. also explained that three weeks after the last radiation treatment would be the worst point in recovery before Tom would begin feeling better. Tom is on the other side of it now and should start improving a little each day.

Tom's taste buds should come back within 3-4 months after his last treatment. Dr. said that "Things will start tasting better again and not so much like cardboard." His energy is within the same range. He said that each week he should notice a difference.

Tom got poked again today while at the U of M. They are checking his Calcitonin levels, Thyroid, and calcuim levels. These results will be in within the week. Tom will not have to see another Dr. again until March. He will go back to U of M for a three day procedure. This is called for a scan called the Octreotide scan. This is better than a PET scan because it focuses on Neuro Tumors. This is in the nuclear medicine department at the University of Michigan with the same functions as the PET scan. Then we go back again to get the results on April 1st -no fooling!

Thanks for all the prayers that were said today and before in anticipation of Tom's consultation. Tom is thankful that he has been released to go back to work next week. He is still not sleeping all night but within time this should be improving along with everything else. Even though we are not out of the "woods" yet, we are getting more answers and having less questions. Is Tom cancer free? The Dr. have not confirmed that, yet but I believe we can pray for that.