Cycle 2 -- Halfway Through It

Shannon:
August 15, 2009

So it is the 10th day of Cycle 2 and I am more than halfway through my shots. My ”bio-hazard” container is starting to look crowded and I am feeling pretty good. I have definite mixed feelings at this time in the cycle. The ingredients of my feelings are equal parts of the following:

• Relief that I pretty much halfway through this cycle.
• Weariness that I have 8 more shots
• Trepidation that I am only 4 shots away from the dreaded stomach shots.
• Peace and joy because it is really not so bad, I feel good, and God has my back.

I am also happy that Thursday was the last day of my physical therapy appointments. I have graduated and I have been using the sleeve without any problems to go to the driving range. Me and hubby went up to the Par 3 course in Severna Park and played a game to prepare for our real game on Saturday. I did worse than what I wanted but I guess not so bad overall. Ben came in 10 over par and I came in 11 over the ladies’ par. I will beat him someday. Of course I did not count any of the “practice” shots that I needed to take.

My first score card

I have discovered in the course of wearing my new golf shoes that my left foot is bigger than my right. By the 7th hole of the course I was quite finished. My two littlest toes on my left foot were falling asleep because that shoe was too tight, my hand was cramping because of my gauntlet, and bugs were starting to bite me. Now anyone who knows me well knows that I do not “do” nature… or discomfort in general. I just don’t see the point in not being completely comfortable unless it is for the most fabulous shoe one could ever imagine.

So Saturday has rolled around and with it – the real game of golf. I woke up in fighting mode ready to go. My husband tried to kiss me right before we left for the course, but I didn’t allow it lest he think I wasn’t serious competition. We met my dad down at Annapolis Roads Golf Course and got geared up. Out we went to our very first hole, a par 4. I got an 8…so much for being serious competition. I did not do as well on a real golf course as I did on Thursday. I ended up 18 over par. Ben was 7 over. I can’t prove it, but I am pretty sure he cheated.

My second score card was not so pretty...

Going along with my determinedly positive attitude I decided my handicap is 18 and so I actually played par golf and beat Ben by 7 strokes. I win!

Medical Oncologist and First Clinical Trial

Susan:

Shannon went from having the ancillary lymph node dissection surgery to physical therapy almost immediately. During this time she also changed her job location and job assignment with the Army Audit Agency. She moved from working at Ft Meade, Maryland to working at the Pentagon. She was put on a research team at the Pentagon and this allowed her to telework on days she was not well enough to travel to Virginia. Looking back, this was a wonderful thing the Army Audit Agency did for Shannon.

Shannon was referred to a Medical Oncologist to pick a treatment drug to help fight to keep the cancer cells from coming back. What she and Ben found when they went to their first appointment with Dr. B. (not the same Dr. B) - is that there is no cure drug for Stage III Melanoma. This is also the first time she and Ben had heard her staging. Dr. B. told Shannon and Ben that they might as well not even bother trying Interferon- which was the standard of care at the time. Dr. B. told them it would just make Shannon very sick and not really do anything. Dr. B. told Shannon that her best chance for a longer life was to find a clinical trial. He gave her some quick advice on how to find one and then – zip- he was gone from the exam room.

When Shannon came home and called me to let me know how the appointment had gone, I was shocked that Dr. B. had not explained things more fully to her. Shannon and Ben knew that they did not want to choose a clinical trial that was randomized. They wanted to be sure she was receiving treatment medications. Over the next few days I had to work on Shannon to get her nerve up to call Dr. B.’s office for some advice on how to pick the right Clinical Trial.

Shannon put a call in to Dr. B. and he called her back and he seemed more relaxed on the phone with her and they reviewed a few trials and ended up selecting one that was soon to start at Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Dr. B. put the call in for her and she had her appointment. Shannon and Ben met with the physician at Franklin Square and the nurses that would be taking care of her. She and Ben both felt peace in their decision to begin this clinical trial.

This clinical trial is best described by Shannon in her own words.

So, we will hear from Shannon for the next few posts. You will hear her hope and faith coming through loud and clear. We were all looking on the bright side and believing God for a miracle.