Shannon - October 2006

Shannon MRI

Shannon's 'Moon Face' from the steroids

Preparing for the Gamma Knife surgery

Discovery and Diagnosis

For as long as I can remember I’ve had “tummy trouble”. IBS, I figured, bouts of constipation and/or diarrhea. Eventually the symptoms became more unusual, but I could always explain them away. Finally the symptoms increased in both frequency and severity, I lost a bit of weight and my bowel habits changed. I was getting scared, but I was afraid to talk about it with anyone… so I didn’t. I made lots of excuses for the symptoms; “I’ve got IBS”, “I’m under a lot of stress”, I’m losing weight because I’m working out” etc… Eventually I went to see the doctor who had always agreed with me that I had IBS, but this time I told her all of my symptoms. She ordered a colonoscopy.

December 22nd,  Colonoscopy. Dr. Levine discovers a large tumor in the rectum and orders 8 biopsies… sends me off for blood work after procedure and orders a CT scan for the day after Christmas.

December 26th, CT scan reveals “spots” in lungs, hip, femur and thoracic spine.

December 28th, Dr. Levine tells me the tumor is malignant and that the scan shows signs it may have metastasized. He recommends I go see Dr. Casey a Medical Oncologist at Cape Cod Hospital.

By early January things were moving incredibly fast. I had met with Dr Casey and Dr. Herrick my Radiation Oncologist. I had had blood tests, nuclear bone scans, x-rays, CT scans… I’d been mapped and tattooed by the radiation dept and had started taking vicodin to alleviate the pain in my hip that was keeping me from walking up stairs in interfering with my sleep.

January 10th I wake in the middle of the night to a “focal seizure”. Thank God Lafe was there to help me.

The next Day I met Dr. Ryan who ordered an MRI of my brain to check for lesions. The results reveal 2 and a half lesions and I am put on a steroid (the wonder drug, or so I thought!) After that discovery the doctors become concerned that I could also have lung cancer… so a lung biopsy is ordered.

January 23rd Dr. Santilli performs a lung biopsy and touches both of us with his kindness and post-operation attention.

January 25th Lafe and I go to New England Medical Center to meet with Dr. Mignano to see if I am eligible for the Gamma knife procedure for the brain tumors… he decides I am, and schedules the procedure for February 6th.

The Medical Team

Shannon's medical team is based at Cape Cod Hospital's Mugar-Davenport Cancer Center in Hyannis and includes Dr. John Mignano of Tufts-New England Medical Center's Gamma Knife Center and also from Boston is GI Cancer specialist, Dr. David P. Ryan, who is affiliated with Dana-Farber, Harvard University and Brigham & Women's.

Leading her team at CCH are medical oncologist Dr. Henry Casey who oversees her chemotherapy and radiation oncologist Dr. Beth Herrick who oversees her local treatment for pain-management of her bones as well as recommending the very successful gamma knife treatment in Boston.

Side effect management is primarily though acupuncture with Kate Billings at least once a week and it has helped tremendously. Kate has been very generous to both of us. Lafe has been getting massage from Dee Engley, who has been helping him stay grounded and sane through all this. Shannon is hoping to start seeing Dee soon.

Now that we have set up a healing room in our house, Shannon is being treated at home by healers Jo Anne Evans Koenig and Sheree Henry. Shannon has been receiving healing sessions at Haven for Healing's cancer clinic as well, which are generously offered free of charge to anyone dealing with cancer.

Our quality of life has been vastly improved by the VNA of Cape Cod, who come to the house to administer Shannon's Procrit(boosts red blood cells) and Neupogen(boosts white blood cells) shots, which were taking up much of our schedule commuting to Hyannis, sometimes seven days a week. We are both very thankful for Leslie McGuire, our main VNA nurse.