Rianne’s Tests, Blood Draws and Surgeries

Rianne’s trail during her fight against cancer has been nothing short of exhausting. Many of you have followed every step that she has taken, but some of you have not yet heard of her challenges. To better familiarize you with her trail I have created a timeline of the schedule she has followed since the day she had the lump removed from her head. The intense schedule of tests, blood draws and procedures is not uncommon for cancer patients to follow. April 15th is a date to note when you read this entry. Reading through and remembering her schedule makes me marvel at her strength, courage and endurance through all of this.

March 25, 2010 – Rianne underwent surgery for a lump that was on her head since June of 2009. The lump grew in size, especially in the winter months. The surgery was successful, yet the lump stumped the surgeon. He promptly sent it to pathology.

April 1, 2010 – Results of the pathology report were returned to the surgeon. Rianne’s lump was found to be a Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma; Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma. Rianne was told that she has cancer.

April 6, 2010 – We went to an appointment with the surgeon to remove stitches that Rianne received during surgery. Surgeon decided to leave the stitches in her head to minimize the risk of infection, as Rianne would be facing numerous tests during the upcoming week.

April 8, 2010 – We met with the Oncologist for the first time at North Bend Medical Center in Coos Bay. We were impressed with his knowledge, especially when he understood Rianne’s blood condition, which is called Thallesemia Minor. This was the first doctor in 21 years of our lives together who knew what it was! We felt very comfortable with him and with his nursing staff.

April 12, 2010 - 9:15am – MUGA SCAN – Rianne was injected with a radioactive material and scanned by an advanced machine to detect the strength of her heart. She received the injection and 30 minutes later endured an hour long test while she lay motionless on her back.
April 12, 2010 - 1:30pm – CT SCAN (Formerly known as the CAT SCAN) – 6 hour fast required. Rianne was instructed to “choose a flavor!” She chose banana flavor and was told to wait until 12:30, then drink two 20 ounce bottles of barium – a chalky textured liquid which helps to create an image during the scan. She hesitantly polished off the 2 bottles by 1:30, then again laid motionless on her back for 20 minutes for the imaging.

April 13, 2010 - 11:30am – PET SCAN – 6 hour fast required. Rianne was again injected with a material to assist the Positron Emission Tomography machine to clearly read her entire body cavity for cancerous tumors. The injected material involved glucose, which cancer cells react to and get caught in the act by the high-tech scanning machine.

April 14, 2010 – Her only day off from what we have since called “The Cancer Olympics”. Rianne went to lunch with her parents at the Mill Casino. Magic returned to Gold Beach the previous evening so he could work the next day, then returned to Coos Bay to accompany Rianne for the remaining tests.

April 15, 2010 - 8:00am – Rianne went through a BLOOD DRAW to test counts on her white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, calcium, vitamin D and more.
April 15, 2010 - 9:45am – BRAIN MRI – Rianne remained motionless once again for an hour to produce clear images for the Magnetic Resonance Imaging of her brain. This was a painless procedure which she responded to well.
April 15, 2010 - 10:15am - LUMBAR PUNCTURE - 6 hour fast required. Rianne hesitantly endured a LUMBAR PUNCTURE (Formerly known as the Spinal Tap) - A large needle was driven through Rianne’s lower back and into her spinal cord while she was lying on her belly. She was then tipped up to a near vertical position to allow spinal fluid to drain into a vial for testing. This was a painful test which caused her enormous anxiety. We discussed the procedure before it was initiated and were told that a surgeon would administer the test, which relieved her concerns. She did remarkably well through the test, although pain later returned.
April 15, 2010 - 1:30pm - CHEMO PORT SURGERY - 6 hour fast required. The surgeon who removed the lump on her head inserted a unit beneath Rianne’s skin and into her upper chest muscles referred to as a Port. The Port was sewn into place with dissolvable stitches and could not be seen but could be felt. Oncology nurses can access the Port (which is about the size and shape of a Rolo candy and has a tube that is placed into a vein) and place needles into it for chemotherapy infusions, blood draws and blood transfusions. The Port is less likely to draw infection during the 18 week chemotherapy treatment process than other IV methods used.

April 16, 2010 - 2:30pm– Rianne went into NBMC for an appointment with an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist but the appointment was cancelled by them. She did undergo a HEARING EXAM while she was at the facility.

April 19, 2010 – 8:00am - Rianne began CHEMOTHERAPY INFUSION #1. The infusion began the first of six cycles. Each cycle is 3 weeks in length. She completed the infusion at 6:00pm with a smile on her face, yet she was physically exhausted.

April 20, 2010 – 8:00am - Rianne returned to the Oncologist to receive a NEULASTA SHOT. This chemical is used to boost the production of white blood cells which occurs in the bone marrow. The chemicals administered during chemotherapy kill cancer cells, red blood cells and white blood cells, which is why the shot is critical to receive. The bone marrow in the sternum, ribs, hips and skull actively produce white blood cells, but also causes intense pain during the recovery process.
April 20, 2010 - 11:30am - BONE MARROW TEST - 6 hour fast required. Rianne hesitantly endured her final procedure which she again had anxiety for. When she was 5 years old, her mother and her underwent Bone Marrow Tests to check for Thallesemia Minor, which is similar to Sickle-Cell Anemia. She clearly remembered the pain, grinding noises and tears involved that day. Luckily, she had excellent nurses to reduce her anxiety this time. The Doctor inserted a hollow needle and took a “core sample” from the marrow in her hip bone on the upper backside. To make her feel at ease, he sang Elvis Pressley songs to her, which greatly improved the experience for her!

April 26, 2010 – Rianne’s father took her to NBMC here in Gold Beach to take a scheduled BLOOD DRAW to check her counts. Later that day she texted me, begging me to come home as something was wrong. I called her Oncologists and asked about the results of the blood draw. We were told her numbers were low and that she needed to have a blood transfusion.
We left Gold Beach at 4:30pm and arrived at Bay Area Hospital around 6:15pm. She was in the hospital bed from 7:00pm until 3:00am enduring a BLOOD TRANSFUSION.

May 3, 2010 - 11:00am – Rianne had a scheduled BLOOD DRAW at NBMC in Coos Bay. Her counts were good.

May 10, 2010 – 9:30am – Rianne began CHEMO INFUSION #2. Results of the series of tests were also reported to us that morning. Her Bone Marrow Test was clean, but the Brain MRI test discovered another tumor. The tumor is located between her brain and skull below the original tumor which was removed during the March 25th surgery. The newly discovered tumor was large in size and measured 5.2cm x 2.3cm x 4.4cm. The tumor was reported to us on May 10th, but has been constantly addressed by the chemicals infused into her since the 1st cycle began on April 19th.

May 17, 2010 – 1:00pm – Rianne had a scheduled BLOOD DRAW at NBMC in Coos Bay. Her counts were low enough for a blood transfusion but she was encouraged to avoid having one. Instead she was instructed to concentrate on improving her counts through rest and a healthy diet until her next weekly scheduled blood draw.

May 24, 2010 – 1:00pm – Rianne had a scheduled BLOOD DRAW at NBMC in Coos Bay. The results showed strong white blood cell counts but very low red blood cell counts. Due to the need for strong counts before beginning her 3rd cycle on June 1st, another blood transfusion was necessary. We arrived at Bay Area Hospital at 3:00pm and left the building at 10:00pm after the blood transfusion was complete.

I hope that this entry has helped you gain a better understanding of the schedule that Rianne has been required to follow. It amazes me that she is still able to function as well as she does. She really is an incredible woman and I am the luckiest man in the world to be with her! Rianne is the love of my life and her strength, courage and determination throughout all of this inspires me.