Rianne was Reading and Reading and Reading Today

Rianne has had a few good days! In our last Blog entry she was a bit discouraged about her road ahead, but since then she has continued to ride the “Cancer Roller Coaster” and has arrived at the top again. The most recent stretch of the ride has been mostly toward the top. Her headaches and aching sternum have been there consistently, but she has curtailed the pain with her medication.
Last weekend she laid low and concentrated on resting. It proved to be a good decision as she reached very good numbers on her Blood Draw, which was yesterday due to the holiday. She has done an excellent job of allowing her body to speak to her instead of pushing it to stay up and do things that cause her to become exhausted. It frustrated her to not watch the fireworks, but her body spoke loudly enough to her to stay home that evening - and that’s exactly what she did.
When her initial CT Scan was analyzed, the oncologist found an area in her colon which concerned him. Although the Chemo has been working in her body for over 2 months, he wants to be certain that there is nothing there. Soooo, as her parents would say, it’s time for a “Peekaboo!” Tomorrow morning she’ll have the joy of undergoing a colonoscopy. As I’ve said before, no sugar coating allowed here. She was ordered to gulp down a 10 ounce bottle of Magnesium Citrate before 10:00 this morning. Her last solid meal was at noon today. At 4:00 this afternoon she was instructed to mix 14 ounces of Miralax with 64 ounces of juice or Gatorade. I talked her into the Gatorade to keep her electrolytes up. The next step was to begin a series of drinking 8 ounces of the new and improved “Miracle Laxative Gatorade” every 20 minutes until it’s all GONE! She drank it all down and waited…..for about 10 seconds that is - then the fun on the toilet began! Then the fun continued……and it continued some more…..and it continued even more…..and she’s still continuing to have fun. She told me to suggest to people who “water the toilet” before a colonoscopy to “dab” and not to “wipe”. She says it tends to keep you from getting too messy during the clean up stage! Also, wear a nightgown or sweats because you may likely need to be able to remove your clothing literally on a moment’s notice! A & D Ointment has now become a new friend of hers! Last night I giggled at her when she was concerned about being a little constipated and concerned that she may not “clear out” before the surgery. She’s not so concerned anymore, as she’s basically been “reading” in the bathroom all afternoon. She’ll probably finish the novel she started by the time all is said and done with the “prepping” for tomorrow’s Peekaboo!
Her spirits have risen again and she is ready to fight again. She really didn’t want to give up, she was just exhausted is all. Rianne has spent countless hours reading and educating herself about Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and has made enormous headway through her reading. She FULLY understands the seriousness of her condition and knows that without a fight there is no chance of making it out alive. She is once again ready to fight it out with the cancer in her body.
Oh! She’s yelling for more toilet paper so I better go! Thank you for all of your love, support and prayers. If you get a chance to text or call her, ask her how the fire on her backside feels – she’ll surely laugh with you as she explains it!

Below is a favorite joke of Rianne’s, which especially applies today – Sent to her from Kelly Margolis

"The Final Stage"
There were four guys who were in the final stages of interviewing for a prestigious job. They were from Harvard, Yale, MIT, and Texas A&M. The company decided to fly them all in for dinner and a final interview. Over dinner at a fine restaurant, the president of the company told the men that all were very worthy applicants, and that he wished he could hire them all, but that they only had enough money budgeted to hire one person. He told them that he would call each of them in one at a time for a final interview the next day, and that he would ask each one of them the same question. Whoever answered the question the best would be the one hired. All applicants agreed that this was fair.
The next day, the first applicant called in was from Harvard. The president posed the question, "What is the fastest thing in the world?"
The young man thought for a moment and replied, "That would have to be a thought." "Why do you say that?" asked the president. "Well, a thought takes no time at all...it is in your mind in an instant, then gone again." "Ahh, very good. Thank you," replied the president.
Next the same question was posed to the young man from Yale, "What is the fastest thing in the world?" The young man paused and replied, "That would have to be a blink." "Why?" asked the president. "Because you don't even think about a blink, it's just a reflex. You do it in an instant." The president thanked him, then called in the next person.
The young man from MIT was asked what the fastest thing in the world was, and after hesitating for a brief moment, he replied, "I would have to say electricity. Why? Because a man can flip a switch, and immediately, three miles away a light will go on." "I see, very good," replied the president.
Then, the young man from Texas A&M was called in. He, too, was asked, "What is the fastest thing in the world?" "That's easy..." he replied, "that would have to be diarrhea!" Rather stunned, the president asked, "Why do you say that?" "Well, last night after dinner, I was lying in my bed and I got the worst stomach cramps, and before I could THINK, BLINK, or TURN ON THE LIGHTS, it cut loose!"
(He got the job....)

The photo today is of Rianne’s Cancer Toilet which she nicely decorated – her Aunt Annajean and cousins Debbie and Pam Flomer sent a photo of a toilet in Moscow, Idaho with the words “Flush Cancer” painted on it. Rianne wants to paint something like it on her yellow toilet. If you have an idea for a phrase for her toilet, please respond with it in your comment – we still need to paint the words on it for her!