Is Ommaya Reservoir a New Place to Fish?

Here we are at another low point on the Cancer Roller Coaster Ride. The other day Rianne was very upbeat and excited, knowing that her tumor had shrunken and that radiation was next. The Radiation Oncologist, however, was puzzled at why a Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma was located under the skull and in such an odd place. He and Rianne’s Oncologist collaborated with a Lymphoma Specialist from OHSU and decided that the tumor still needed to be treated chemically.
Radiation is now on hold. The next procedure that she will endure is called Intrathecal Chemotherapy. This will involve surgically installing an Ommaya Reservoir (Port) on top of her skull and sewn under the skin. You may want to Google it (as we immediately did!). I asked a friend if he knew what it was and he asked, "is it a new place to fish?" "Uh - not even close" I replied! In a nutshell, an incision will be made on her scalp to make room for the Port. Then a hole will be drilled beneath the Port and through her skull so that a tube leading from the Port will access the tumor directly - allowing chemotherapy medicines to attack the tumor head-on.
Rianne is understandably no longer excited as she was a few days ago. Her stress level has increased dramatically because of the Lumbar Puncture she is now enduring and also due to the surgical procedure ahead of her. She is still positive but knows there is now a longer road ahead of her.
As I type this post, I am sitting in a waiting area outside of her hospital room. They first drew her blood today to check her blood counts, which were good. She is now undergoing another painful Lumbar Puncture. The spinal fluid extracted by Dr. Cook will be tested for the possibility of cancer in her spine. After he draws the fluid he will inject her with Methotrexate, the first of 8 treatments of the intrathecal chemotherapy. He will alternate it with Cytarabine. Scheduling a surgeon to install the Ommaya Port might take some time, so Dr. Cook will continue to inject the chemicals through her spine until the surgery takes place - hopefully this week, as Rianne has already stated that she isn't looking forward to Thursday's injection through her spine.
Now, more than ever, she needs your prayers, as anything involving surgery of the skull and brain involves high risk.
Dr. Cook has also notified us that he will continue to administer Rituxan through the Port in her chest for systemic coverage throughout her body to continue to fight the cancer cells. Keep in mind – Rianne’s Non-Hodgkins Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma is a VERY serious condition and her Oncologist is continuing to treat it as such. She will be injected through both Ports throughout the next 4 weeks as her treatments continue. August is now spoken for, as well as September, which will be the month for Radiation Treatments.
Ahead of time, thank you for your prayers and for your support. The cards in the mail, the gifts, the texts and the phone calls have all played a vital part in keeping her fighting through all of this – and we thank you for that!
Update: Rianne did well with the Lumbar Puncture but is in pain as the procedure is intense. She was given the option to be infused with the Rituxin today. She elected to return to Coos Bay tomorrow for the infusion as the Rituxin tends to give her a headache. She went through enough pain for today, so we’ll return tomorrow for the Rituxin Infusion. On Thursday she will again return to Coos Bay to be injected with the Cytarabine through the hole in her spine.
Here's another funny one for you: A friend told us this story before we left for Coos Bay this morning. She said she was discussing the Ommaya Port with her husband. She was concerned and said to her husband, "I'm worried that Rianne might get an infection from the shampoo when she washes her hair." Her puzzled husband asked her to repeat herself and think about what she was saying! She then said, "Oh yes! Duh! She doesn't have any hair!!!"