"Play Dead and Just Lie There!"

1 down and 19 to go! Rianne survived her first day of Radiation Treatment today. Her day didn’t begin very well, but it improved consistently by the hour. The anxiety Rianne felt the past few days was stressful, but it left her the moment she stepped out of the Radiation Treatment Center today.
We rose around 7:00 and Rianne was feeling some anxiety, so she called Becky
Howlett, her co-worker, to talk. She sobbed and cried on the phone, expressing her fears of the radiation and side effects to Becky. After talking she felt better and was able to calm down and relax a bit thanks to the conversation. "Feel my arms around you and know that I love you" were Becky's words of support for Rianne.
Unlike past trips up north, she wasn’t feeling nauseated. She was able eat a good breakfast and did well on the trip up. When we arrived at the center she even posed and smiled for a few pictures. We entered the center and sat in the waiting room for around 30 minutes. While we were there she asked patients questions about the treatment and she was told that, compared to the chemotherapy, it was “a walk in the park.” She was also told to “play dead and just lie there.” The advice was well taken, as Rianne was escorted into the treatment room by her nurse, Jamie, and 15 minutes later she was done. It took about 10 minutes of preparing her and reviewing the programming on the mask and 5 minutes of radiation. When she was finished she had a smile on her face and a look of relief on it as well.
We had some shopping to do at Walmart, then met Hap Flynn for lunch, as he had appointments in Coos Bay today. Rianne ate a good lunch, then we did some more shopping. We then met Katie Hensley and her mom, Mary Hawthorn at the mall, as they were also in Coos Bay for appointments. We had a good visit, then we headed for home. Rianne did well on the ride to Gold Beach and didn’t develop a headache at all today.
Shortly after we arrived home, Vivian Hage stopped by to drop off some vegetables and to visit with us. It was great to talk to her and feel her support for us. As we’ve said before, it is absolutely humbling to feel so much support and love from people. After a great visit with her we received a few phone calls to make a good day even better. Overall, it was a very positive day for Rianne, which made it the same for me!
Tomorrow is Day 2. Pam Hunter will take Rianne to her treatment for the next 2 days and Debbie Teller will take her on Thursday. Rianne has decided to allow people who have offered their help drive her up for radiation so that she can visit with them while she feels able to do so. We are hoping that she will be able to make the trip daily, but if she feels that she cannot, she will stay in the apartments at the Radiation Treatment Center.
Thank you for your love, support and prayers. We are very grateful for all of it! We hope you are all healthy and well. Enjoy your week!