Graduation

Alex's graduation was Friday night, and as a mom, I hate to miss anything my kids are doing, large or small. High school graduation was huge. We had it worked out that I would stay home and watch it broadcast over the internet hooked up to a tv in the den. That seemed like the best way for me to see it and avoid the inevitable walking, sitting, standing, bad weather, and crowds. It was the perfect solution, but I was still feeling sad about not actually being there as Alex was getting ready.

We found out about 15 minutes before start time that it couldn't be broadcast, so at the last minute, I threw on some clothes and off we went to CCHS graduation! We got there late, but they had a golf cart there waiting to bring David and I to the bleachers. I saw a lot of people who I'm sure were surprised to see me, but I just gave them the "queen wave" from the cart as we went to our seats in the back. I was so glad to be there and see Alex and so many of her friends graduate!

After a while I started to get nauseous and it felt like someone was punching me in the back. I knew I wouldn't last for the rest of the ceremony, but it was such a long walk back to the car! So David and I started walking slowly back to the car, and before you know it, there was the little golf cart to take us there. It was perfect timing.

David sat with me in the car with the heater running until the closing prayer was said, then he ran back to the field to give Alex a hug and take picutres. Then we went back home, had some hot cocoa, and I went to bed. I even slept well.

I was really happy about the way it all worked out perfectly for me to be there to see Alex and all the other seniors that I've been watching all these years grow up with her. It was fun to see so many people, and I wish I was physically able to stop and talk to everyone. I heard people calling my name and blowing me kisses and it was nice to feel the love and support. Thank you CCHS for the golf cart rides, it meant so much to me to be there. I wish I was able to do more; but I'm so grateful for what I am able to do.

For the medical update, my biliruben count is at a 9.8, which is an increase of 0.8 over the week. It also means that the two new stents aren't making the difference we'd hoped they would. I can tell that my count has gone up because my eyes are more yellow and my skin is tingly. I can see they are draining stuff out; I had one full bag in 8 hours, which is unusual but it's not enough. We will be discussing with Dr. Abrass what treatment options are for me with my biliruben count where it is. We've spent a lot of time trying to get this count down and it just hasn't really made a significant decrease, so we need to see what we can do to start treatment.