Improvement and Mommy's weekend off

Ty  has shown improvement since his shunt was reset on Wednesday afternoon, but we have to be patient.  We had a long conversation with his doctor on Thursday because some new symptoms developed, but the plan is to give him more time to recover and drain the build-up of CSF fluid in his ventricles.  Over the weekend he was feeling much better.  I love/hate this shunt so much! 

His eyes are still glassy and bloodshot in the corners.  At times I caught him shutting them tight, but I think it was because the light was bothering him.  I asked him if he had pain but he said no.  Then he vomited on Thursday afternoon when he tried to eat some noodles at lunchtime.  This was a first in a couple of weeks or so.  I was so disappointed, too, because Ty was actually willing to eat the noodles, which was a very big step in our attempts to expand on the list of foods he will eat.  At the time it seemed as though it was triggered by his very sensitive gag reflex.  Later in the day, however, we were in a supermarket and he got sick again.  This time it seemed to be triggered by the fact that he ate ½ of a banana while we were shopping.  He got sick soon after he finished.  Again, I was crushed because he was eating a healthy snack for the first time in ages and now he probably won’t want to touch another banana for months.   Always a guessing game - I am thinking the vomiting may be unrelated to the shunt and hoping it was just a minor stomach bug.  We'll never know, but as long as it doesn't happen again (and it hasn't) I'm sticking to that theory. 

So, as always, there are setbacks.  And, as always, Ty is taking them in stride.   He remains happy through all of this, and that makes Lou and I happy.  We just have to remember that he has been through hell and his recovery is going to be a very long one.  But we remain confident that he will get there, and that all of this toxic treatment we are putting him through now will allow him to beat the cancer once and for all.  He will be a bad-ass cancer survivor one day who wears a tee-shirt “cancer fears me!” 

I took the weekend off to spend time with some of my best girlfriends since high school.  We all left the kiddies behind for a much needed get together in San Diego!  I was really sad to leave Ty and Gavin – but I got over it quickly :)  Drinks in hand, delicious foods, lots of dinner and endless laughs into the wee hours of the night was exactly what I needed.  It's been way too long.  Two of my best friends live on the West Coast and one is expecting her first baby so we all wanted to see her for her baby shower and show her how much we love and miss her.  It has been wonderful.  I fly back tonight, it was a very short trip - but well worth it.  Today we want to take advantage of the sunshine and head to the ocean for the afternoon before heading to the airport.   I am eager to see the boys tonight, but sad to leave my friends.   Why couldn't we all live in the same town - on the same block - like we planned to do when we were younger? 

I spoke to Ty every day, he is having so much fun with Daddy and his reinforcements (Nana and Poppa).  Gavin hasn't gotten on the phone with me so I am especially anxious to talk to him and give him big hugs.  This is the first time I left them both like this.  It was very good for me.  Friends are the greatest therapy.