A Short Trip to Virginia

My daughter and I left for Virginia on 17 March 2013, and we planned to return to Kentucky on the 20th. I didn't write much about that trip...details are sparse, but I did ask my friends for funny memes to lift my spirits on this day in 2013. I was as confused as anyone about the cause of my mother's disease at this point, which was 12 years ago. Now I know more than I care to know about cholangiocarcinoma, more than a decade after my mother's death.

I remember my daughter being tentative about the visit, and when we both saw mom, we were aghast. She wasn't just yellow from bile duct jaundice, she was orange. When I asked the doctor much later why they couldn't see that transition, he said it was because it was just that--a transition. With slow changes,  the closer you are to someone, the more difficult it is to see the change.

I know I'll go through my mother's hospital records at some point. I have three bags filled with after-visit summaries and hospice notes. I'm sure, too, that as I go through my Facebook memories this year, I'll learn more details about what happened. during this month in 2013.

Also today in 2013, I made the decision to return to Kentucky. My caughter and I both had jobs to return to, and there was nothing we could do for the time being in Virginia. I know the weather at this time of year in 2013 was marvelous. Lots of blue skies and green grass. Witness the photo I took of my parents' back yard on the 19th...the weather was to continue to be this charming through the week.