Two More Months

We ended up only having about 4 inches of snow at the lake, so a beautiful winter day was the result of the storm with no problems traveling back to Ann Arbor on Tuesday, January 3. It has made me remember how happy I was to only have one home to worry about and take care of when we retired and moved full time to Gilead Lake in June 2008. Ron and I have both referred to our apartment in AA as "home". We have lived here almost 5 months now, and the doc told us yesterday that we need to live here 2 more months.

The bone marrow transplant has "taken" well, and Ron's bloodcounts continue to improve now that he is off the antiviral med, valcyte. It was needed to fight the two viruses he had but was hard on the marrow. The doc did not decrease his steroid meds this week because Ron's body has not yet adjusted to the last decrease. He has been more tired and weaker and is not able to walk with his cane. His body's own mechanism to produce steroids is recovering too. This will all happen with time --- on its own schedule. Slower than we had hoped for but still moving forward... We are now looking at early March to move home.

With the worry I felt when I heard the winter storm warning at Gilead Lake, I understood the need to be close to Ron's medical team here at U of M Hospital. The two hour drive between "homes" could be much more or impossible during a winter storm. So two more months is doable, and we are not missing spring or summer days at the lake. The yard and gardens (and golf courses) are having their winter sleep. We should be able to enjoy all again in 2012. Ron brought his putter back with him and will soon be putting into a cup to work on balance.