Ron is continuing to cruise...so much better than "the grind". We continue to be grateful for the extent of Ron's recovery from the transplant and his significant complications. I cannot say that accepting the changes is totally a walk in the park, but when I think back to what we have been through, I truly am grateful to be able to resume somewhat of a regular life. Our new regular.
So what does that mean? Ron will probably not be able to do city,freeway, or any multi-lane driving again. No more napping or reading a book for me when we are on a trip. I have adjusted to doing all of the driving. Ron does drive the pontoon, so that is a treat for me. He cannot make the quick decisions or complicated problem-solving that more advanced tasks require. ( and of course, the loss of vision in his left eye impacts driving.)This is frustrating for him at times, but both of us have adjusted to moving more slowly and deliberately. I don't think he has reached the endpoint of his recovery. He makes daily lists of tasks to accomplish and wishes his short term memory was better. We certainly are able to enjoy life even though the dynamics have changed.
Ron's diabetes induced by high steroid doses when he had pneumonia in January is nearly resolved. His sweet tooth is amazing; he has gummy bears stashed everywhere! I am counting the days to the next appointment in the hopes the daily "belly shots" will be over! It will then be 7 months of this daily routine. The insulin pens make it easy to give those shots, but the lovenox belly injections easily bruise and sting. Taking care of the central line-- dressings and flushes is not a big deal. So we are now two years out from the beginning of the 5,6,& 7th rounds of chemotherapy which brought him to his second remission.
Not sure how I decided to ramble on about "things", but it was probably therapeutic for me. I have been enjoying my gardening and being outside. The deck project is about half done. We had it power washed, bleached, sanded, and now it is ready to stain. It looks great already. A man who lives nearby is doing all of the work.
We are looking forward to a trip to Bowling Green tomorrow. It is the retirement celebration for some of our teacher friends, and it will be great to see Cale's family. It is the 5 year anniversary of our retirement.
Love to all,
Ron & Jan
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
A Planned Trip HAPPENED!!!
We have returned to Gilead Lake from Germantown, Maryland, where Andrew, Lisa, and Abby will live for about another month. Then they are moving to Landstuhl, Germany where Andy will work at Landstuhl Medical Center Hospital where he and Cale were born.
We were able to attend Andrew's graduation which was held at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. He has completed his Master of Arts degree as a Perioperative Nurse Specialist. Such a proud day as he crossed the stage and received his degree which included a hooding ceremony. He had also received two awards from the university in an earlier ceremony, and those were mentioned. In addition to Lisa, Abby, Pa, and I attending the graduation, Niccole and Cole had traveled to Andy's from Fredericksburg, Virginia. Cole has a cast on his shin and foot due to a hairline fracture of his heel growth plate, so he was learning how to navigate on crutches. it was a great weekend and trip. We stayed at a Hampton one night each way since I must do all of the driving. After less than 24 hours at home, we have two days in Ann Arbor for Ron's treatments.
Ron's bloodwork was very similar to two weeks ago which is good. He weighed 177 pounds which is now up 35 pounds from his lowest weight during recovery. He weighed a few pounds over 200 when he had his transplant. This is a really good weight for him, and his blood pressure is good too. We have continued to taper his insulin medication as his glucose levels are on the road to normal levels. It has now been a year since we moved back home after living 9.5 months in Ann Arbor. During this year, Ron had 3 return hospitalizations, and we have had an additional 20+ weeks of return overnight appointments...amazing what can seem a normal routine. Now we are in a holding pattern of two day appointments every other week. This will probably continue at least 4 more months, but Ron is continuing to make good progress since his light therapy ECP treatments started in January.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend as you remember and honor all veterans.
Love,
Ron & Jan
We were able to attend Andrew's graduation which was held at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. He has completed his Master of Arts degree as a Perioperative Nurse Specialist. Such a proud day as he crossed the stage and received his degree which included a hooding ceremony. He had also received two awards from the university in an earlier ceremony, and those were mentioned. In addition to Lisa, Abby, Pa, and I attending the graduation, Niccole and Cole had traveled to Andy's from Fredericksburg, Virginia. Cole has a cast on his shin and foot due to a hairline fracture of his heel growth plate, so he was learning how to navigate on crutches. it was a great weekend and trip. We stayed at a Hampton one night each way since I must do all of the driving. After less than 24 hours at home, we have two days in Ann Arbor for Ron's treatments.
Ron's bloodwork was very similar to two weeks ago which is good. He weighed 177 pounds which is now up 35 pounds from his lowest weight during recovery. He weighed a few pounds over 200 when he had his transplant. This is a really good weight for him, and his blood pressure is good too. We have continued to taper his insulin medication as his glucose levels are on the road to normal levels. It has now been a year since we moved back home after living 9.5 months in Ann Arbor. During this year, Ron had 3 return hospitalizations, and we have had an additional 20+ weeks of return overnight appointments...amazing what can seem a normal routine. Now we are in a holding pattern of two day appointments every other week. This will probably continue at least 4 more months, but Ron is continuing to make good progress since his light therapy ECP treatments started in January.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend as you remember and honor all veterans.
Love,
Ron & Jan
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
May Happenings in Pictures
Sad Duck has resumed his summer life with his Canada Geese family that includes him yearly. Then he is so sad in the fall when they fly away that he cries and cries out on the lake. He is not able to fly.
The swans are staying on the lake longer this spring. There is one who swims alone, and I caught him in flight as we rounded a cove on one of our first pontoon rides this week.
I had to include the picture of Ron, Rick, and GG/Esther/MOM Hover. Ron and Rick must have learned to wear "power red" from her!
Post #345...amazing!!
I plan to load a couple pictures below but will have to work from the computer. It feels like summer today, and we are enjoying the weather and not being in AA this week. Things are going smoothly, and by Ron's next doctor appointment, I think he may be able to drop a couple meds. His steroid induced diabetes is resolving; he developed diabetes in January when he had pneumonia. It would be great if he could switch to a pill and not require daily injections. (that would be good for both of us.) He usually only has one insulin injection a day now..down from four.
Ron has been on daily injections for bloodclots in his leg; this complication developed in November and requires six months of injections. We will soon be at the six month benchmark. No injections would be a notable change in our daily routine.
I am anxious to see next week's bloodwork and am hoping the trend to more normals continues. In the bone marrow transplant world, his bloodtest results are good.
We traveled to Spring Arbor to celebrate Mother's Day with Ron's 92 year old mother who resides in assisted living. Ron's brother and wife, Rick and Tammy, came too, and both of us brought brunch food. Yummy! Esther struggles with everyday living tasks and has some confusion. She still insists on wearing high heels (pumps) and has strong opinions about politics and wanting to be more independent.
Hope you are enjoying this great warm weather and looking forward to summer.
Love, Ron & Jan
Ron has been on daily injections for bloodclots in his leg; this complication developed in November and requires six months of injections. We will soon be at the six month benchmark. No injections would be a notable change in our daily routine.
I am anxious to see next week's bloodwork and am hoping the trend to more normals continues. In the bone marrow transplant world, his bloodtest results are good.
We traveled to Spring Arbor to celebrate Mother's Day with Ron's 92 year old mother who resides in assisted living. Ron's brother and wife, Rick and Tammy, came too, and both of us brought brunch food. Yummy! Esther struggles with everyday living tasks and has some confusion. She still insists on wearing high heels (pumps) and has strong opinions about politics and wanting to be more independent.
Hope you are enjoying this great warm weather and looking forward to summer.
Love, Ron & Jan
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Ann Arbor: Two Days
We drove to AA this morning for appointments that started at 9:30. I prefer coming the night before. I worry about oversleeping or a sluggish morning, and as a result, I don't sleep well. Ron had bloodwork (it looked good)and his ECP light treatment. We both crashed back at the Hampton. Ron is not cleared to drive, so I continue to be "our driver".
Tomorrow Ron will meet with Tim, his Bone Marrow Transplant PA. He also has an appointment with his eye surgeon who did the cataract surgery on his right eye. It made a HUGE difference in his vision. The total vision loss in his left eye is irreversible. Thirdly, he has another ECP treatment which takes about 2.5 hours. Then we will drive home. Our new dock was put in today, so we are anxious to see it and have the pontoon delivered. Our first ride is usually with us wrapped up in blankets, and I hear that it will be cooler this weekend.
We are cruising along, and improvement is an ongoing process. The neurologist had told us that improvements could continue for another year or more, so we celebrate each small step and continue to be thankful for the overall improvements in the past months.
Love to all,
Ron & Jan
Tomorrow Ron will meet with Tim, his Bone Marrow Transplant PA. He also has an appointment with his eye surgeon who did the cataract surgery on his right eye. It made a HUGE difference in his vision. The total vision loss in his left eye is irreversible. Thirdly, he has another ECP treatment which takes about 2.5 hours. Then we will drive home. Our new dock was put in today, so we are anxious to see it and have the pontoon delivered. Our first ride is usually with us wrapped up in blankets, and I hear that it will be cooler this weekend.
We are cruising along, and improvement is an ongoing process. The neurologist had told us that improvements could continue for another year or more, so we celebrate each small step and continue to be thankful for the overall improvements in the past months.
Love to all,
Ron & Jan
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