Update from Ann Arbor

I wanted to squeeze in one more update in July. U of M Hospitals continue to impress me. Tuesday's visit was with an oral surgeon in the main hospital. Actually two oral surgeons---very thorough, caring, and professional--spent almost two hours with us. Ron is now a patient in U of M Hospital Denistry. A group decision was made that it is too aggressive at this point to extract all teeth, so we return in two weeks to decide a course of action-- which teeth now, partial dentures, etc. Ron needs to make some lifestyle changes regarding candy bars and gummy bears. I also must make continual reminders regarding brushing. I learned a lot about dentures in a short time.

Regarding Ron's behavioral changes, he is less agitated and frustrated after being off one of his meds for 6 days. That is an encouraging sign that there could be more improvement. During the next two weeks I will log issues to see if time of day is a factor, and he is not allowed to resume driving. When we see Dr. Mag in two weeks, this discussion will continue. The next test would be an MRI. Chronic graft versus host disease is a challenging result of his transplant which has kept him leukemia-free. GVHD affects his lungs, skin, eyes and liver, and treatment for it has compromised his immunity. Overall, his bloodwork continues to be very good in the BMT world. By no means easy, but coping.