Status Quo

This the first time that we have been away from Ann Arbor for a month in over 4 years, but this week we have appointments on 3 days and a dermatology appointment here in BG on Friday. Ron had had a growth on the back of his right hand removed by a surgeon here in BG about 3 weeks ago. It was a squamous cell carcinoma, so surgical removal was the treatment. His skin has been affected by graft versus host disease, Chronic GVHD. A dermatologist will follow his skin changes which really started during the first week after his transplant in 2011.
The word from U of M Oral Surgery is that Medicare and Tricare will not pay for the extraction of what is left of his teeth which have broken off at the gum line. We are going to go ahead and see a pre op physician Wednesday to first see if he can even tolerate this type of surgery. Amazingly, Ron does not have pain or an infection in his mouth. He continues to be on a regimen of 3 antibiotics along with several other meds. At this time we don't think we will move ahead with a $30,000 surgery. We continue to be amazed with all that insurance has paid for Ron's treatment the past 5 years, and of course we are very grateful. Prior to the dental issues, we have hardly had to pay anything out of pocket for anything submitted for insurance.
Ron and I have enjoyed the NCAA basketball tournament, and now we are excited about watching the Detroit Tigers. Sports are really what Ron seems to follow and retain the best in the short term. Go figure; it makes sense! It is good for him to follow sports. He takes notes as he watches. We also enjoyed the Masters, and Ron even won $75 for first place in the pool we entered! The biggest difficulties are figuring things out--time wise, organizing, spatial comprehension, remembering where he puts things. That will not improve, and his difficulty with balance and walking will not improve, but both of us have learned to be very careful. There are many changes in his persona, harmless but odd compared to who he was. Yet many things are the same, too. I am grateful that he is so easy going and accepting of how things are. He has no difficulty remembering people, and his long term memory continues to be amazing. In conversation, he usually sounds like he always has. #1 Tigers fan: