Oh, my...

Okay. I'll say it; I am weary! Both of us are looking forward to the next 3 days at home in BG. In the last 12 days, 7 have been in AA. Ron has been seen by a physical therapist,Dr. Mag and Tim PA in the BMT Clinic, and his eye doctor, Dr. Mian, at U of M. Finally, we have made the decision to have serum eyedrops made; that is how we spent today. They cost about $200 for 45 day supply, but it will be so worth it if Ron finds some relief from his burning and itching dry eyes. The GVHD has caused the dryness in his mouth and eyes. He has lost his teeth and the vision in one eye since his transplant. His vision in his good eye has declined this year, but Dr. Mian thinks it will improve some with the eyedrops.
About the eyedrops: 18 vials of blood were drawn after an eye exam at the Kellogg Eye Center. At Kellogg,they are spun in a centrifuge, packed in ice, and then we took them to a specialty pharmacy lab in Ann Arbor. Then we had 3 hours to kill until the eyedrops were made. They had me look through a window where the pharmacist was dressed in a hazmat-like suit and worked with arms extended into a sterile box. The tech talked to him with a walkie talkie. Now we have 14 little bottles of serum eyedrops that are frozen, and the bottle that we are using is kept in the frig and good for 3 days. Ron already thinks they have soothed his eyes.
About the Physical Therapist: Ron will have physical therapy twice a week at home. He is weak, and the PT thinks that he will need about a month to bounce back to where he was. He suggested buying another walker, so Ron has one on both levels of our house. Ron is quite fragile, and a fall would be bad, of course. That purchase was made during our down time waiting for the eyedrops.
About the Dr. Mag appointment: Ron is dehydrated, and the IV antibiotics I give him twice a day are hard on kidneys, so I am nagging him about drinking. I have reminded him that if he falls and breaks something that I will not be able to take care of him. Over all, he is very careful, but he needs to drink, drink, drink. The belly shots of Lovenox are in the last month--the 8th month. In July he will change to zarelto, a pill. I don't know which one of us is more relieved. His lungs are still junky in the lower lobes, and it is probable that he will periodically have a lung infection or pneumonia. He takes 3 antibiotics, an antiviral, an antifungal, and uses 3 different inhalers to keep his lungs working pretty well. He has not had to have oxygen at home yet. Ron rides in a wheelchair at all of his appointments. I just pile my stuff on his lap!
About us: we are doing okay. It is great seeing the grandchildren in the summer. We are very proud of their good citizenship, and academic and athletic accomplishments, and we enjoy a myriad of personalities. I wish that we could be a larger presence in their lives, but our situation with Ron's medical needs and how they are scattered limits us.
Our villa in BG has worked out very well for us. We love both of our homes, and feel very fortunate to be able to have both. With Ron's medical requirements and two homes, I have quite a bit to manage. Ron can no longer help with any of this. For the time being, we are keeping our Gilead Lake home.
Love to all of you and special wishes to all of the Dads reading this! We will celebrate at Cale's on Sunday.
Love, Jan