Hey everyone.... sorry to leave you all hanging. I came down with a chest cold the day after I arrived so it's been relatively uneventful and I've been resting up to ensure I stay on schedule. I did have a couple of friends, Jeff and Francis, come keep me company for a few days so that was a nice break from my solitary confinement.

BLT Bloody Mary. God Bless America 

The first two weeks out here consisted of appointments and testing all the various functions of the body to ensure good health. Echocardiogram, EKG, pulmonary function testing, enough blood work to kill a man, cryopreservation in case of infertility from the chemo, you name it. The good news is everything came back clear.

That meant I was able to start mobilization on Monday... (mobilization is just a fancy term for my first round of chemo). Rach and I woke up bright and early Monday morning and headed down to Northwestern Hospital to get settled in to spend the night.

First I was put on an IV drip of fluids and mesna, which is a medication to prevent the chemo from staying in my bladder and causing bleeding. After that was probably the worst part of the whole day - catheter placement. They had to put a catheter in as another precaution to ensure none of the drug remained in my bladder (I was conscious during this...any nurses out there kudos for the job you all do). Then a couple hours later they started my IV drip of cyclophosphamide chemotherapy. That only lasted about two hours.

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful...I just felt tired and lethargic, and occasionally a little nauseous. The staff at Northwestern is amazing which made it all go smoothly.

I was discharged from the hospital around 7:30 last night and we just stayed pretty low-key for the remainder of the evening. It was good to be able to come back to my own room and shower and grab some food.

Grabbing some food at Knickerbocker after discharge

Wednesday nights are milk and cookies night down in the hotel lobby and I'll be damned if the nausea keeps me away from those.

Until next time,

Troy

Chicago's Gold Coast from Navy Pier