Round 1

I made it through the first round yesterday - the IVC filter. It was a very simple, quick procedure; I spent only 25-30 minutes in total in the procedure room. Every single person we encountered at the hospital was extremely friendly and they all seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs and the patients. It was a far cry from the care I've been receiving in Cleveland these last few years. I feel like I'm in good hands.

Thanks to my dad genes, I've inherited this "quirk" where if I haven't eaten anything by around 1pm I get a migraine, and yesterday was no exception. The procedure was scheduled for 1:30, but by the time I didn't get in the room until after 3pm. By the time I had anything to eat it was around 4pm, but the damage was done. We left the hospital at 6pm, I had some soup for dinner and then crashed for the evening. I'm still dealing with a slight headache this morning, but am otherwise feeling my usual brand of "normal".

The ironic part about all of this is that we found out the filter they put in is made of nickel. Yes, the very same thing I'm allergic to. This means I'll have to go in a month from now and have it removed. It's small enough where it shouldn't do too much damage, but it's obviously something I don't want to leave in for the long term.

Nothing much is on the agenda for day. I have some work to do, and we might make a quick trip to the IKEA store down the street to pick up a few things to cook with here at the hotel.