Today I got my coffee and my chemo pretty early in the day. So far, I seem to have avoided the worst of the effects of the chemo, but I’m told that is unlikely to last beyond Monday, when I receive my last and harshest chemo treatment of the process. That aside, many of the chemo’s side effects are delayed and won’t actually hit me until a week or so after the transplant on day 0.

Monday and Tuesday will be radiation days, so I’m sure I’ll have some to say about that, too. Monday will also be the day my sister donates her stem cells. So there are big things coming.

The nurses here have mostly been really great. I’ve had the same night nurse for the last three nights, and she’s gone above and beyond to make me comfortable and allow me to be as independent as she can under the circumstances. Tonight, we had a nerd moment as she assisted with the end-of-day cleanup in my room when a text message came in on my iPhone. The sound I use by default is the communicator chirp from the original Star Trek series. She recognized it and so it was fun to find a fellow Trekkie.

The day nurse today was also very nice. She was witty, warm, and just a joy to be around. These two have been the highlights for sure among the nursing staff since I arrived—although, to be fair, many of the others I haven’t seen enough of to have formed opinions about.

Yesterday, the mobility team took me for a couple walks around the floor. It was nice to stretch my legs, especially since after three transfusions, I was feeling pretty good. There’s a piano out there. It’s muted a bit so as not to disturb the other patients. I got to sit down and play it for a moment.

I wanted to play something that the three staff with us might recognize, so I broke out one of my favorite things to play—Careless Whisper by George Michael. Everyone knows that song, even if they don’t know it by title.

One of the nurses let out a startled little laugh when she realized what I was playing. That is always a nice thing to hear as a musician. Surprise and delight are the currencies of the creative.

I dozed off for a little bit this afternoon and dreamt of our dog, Jade. Counting down the days until I can see her again. Poor pup. She’s probably so confused.

One more day of the current chemo left, then the true trials begin.