They say you shouldn’t send things out while still on sedation drugs, but since this isn’t a work email we’ll just ignore that!

Just finished getting my port (named Natalie Portman by a friend). I was a little freaked about this procedure, despite it being the least invasive one this month. My tumor is in my chest, so anything in that region makes me a little nervous. Veins in general used to freak me out (probably because there are movies where a tiny bubble is injected into someone’s IV and they die-this is not how it works, which I know from asking at least 6 nurses during my stays). This fear was inconvenient for someone with a blood cancer and I’ve definitely adapted quickly, and really getting the port was no big deal.

As I was wheeled in the procedure room, Home by Edward Sharpe was playing. It’s a happy song for my sister and me, and the soundtrack of many parties with my Harvard St roommates in DC, so that was a good start. Then I got to pick the music for the procedure. I was basically high and singing to Beyoncé for an hour with only a vague idea that someone was cutting into me. And since I was never really asleep, there was no panic attack later, so wins all around.

Nico went home sick-I’m sure he is racked with guilt because that’s how he rolls, but we are fine here and he has to keep those germs off the chemo floor!

So my tiny mom is in charge of the wheelchair and her grouchy, basically drunk daughter, who definitely outweighs her and hasn’t eaten in a while. If you know me, you’ll know that hungry, tired, drunk Nora is basically the worst person you’ve ever met, so I’m trying to rein that nonsense in.

But we’re ok! We’ve got a couple of hours hanging at the hospital, then onto oncology for my infusion.