It has been a busy 10 days.  We think that we have figured out the kidney issue, Ashley and I got out of town for the weekend for the first time this year, and I had a minor surgical procedure.

Well, the tumor removal surgery (officially known as RPLND) is almost upon us.  I received a call from our surgeon’s office letting us know that the date has been confirmed for August 8th.  Here we go... 

Well, my chemo port is gone. I had the procedure yesterday and all went well!  If you’re interested in the details, this post is for you.  If you don’t want to know what it’s like to be awake while someone cuts into you, don’t read this post.

WARNING: This is a long post. 
In this post I walk you through our day at the University of Iowa Hospital.  We met our surgeon and received the game plan for the next two months.  We learned a lot and feel good about the plan that is in place.