I Globe Trot, Therefore I Am

Many following my little Big Apple blog may be afraid that I have fallen in the Hudson River or been caught under the subway tracks with no new posts for nearly three weeks now. . . much has happened recently and I am glad I finally have a spare moment to share it all.

My globe trotting excitement began Thursday, February 19 when my mother phoned me to tell me she had checked herself into the hospital due to some inexplicable abdominable pain. The doctors had found she had gall stones and would likely need to have her gall bladder removed; but, she assured me was "just fine". That's typical; my mom tends to down-play everything whenever it comes to her own needs.

The following day she called again to tell me that not only was she definitely going to have surgery to remove her gall bladder, but that while doing a prognostic cat-scan, the doctor had also discovered a tumor on her right kidney and that it would have to be removed as well. I burst into tears, knowing that she was no longer "just fine". I immediately booked a flight and arrived in the Springs Sunday afternoon.

I spent the next week getting all of Mom's needs ready, including cleaning the house, paying the bills, buying groceries and supplies, and caring for her while she was in the hospital. The surgery was successful and her doctors anticipate that she will recover fully, continuing a good quality of life with one kidney. The tumor was entirely contained within the kidney and she won't need any chemotherapy! Whew; thank goodness that gall bladder started acting up so that we could find the cancer early!

I left Jeremy to care for Mom during her first week of post-op and I returned to NYC on the 28th, allowing myself just 12 short hours to re-pack my bags in order to leave for London the next morning. I arrived in London Sunday night for a weeklong agenda of business meetings.

My meetings were going well and it was fantastic to finally meet the London staff, with whom I work so closely. But, late Tuesday night after our dinner, I stumbled into my hotel room and managed to hit my head (really hard, I might add . . .). After I managed to get over the shock and pick myself up from the floor, I looked in the bathroom mirror to see blood trickling down my forehead. Being five hours behind London, the office staff in NYC was still available. When I called, Katy (who recently transferred from our London office) became my own personal EMT, telling me how to reach the closest hospital and instructing me on how to get the healthcare I needed.

After a non-stop action-packed evening fit for a sitcom sketch that really must be told over a menu of carbohydrates and hand-drawn diagrams, I managed to walk away from the emergency room without stitches and a massive headache at 1am in the pouring rain.

I barely finished out the rest of my meetings, suffering from a major case of jet lag complicated with a drowse inducing head injury! I nearly cried at the thought of sleeping in my own bed when I finally boarded the plane Thursday night. Did I enjoy my first trip to London? I wouldn't go there . . . let's just say I am looking forward to my next trip.