Only a week ago, I was flying over the Atlantic, returning home from Ghana. A first stop in Washington D.C, very early in the morning. I had time to go to the Polaris Lounge and grab a very thorough shower and shave, a lovely indulgence when flying long distances. I ate at the club restaurant and then cranked out some quick emails before making my way to the plane for the next flight segment to Houston.
I sat next to a delightful gentleman who did satellite communications sales and (unlike the vast majority of my travels) we had a nice conversation. After the meal service, I got my backpack out and reached for my computer to do a bit more work. Except there was no computer in said backpack. I couldn't believe it. I tend to do things when I travel by strict habit and pattern. Surely the machine was in there.
I put the backpack under the seat in front of me. I just sat for a moment. I took it out and looked again. It's not a very big backpack. There aren't a whole lot of places where it could be in it. No. There was no computer in the backpack. "I'm F@%$'D" My computer is like my total mission control central for things business and personal. There's not a day I am not on it using it for writing, researching things personal and business, reading a wide range of materials, running all my travel, all my business.
I was pretty sure I must have left in in the Polaris Lounge. Assuming someone hadn't run off with it (the Lounge was nearly deserted at that time in the morning), I would think the staff would get it. I wondered if I could call the Lounge and somehow have it put on a plane or otherwise sent to me.
As soon as I touched down in Houston I went to the United Club. I asked the check-in person if there was a way to contact the Lounge in Washington. She was very nice. She explained that an organization like an airline as a HUGE number of items misplaced every day. There is a specific system you have to follow. You go on their website, fill out a lost item form. Then each day the organization matches up what has been found with the forms. This can take days. You are notified at 2, 5, 15 and 30 day intervals the status. If your item is found it is sent back to you.
Of course, trying to find said form on the airline website and filling it out with my phone was not that easy. But the lovely woman from United kept coaching me through each blockage (even though she was checking in a steady stream of Club visitors). Finally I had the form submitted and got a confirmation email that it was in the system. How cool was having this lovely lady assist me?
While all this was going on, I hurt my right foot. It had been bugging me for a number of days before I departed. But on the flight to Houston, I struck the place that was hurting against the metal strut of the seat in front of me and felt a real sharp pain. However, with all else that was going on, I wasn't paying too much attention to it. I still got around the airport and got home.
While flying the Houston to Albuquerque leg, I found I had free WiFi. I had already been thinking about all kinds of options I had to get computer enabled again. Fortunately, I do daily back-ups and had my back-up in my backpack. Reinstalling your stuff on a new computer is pretty simple with MACs if you are using their backup protocol. I researched new machines and refurbished ones. My existing machine was working just fine, so I figured there was no need to buy something brand new. How cool was that? Being able to line up all those purchasing options while on the plane.
By the time Wife picked me up, I had worked through what I thought the likely scenarios were. I felt the machine being left in a near deserted club was either going to be found quickly by staff or stolen. It wasn't going to take the airline forever to find it. So either it would be on my way back to me or I would need to get a new machine relatively quickly. Adding a bit of time pressure to this all was the need for me to be doing a virtual presentation on Thursday using a PowerPoint deck. So, we would wait and see what happened over the weekend.
Getting home I took off my shoe and it was as if I had a jack-in-the box in it. The foot that had been hurting expanded and was clearly totally swollen with something wrong with it. And now I can't get the shoe back on without great pain. In fact, walking at all is nearly impossible. I'm wondering what I broke and thinking of the alternatives since Wife and I are scheduled to leave for Asia in two and a half weeks.
Saturday morning, the foot is not any better. Is maybe a bit worst. I am hobbling around using one of Wife's crutches from when she broke her foot. However, I do get a note from United Airlines. They've found my item. I go online and figure out how to have it sent back to me. I'm surprised that it won't be that expensive. However, they don't ship until Monday. Hopefully that means I get it on Wednesday so I have it for my presentation on Thursday. The rest of the day, I'm wondering what to do about my foot. I think I should go to foot doctor which I cannot do until Monday, assuming I can get in that fast.
Sunday morning Wife convinces me I should go to Urgent Care. An X-ray will be needed no matter what and would be done there. I hustle myself off there. I know the long wait in store for me. Going in, I see NOBODY in the waiting room. NOBODY. Am I in an alternative universe. I check-in, immediately have my triage done, sit down and am immediately called in to have my X-rays taken then put in a room. It still takes hours before the attending physician can look at the X-rays and start determining the options. Still how cool is this?
There is no break (Whew! No boot or cast. I'm VERY grateful for that!). He believes it is either an infection or gout with the infection being the more likely. I am set up on antibiotics. I should start to see some improvement within two days. Except I don't. So now what. I won't be able to travel if I can't walk. I communicate with my primary care physician via email even sending her pictures. She says the Urgent Care doctor had also prescribed a drug for gout, though it never got on the discharge instructions. She says we should try that and puts in the script to the pharmacy.
We get that drug, but then the foot starts to improve. What should we do? Stay with the current course or change? We decide we will use the antibiotic until it is finished and then switch. In the meantime, I get notifications that my computer has been shipped and I can track it's progress on the FedEx website. Delivery is scheduled for Wednesday. It will require a signature so I will need to be sure to be around.
While all this is happening, I'm using my phone for Zoom meetings, doing my email correspondence, doing research. There are things I need to do that I simply can't do or won't try to do on the phone. Like write a blog post. I'm frustrated but still feeling pretty grateful that things are coming along.
On Wednesday, I'm geared up for the computer return. It's supposed to show up between 10am and 2pm. It shows up at 5pm. Of course, I am like doing my entire day by the front door so I don't miss the delivery that needs a signature. But finally I have my baby! I promise it I will be a reformed computer owner and will never abandon it again. I get my PowerPoint set up. I have a lovely evening doing my writing.
It is a good thing that my foot is coming along because after the presentation on Thursday I go in for my second eye cataract surgery. I'm a little worried about being in a sitting position for a long period of time (my therapy has consisted of a lot of foot raised and resting). It takes almost two hours before I'm finally called in for surgery. But my foot handles it okay. Once in, things go quickly. It is a lot less stressful the second time since you know the drill. I chose to not use a sedative (they use a local anesthetic to numb the eye so you don't feel anything) because I want a drink when it is over. Not being sedated, I am quite aware of all the conversation taking place during the procedure. How cool is that? I'm feeling pretty grateful and well taken care of.
Getting home, the foot is good, the eye not so much. I have a lot of pain Thursday night. When we go for the post-op check up they tell us there was a slight scratch on the cornea. Not uncommon but very painful. They put a 'bandage' over it, which is basically a contact lens. That really helps.
I kind of over did things being on the foot today. I will need to be a bit more circumspect. The foot is definitely improved but not completely better, so I will go ahead and use the gout drug one I've gone through the complete antibiotic cycle.
It has been quite a week and I can say I have felt a lot of gratitude as I've wound my way between the various ups and downs.
How cool is that?
