Travel (mis)adventures

[alee_grrl]

I left out Saturday afternoon to travel to Vermont to see my Lyme doc (and relax a few days if possible before the start of bar prep). Was supposed to get into Burlington that evening. Sadly that did not happen. Due to issues with the airline and customs and the loading of cargo from those flights (over half the passengers on my plane were transferring from international flights), we were delayed nearly an hour and a half. So I missed my connection, which was the last flight to Burlington from Chicago that night. The airline comped me a hotel room, and rerouted me. But the didn't talk to me at all before doing so and when they rerouted me it was through Newark on Monday morning. I was not very calm when I explained to the gate agent that I needed to be in Vermont by Monday morning as I had a doctor's appointment with a specialist. The agent tried to be snarky and tell me that I should have made my flight, to which I responded that I did make my flight,was in fact two hours early, and sat on the tarmac with the rest of the passengers knowing every minute that ticked by was less of a chance of me making my connection. The agent did find me a new flight path that would get me to Burlington on Sunday, but never did apologize for his inappropriate comments. To add to the irony of the situation, the airport I was rerouted to was Dulles--the same airport I'd flown out of the previous day.

I made the mistake of being nice and checking my bag when they called for volunteers to that prior to boarding the Saturday afternoon flight. I took out my meds and laptop and checked the backpack, because hey, good karma right. At least I had the important things for my unexpected overnight in Chicago. The did put us up in a swank hotel, though the hotel seemed to be of the opinion that softer beds were beloved by everyone and the gods alone know what they washed their sheets in. Whatever it was it made my skin itch something fierce. I threw my clothes into the wash as soon as I got to Vermont just in case it was bed bugs, but I didn't notice any bites.

Anyway was up super early to get back to the airport since I thought I was on the redeye to Newark that morning not the next. After a quiet meltdown at the gate agent I was on my way back to Dulles where I would hang around the airport to catch the afternoon flight to Burlington. All in all this would not have been a bad way to spend my day had I not fumbled my laptop at some point (Lyme, stress, and fatigue do not make for good coordination). I found things I could eat, stayed as calm as I could and eventually made it to Burlington, though my bag did not.

My heart family being wonderful I was able to walk off the plane into a nice big hug, and had low-yeast food ready for me to eat. We waited long enough to be sure that my bag was not there, then put in a claim for the bag. I fully suspected that they would be sending the bag down with the family members coming to Virginia for the holidays. So I bought an extra outfit and some underwear just in case. I was pleasantly surprised when my bag was delivered to my friend's home Monday while we were out at doctor's appointments.

The rest of the trip went smoothly. My doc was happy with where I'm at and we're switching back to the winter treatment protocol (tetracycline instead of clarithromycin and hydroxychloroquine). I got all my medical accommodation forms filled out so that I can take my pills, cane, sun protective gear and food into the bar exam. I got to hang out with my Vermont family for a few days, and my travel home was smooth (direct flight back to Dulles). The whole trip did wear me out far more than I expected considering I'd been feeling pretty well. And it didn't help that I had that "must get all the things done" feeling when I got home yesterday. So instead of resting, I pushed myself a little harder than I really ought to have.

tl;dr version--Travel was exhausting and crazy, and airlines kind of suck. My visit with Lyme doc went well and he's happy with my progress. So forward we shall go. My Vermont family is awesome and I loved getting to spend some time with them. The whole trip used up way more spoons than I had expected.

I'm scheduled to start the bar prep course today and I do not want to get behind, so I'm going to tackle what I can today. I may not be online a whole lot in the interim (bar prep is a full time job in many ways). But I am thinking of all my amazing friends here, wishing you well, and missing you. <3

Comments

[jelazakazone]

:::hugs::: I am so glad you have resources. <3

[alee_grrl]

::hugs back:: Thanks. It does make it easier when things go sideways.

[jelazakazone]

Definitely. It's so gratifying to see friends being taken care of when they need it. <3 Hope you can have a restful easy holiday.

[alee_grrl]

Thanks. I hope so too. I'm looking at the daily task list for bar prep and trying not to have a breakdown. Just have to remember to take it one step at a time. It is making me sad to realize that I probably won't actually get to enjoy having everyone here, as I'm going to have to spend most of my time holed up in my room studying. Estimated time for daily tasks if you start on the suggested date (which was yesterday) is 7-8 hours a day. I can't tell yet if that is every day and not just M-F.

[raze]

Yikes, sorry for the sucky experience at the airpost on the ride out, but I'm glad things on the way back went smoothly. And YAY for good feedback on the lyme front! Good luck with bar prep <3

[alee_grrl]

Thank you! I'm very glad that things went smoothly on the way home. It's worth the extra hassle to continue seeing my Lyme doc. He's a bit of an odd duck, but an excellent doctor. And so far the protocol seems to be working well for me.

<3 Hope things are going a bit better. I've been loving the little paintings you've been posting, and the extra insight on the care and feeding of your menagerie. :D

[sulien]

So very glad to hear that your treatment is on track and going well! As for the airlines... *sigh* Sadly, I have come to expect asshattery at every level of them as a matter of course, even though I'm occasionally very pleasantly shocked. Here's hoping that the Travel Gods decide to smile on you the next time you have to make a trip.

Best of luck with the bar prep course and taking the exam. Lots of positive, supportive vibes & virtual hugs headed your way.

And Happy Holidays!

[alee_grrl]

Normally the travel gods are pretty kind to me. So I tried to look at this as part of an adventure, and less of a nightmare. Didn't make it less exhausting but helped me avoid the worst kinds of meltdowns. Considering the numerous horror stories I hear about air travel, I'm thankful that my bag eventually found its way to me and that I did get where I needed to be by the time I needed to be there.

Thank you for the positive vibes and support. I'm doing my best to take it a day at a time and not get too overwhelmed. As one of my co-workers/mentors point out, fear is my worst enemy in this scenario. So I'm doing my best to let go of the anxiety.

Happy Holidays to you as well. May they be merry and bright. :D

[untonuggan]

*sends all the love*

will be around when you have more spoons/time. do what you need to do to take care of yourself.

[alee_grrl]

<3 Thank you.

[calissa]

Thank goodness for organisational skills and family who look out for you. I'm also glad to hear that things are going well with the lyme--the last thing you want is to be dealing with additional health complications while studying for the bar.

Good luck with the study.

[alee_grrl]

Thank you.