What I (Really) Did On My Sister Vacation, part three

I know, this has gone on a long time.  But so much happened during my sister's stay here!  I promise, I'm going to try to end this...  When I left off, my sister had just finished the procedure to break up the ginormous blood clot and my parents and nephew had finally arrived in Queens.  SO, after sitting with my sister for a few minutes, I left so she could get a few winks and so I could see the family, let them into my apartment, then bring them to Lenox Hill to see my sister.  I should mention, just for fun, that I put $40 on my Metrocard before my family arrived.  We went through that so my mom put another $40 on it.  Nearly $100 in subway transit, and probably another $100 Iin cabs/car service.  I've never appreciated unlimited Metrocards so much in my life...

Anyway, I met my family at my apartment.  I was really happy and relieved they made it in one piece.  We went up to my apartment to relax and put our feet up for a few minutes.  I told my mom she'd be able to sleep in my sister's room if she wanted to, since the CCU has 24-hour visiting hours, so she packed a little bag.  I warned my nephew about all the tubes and stuff in his mom's arms, so he wouldn't be worried.  I also suggested my dad stay behind for this first visit, since he was so exhausted from the drive.  I was glad he took me up on it.  After a short break, my mom, nephew and I set off for Lenox Hill.  Because it was Sunday night, the trains were marginally less crowded, but not by much.

We got back to my sister's room by around 9pm - my nephew was a brave and sweet boy, but you could tell he was a little nervous by how he clung to each of us.  But it was good for him to see his mom was going to be ok.  It was good for our mom, too.  Thankfully, my sister could sit up a little to be able to eat and drink (she had to stay at a 30% incline or less to keep the incisions in place and the wires in the right spots to drip medicine on those clots).  My nephew and I left after a couple of hours so everyone could get some sleep.  I have to admit, it was nice to spend some alone time with my nephew on our various subway rides and walks, we had some nice chats.

Monday, my dad, nephew and I left early-ish to see my sister.  We took bagels from my favorite spot.  We got there after they took the medicine wires out, which made my sister feel better.  They also took her off the oxygen, which was fantastic.  That meant the procedure did its job!  Woo hoo!  While my dad and nephew visited with my sister, I went into the visitors room to try to get my sister's insurance and job stuff in line.  It took awhile, but I got all the paperwork started.  The insurance e-mailed me some forms, so my dad and I walked over to the local Kinko's to print them off so my sister could sign them.

Dr. Wonderful stopped by to visit and said my sister was doing great.  He wanted to leave those plates in for another couple hours, so my sister still had to stay pretty flat, but otherwise he said she was in good shape.  He also mentioned to my sister that if he hadn't been able to do the procedure for some reason, they would've had to crack her chest open and break up the clot that way.   Thank heavens that didn't have to happen.  Our mom asked when she could leave - he said she could probably leave the hospital on Wednesday, but would have to stay in New York for another week.  He said the short flight to Ohio would be better for her than the long drive.  I felt better after Dr. Wonderful and that voice and the singing angels reassured us, but Mom didn't find him as wonderful.  Her loss.  :)

 My nephew and I took a little walk to get his mom a treat - we walked over to Laduree to get some fancy French macarons.  It was a nice day for a walk and we passed some beautiful buildings.  I tried to get him to enjoy the architecture,  but he just declared New York 'weird'.  He's such a teenager.  I'll put some of the photos below.  When we got back, my sister was upset because a different doctor said she couldn't have those plate things out until the next day.  Her heart rate started going up, so her terrific nurse, Esther, went and called Dr. Wonderful.   He overruled that other doctor and said the plate things could come out later that night.  My sister told us she wanted us to go out and see Times Square at night, since my dad and nephew have never seen all the lights.  She wanted to be alone when they took that stuff out and then get some sleep.  So off we went.  We walked through Central Park, then took the subway to Times Square.  I'll put photos below.  We then went back to my apartment so Mom could get a shower and pack a new bag to spend the night with my sister.  While Mom did that, Dad and I drove around for FOREVER trying to find a new parking space, thanks to alternate side of the street parking.  It was stressful and annoying.    After we finally got back to my apartment, I ordered Danny some dinner.  It finally arrived, so Mom and I went back to the hospital.  We wanted to stop at the diner across the street, but the rude owner said the kitchen was closed even though they weren't supposed to be closed for another half hour.  Rude.  I stayed at the hospital for awhile and took a cab home, after faxing those insurance forms at Kinko's, to find my guys asleep.  Gee.  Guess it's a good thing no thief tried to break in while they were there, since they would've slept through it.  :)

I let the boys sleep in a bit Tuesday morning.  My nephew ate some cereal at my place and my dad and I were going to get breakfast at the hospital cafeteria.  We got into my sister's room after very crowded subway rides, only to find out that the doctors changed their minds and decided to release my sister that very day.  Yay!  Ugh!  I didn't bring my sister's clothes!  Ugh.  Another trip on the subway.  My nephew and I got right back on the train to go back to my apartment.  Exhausting.  Good thing I had him with me since I almost forgot my sister's yoga pants.  My parents had to go to the pharmacy across the street and get my sister's blood thinner pills.  Dr. Wonderful said she would probably have to take the blood thinners the rest of her life, and she should also wear compression stockings.  He also gave her the name of a doctor to call at the Cleveland Clinic when she got home for follow up.  It felt like they rushed us out, but we were thankful my sister was well enough to leave.  Other than that, it was smoothish sailing.  The car service took forever to pick us up (the concierge didn't do his job very well by going on a break without telling anyone), but when it finally arrived, the driver gave us a very smooth ride.

When we got back to my apartment, it was clear we were going to be overcrowded, so I got onto hotels.com to find a spot for my parents.  I found them a hotel by the airport.  I rode with them to the hotel, got us lost twice, and drove my parents to drink, lol.  My mom and I had some laughs with other tourists (I can't tell the story right where other people laugh, so just trust me when I say my mom was crying she was laughing so hard. Exhaustion probably helped.), then I went back to my apartment.  My sister, nephew and I watched Frozen together, which was fun, then went to sleep early.  I think we all slept pretty hard.

This post is too long too, so I'll just speed up and finish!  My family drove back to Ohio on Wednesday with no mishaps, thankfully; my sister and I stayed close to home for the ten days she recuperated here.  The doctors told her to get out and walk a bit each day, so we did that.  We went to the Queens Mall one day, strolled Steinway Street another and had bao, got some compression stockings at a nearby medical supply store, went to the Museum of Biblical Art.  I'll put more photos at the bottom.  Even though the circumstances were horrible, I'm glad I got to spend so much time with my sister.  We had a good time just being together, watching tv and playing Trivial Pursuit, though I wish we had spent all that time in Woodstock instead of Lenox Hill.  Of course, then we wouldn't have met Dr. Wonderful and heard the angels sing, which means I wouldn't have had this year's Halloween costume, ha ha. He really did turn out to be wonderful, to tell the truth.  He even called my sister to reassure her when she e-mailed his office about a neck pain that worried her.  We owe him, and Young Dr. Doom (who also replied to e-mails), a lot.  So...I guess you never know who will enter your life, offer you help, or what's around the next corner...