Well, it was my first national meeting with this research group, and the stars seemed to align so I could submit my research and attend. My husband was able to use some of his vacation days in order to spend a long weekend in Pittsburgh to take care of our little dude. Despite his generosity in taking care of him, I knew I had to make it a quick trip. I flew out early Friday morning to San Diego and was able to check into my hotel early to sit back and relax.

I did a bit bit of work and settled in for the evening. There weren't any restaurants by my hotel so I decided to splurge and order room service of a massive cheeseburger and fries. I did not regret it. Fifteen minutes later I was eating a perfectly cooked medium-rare cheeseburger and watching Downton Abbey in my bed. Could a mom-cation get anymore heavenly? I doubt it. I guess only if I could have ordered an egg over easy on my burger.

The next morning I got ready, had a long-distance meeting with my research colleagues still in Pittsburgh and ran for the shuttle to go hang up my poster. That day I was presenting research on weight fluctuation and Inflammatory Bowel Disease severity. The poster was well-received which was a pleasant surprise. The rest of the day I spent wandering around to the different posters, sessions and also spent a fair amount of time working on my work in the San Deigo sun on the conference balcony - an excellent choice.

That evening I tried to eat another burger in bed, but I was convinced to join the GI fellows for dinner, where I ate a burger in a restaurant, haha. I was so exhausted, and missed my bed dearly by 9PM. I blame it on mom recovery as well as the time change. The next morning I did it all again and presented a different poster on Clostridium difficile (an infection of the gut) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease outcomes and healthcare utilization after infection. It was nice to chat with people about the research, and I was able to gather some advice on how to move the project forward.

That evening, I was flying out on a red-eye, so I ran back to the hotel, gathered my things and made my way to the airport. I made a bold choice of curry before a red-eye, but it was delicious. That evening I did not get much sleep, but I did watch approximately 4 hours of Downton Abbey - I LOVE that show, in some sort of obsessive way.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to present my work in San Diego at Digestive Disease week, and for my supportive family who made it all happen while I was away. My husband is the best.

Next year the conference is in Chicago - so perhaps the whole family came come with me and we can meet our parents in the big city of Chicago! Hopefully my research will continue to move forward to give us the opportunity!

Digestive Disease Week

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