Alex,
Congratulations on going to one of my favorite cities (really) and, of course, your surgery! Best of luck.
Maybe your mother isn't so much neurotic about traveling as she is about having her kid knocked out, sliced open and sewn back together. I know I was a control freak around the time of my surgery, simply because I couldn't control what was going to be happening when I was asleep. Cut her some slack, I'm sure this is a crazy time for her, too. 🙂