Days#24-26

          I awoke Saturday morning around 9 a.m.  I didn't have to be to the Klinik for a couple hours, so I just hung out in my hotel room. I watched some stupid streams on my computer, and laid in the my bed. I finally got up and took a shower, then I went to the Klinik. I had to do my bio-mat treatment, my magnetic field treatment, and my hyperthermia. First, I did the magnetic field. There aren't many patients here on the weekends, so that made it easy for me to jump right to the bio-mat. I then was able to do my hyperthermia treatment, it didn't take that long because I napped.

          I rode my happy little butt back to the hotel because I had to get ready for the concert in Munich. Melanie showed up at my hotel at two to get me. I got into the car, and we got underway. Her husband Mike, and their two sons Samuel, and Jacob were joining us. Mike seemed like a pretty nice guy. Her sons didn't speak English but they were pretty cute kids. Samuel was eight and Jacob was six. These kids were at a really fun age for boys. The car ride there was fun, we talked about a lot of random things. They drove me through a ritzy area of Munich where all the rich and famous hangout. 

            We arrived at the park where the concert was being held. It was the Olympicpark. The one that was built for the 1972 Olympic Games. This place was an amazing sight for me. The construction was awesome. We found a spot on the grass to lay out some blankets and have a picnic. Mike, Melanie, and myself sat around talking while the kids ran around playing on the grass. There had to be at least 100,000 people there between the Bon Jovi concert and the Pink concert. There was also a radio station playing music on a mini stage in the park as well.

             We took a walk around the grounds to stretch our legs and to change the scenery. We walked up to the pool, it was huge, and there were all the different dive platforms. Definitely a sight. When we walked back to the lawn area, we grabbed our blankets and headed to a spot closer to the concert. There were kids playing Frisbee, So Sam and Jacob went to join in. We sat and watched them continue to play for while, and then we ate again. The music started and I could see the excitement in Melanie's eyes. She is a huge Bon Jovi fan, me on the other hand, I just know a few songs of his. Through out the concert, the kids would come hangout on the grass with us and then go back to running around and playing Frisbee. I got tired of sitting so I joined the kids, and I really had a great time with them. It reminded me of being with my kids and that made me really happy.
           When the concert was over and all the fans were cheering for an encore, that's when we started to get ready to get going. There was going to be a lot of traffic leaving the stadium, so we got a jump on the crowd. Walking back to the car, I was surprised how clearly I could still hear the music. When we got in the car I asked how long they thought it would take the boys to fall asleep. They said maybe five minutes, but I don't think they made it much past two minutes. the ride back to the hotel was nice. the local radio station was playing Bon Jovi/ Pink back to back and talking about the concerts. I couldn't understand what they were saying but Melanie seemed to be amused.
            I got dropped off at the hotel and thanked Melanie and Mike and then said good night. When I got to my room, I called Camille to wish her a happy birthday. She was pre occupied when I was talking to her so it was a short conversation. I really can't wait to get home and see these kiddos. I lasted about five minutes in my bed before passing out myself. It was a really busy day, but I had a great time. THANKS AGAIN Melanie and Mike!!
           I woke up Sunday morning and had to go to the klinik. I went in and got Hyperthermia, Bio-mat, and Magnetic field. all these treatments went well and I napped as much as I could through them. When I was all finished I went back to the hotel and watched some TV. I decided to go into Kufstien and get a couple of things for the kids and friends. I caught the train, and made it there in about twenty five minutes. It started to rain while I was there, So I had to get off the streets and into a cafe'. I popped into a little coffee shop and it was packed with people all eating there mid day dessert. I ordered a weinershnizle and a coffee. The place was so busy that I had to remind the waitress three times that I was ready to pay. I don't usually mind waiting but the train schedules are very exact and only once an hour. I finally paid and got to the train station with two minutes to spare.
           When I got back to the hotel, I laid down for a little while. There was a celebration at the church and there was a band playing the brass Instruments all day long. I think this was a religious celebration. I went out and grabbed some dinner and when I returned, I was really tired so I rested my eyes for a little while. I ended up sleeping through the night.
            Today, I woke up and went down to breakfast at seven. I had some cereal and a sandwich with lots of orange juice. I had hyperthermia at eight. I got my Ozone treatment and vitamins at the same time. I napped for about fifteen minutes. When I finished the hyperthermia, I went and had some more coffee and Orange Juice. I had a massage next with Marcus. he told me about a play that he was directing. It's a really funny story line and is really funny when he explains it. After Marcus, I went for my foot bath. This was very nice for my feet. Stefka the nurse, rubbed some lotion on my feet and I was twitching because she was tickling me. She thought this was really funny, and I laughed but this is why I hate when people touch my feet.
             When I finished getting tickle tortured, I was able to get the magnetic field treatment. Then I jumped to the Bio- mat. I ended up talking to a wife of one of the patients about the klinik. I told her all the good that it did for me and that Dr. Weber Is an amazing Dr.. She agreed. Her husband just did chemo in the states and wanted to come here before he torched himself with radiation. I said that they made the right choice. It seems to me that all conversations come back to western medicine or practices sucking and giving the alternative a chance to work first.
              I went down to lunch, and another patients wife was talking to me and she mentioned that she was a chiropractor. I told her my back has been all jacked up this whole trip and she said that she would adjust me after we ate. The lunch was delicious as usual, and when I finished I went and got my back re aligned. It felt amazing! I left the klinik and went back to the hotel just in time. As soon as I got back It started pouring rain outside. I ran myself a nice hot bath and took a long soak. when I finished, I watched some "House" and started working on this blog. I have only a couple days left here and I'm really excited to get home. I hope you all enjoy this blog. Thanks for the support..Love Lucas

days#21-23

          Ok so, when I left off last, I had went up to wendelstien on  the train and got some amazing views. That was Tuesday.....
          So, Wednesday. I got to come in to the klinik a little later then usual. Dr. Weber wanted to take a little break from the hyperthermia treatment, due to some pain I have been having by my rib cage. I told him that this has been there for a while now and to start the treatment again ASAP. I had my Massage with Marcus at 9:30. He worked my shoulder again, and this time used some hot chili pepper infused oil and this really helped to relax the muscles. After my appointment with Marcus, I went up to have a foot bath. I never let the buzzard rub my feet, because I'm creeped out by her. When I was wiping off my feet, Steffie came in and said that she would rub my feet, but I didn't want to hurt the buzzards feelings.
          My next appointment was with the bio-mat table and that felt really relaxing. I listened to some music and played mahjong on my iPad. I then had my magnetic field treatment. I sat and played more mahjong to help pass the time. Since I wasn't getting Hyperthermia, I needed to get my infusions in the infusion room. I got my infusions and then was ready to go back to my hotel. I rode my bicycle to the store first to get some bread and some tuna. I got back to the room and made tuna sandwiches with apple slices in them. They were so delicious!
           The rest of the day was basically, a lazy day. I watched some Vampire Diaries, Napped, Woke up, and got some more food. I spent a portion of the evening, Laying in the bathtub. When the water would get cold, I would drain some and replenish with fresh hot water.  Sometimes a hot bath is all that I need to get happy. When I was basically a Prune, I decided that maybe I should get out. I climbed into my bed, and watched some more Vamp! At some point I dozed off!!
          Thursday morning I woke up in pain and needed to take my medications before I tried to get ready for the day. I laid in bed for a good hour before I decided to start moving around. I went into the klinik to get breakfast before my massage appointment. I ran into Dr. Weber outside of the klinik, and we walked in together. He said that he wanted to talk to me about my recent blood work. I told him that I would be up after my massage. I went and got myself some breakfast, and coffee. I was feeling ready to take on the world now so, I went and got a massage. Don't get me wrong, I can still take on the world while being pampered. Marcus and I talked about Burning Man festival, and Woodstock. He is very interested in the hippie culture. I told him that I'm in an area that is populated with many so, to come and see me when ever he wants.
          After my Massage, I went to see Dr. Weber. He was busy like always, and I had to sit and wait for a little while. When we got into his office, I told him that the pain in my ribs is still there and asked what else this could be. He doesn't really know, I will have to get a scan when I get home. He told me that once again, My blood work all looks great, and that He will start my hyperthermia up again on friday. He asked if everything else was Ok with me, and I told him that I'm better today then I was yesterday.  He said that, thats's all that matters. When you're going thru all these different things you just need the days to keep looking better. I agreed with him. He's a good person to talk with.
          I went down to have my Infusions. They put me on the bio-mat bed in the hyperthermia room. Mark was getting his hyperthermia, so we just chatted the time away so quickly. we talked about my story, and his story. He mentioned how he's not very trusting of people because he feels that he's always being taken advantage of. I told him that I understand his feelings. I really enjoyed the talk with him. Since I was getting my infusion on the bio-mat I figured that I might as well get the treatment as well. Two birds, one stone. Last, I had magnetic field. I left the klinik, and returned to the hotel. The weather was really nice, so I decided to hop on a train. I went to Austria for the first time, and wished that I would have gone before. I love this town Kufstien. It's very cool.
         I got off the train, and walked across a bridge into the heart of the town. There were tons of shops, cafes, and Ice cream shops too. I walked around the town trying to get lost. I would pop into stores that looked interesting. The people here are really polite too. This really makes me feel welcome when people are Inviting. I shopped a little bit for my kids and for Leon and Ashlieghs kids. The kids are important to me, and that why they will get gifts when I return.
         On my way back to the train, I stopped and grabbed an Ice cream cone. I had Kiwi, and Lemon in a waffle cone. Damn, it was good. I got my ticket and got on to the train. There was some drunk old lady sitting by me. She reeked of booze, and was talking to herself. I was trying to be patient with her but then she lit up a cigarette on the train and I had to get up and move to another car. This was annoying to me, because there are huge "No Smoking" signs all over the train and drunk people, even the old ones, have no respect! The train arrived back in Brannenburg, and I went to the hotel for a little while.
          I went to get dinner at the Italian place. I ordered a steak, and some risotto with a salad. The food was good but, the steak was really rare. I didn't want to send it back though so I toughed it out. I won't order steak there again. I returned to the hotel and watched many episodes of the Vampire Diaries before retiring to bed. I would have to say that I had a pretty good day.
       I awoke this morning with no pain. I set my alarm to go off in the middle of the night to remind me to take my meds. I had an Eight a.m. Hyperthermia appointment. I got to the klinik and got my shots before my Hyperthermia. The appointment went slow because I wasn't getting infusions. I finished and went down to have a bowl of cereal before my Massage. During my massage, we talked about the woodstock festival a little bit more, and we also talked about the plays that he has written. I am very interested in his plays, he has a great personality and is extremely animated. I know he must be a "knock out" on stage. When my massage was finished, I went to my foot bath. No buzzard today, so I can enjoy a foot rub after. Yippee!!
        I had magnetic field treatment directly following the foot bath. Mark came in while I was getting the treatment and wanted a picture with me. I told him that I would find him directly following my treatment. So, when my treatment ended, Mark had just walked back in to the room and we were able to get a couple photos snapped of us. I then had to wait for the Bio-mat treatment. The gossip girl Julia sat down next to me and asked me about my iPad. I told her that I love it and that I think it was a great investment. She wants to get on too, but everything is so expensive in Europe. THe Bio-mat treatment opened up and I said bye to Julia and got my treatment. I told Mark that I would stay for lunch today, since he's going home tomorrow.
         At lunch, I sat with Mark and Two other patients. We talked about our different experiences and how we felt about the German approach to the Western approach. It turned out to be a very nice lunch. I enjoyed my salad, and the main course, which was a pan fried white fish and potato salad. We talked for a good hour following lunch until we had to break for appointments and I had to break for the hotel.
The weather was starting to look crummy again. I got invited to go to Munich tomorrow with Melanie and her Family to Listen to the Bon Jovi Concert from the grass outside of the stadium where he will be performing. This should be a fun experience.
          I went back to the hotel room, where I watched some "Eastbound and Down". This is a pretty stupid show, but i love dumb comedy, so I'm watching it. I took a little nap, and when I woke up, I decided to go and get some dinner. I went to another Italian restaurant, It seems like thats all they have in this town for dinner restaurants. I ate some spaghetti, and a salad. It was raining pretty hard when I left the restaurant, so I had to walk very fast back to the hotel. Upon returning to the hotel I decided to write my blog. I started writing and fell asleep. I must have been really tired. So here's my blog. Thanks for the support. Love Lucas

Day#20

                  Good day to everyone. I hope that you all had a good of a day as I have. My day started with an amazing shoulder massage by Marcus. I have this huge knot that needed some extra work and he focused all his time on it. We chatted about the weekend, mainly what he did. My weekend wasn't that exciting as you all know. He had a very busy weekend, but he said it was all really enjoyable. When I was finished with my massage, I went to the nurse's station so they could give me some injections.
                I had my bio-mat directly following the Nurse's Prick-A-Thon, and then I did my magnetic Field. I talked to Mark, The man from Iowa. I sent him a little story I wrote, and he wanted to give me his feed back. He said that he likes my writing style, that I don't hold back, that I just write. He said that he wished he could do that, but he is a thinker and that's why he suffers from writers block. He suggested that I watch Finding Forrester. I told him that I would rent it.
                When I left the klinik, the weather was starting to get warm. It was turning out to be a really beautiful day. I decided to go back to the hotel, and change, and then take the Wendelstein train up the mountain. When I got to the train station, there was only five minutes until the train left and no one in the ticket booth. I was getting really antsy because the train leaves once an hour and I didn't want to stand around for the next one. The guy came out of the bathroom and I got my ticket with one minute to spare.
                The train started up the mountain slowly, then started to pick up some speed. I really had no idea how high this train was gonna take me. As I looked out the windows at the scenery, I noticed all the wildflowers in the fields. I also noticed that the trees here grow really straight. like telephone poles. There were waterfalls dumping into streams, and everything was so lush. I really can't describe the beauty. The train arrived at the station at the top of the mountain. The trip took thirty minutes.
                I got off the train, and followed the rest of the passengers through a tunnel. The ceilings were dripping water from the still melting snow on the mountain. I exited the tunnel and couldn't believe the view. It was unreal. I was looking at the Swiss alps. The little town of Brannenburg looked so small from this height. I walked up to the highest peak, so I could get the best view possible. I could see into Austria from the lookout. It was amazing. I decided to have lunch.
               I ordered a coffee, and a water for starters. The table I was at looked directly down the mountain, and there was a tram that could take you down the backside of the mountain. I watched as the tram went down the mountainside on the cables it was attached to. Could have been a cool experience, but I decided not to indulge. I ordered some Kraut and meat with potatoes. It was really delicious. I sat at the table for an hour just enjoying the view. When I was all finished, I payed the waiter and left the restaurant.
               I walked around the top of the mountain, soaking in all the sights I could. I took a lot of pictures and will put them on Facebook. There was an old church on one of the peaks and it was small but very detailed. I love that there are all these different worshiping places on all the mountains around this area. When I saw everything there was to see, I went back to the station and waited to go back down the mountain. When we reached the bottom, I got on my bike and rode back to the hotel. I needed to get a few things from the store, so I went and took care of that.
              When I was back at my hotel, I watched some Vampire Diaries, and ate some fruit. I texted Julie to see how the final count for the T-Shirt sales was. she Informed me that she has roughly thirty shirt orders out of ninety original pledges. This is sad, the date is being extended until Monday the 20th. If you don't have your order in by then, then you don't get a shirt. Period. I'm not going to say anymore about this. I told Julie I would mention it here and on Facebook. CONTACT HER, NOT ME! If you want a shirt. Julie Schulz she is on my Facebook friends list.
                I hope everyone has a great rest of their day, I'm going to call it a night. Thanks for the support. I'll keep you posted.  

days 16-19

            Hello everyone, it has been a few days. Let me start by saying that, not a whole lot of change has occurred. The weekend was pretty uneventful so, i'm not going to break each day down. Friday was a typical day at the klinik, Dr. Weber did let me know that my blood work had come back and that my numbers are still improving. Treatments were the same, Hyperthermia, magnetic field, bio mat, massage, footbath, Andulating massage, and Infusions.

            The weather all weekend was for lack of a better word “SHITTY”. It was raining, gloomy, and really cold. Not exactly the best weather to get outside in.  I spent most of the weekend indoors. It was depressing, and being without vehicle, and having a small hotel room in a small village, there wasn’t a whole lot to do. I got caught up on my sleep during the day and then spent the whole night wide-awake.

            One really cool thing that I did do was Face time with my kids. I haven’t been talking to them, as much this time because they are with their mother and I’d rather not deal with her at all right now. They were with my friends Leon and Ashleigh, and I love dealing with them. So we talked for a while, and when my dad came to get them for Leon’s, I got to talk with him as well. I am really homesick and can’t wait to get back to my children and friends.

Now it is Monday, and I'm still feeling pretty depressed from the gloomy weekend. Having so much alone time is not so good when you are going through all that I am going through. Cancer, and its healing process are one thing but an unfaithful spouse and all that comes with that are another. I am really feeling betrayed and don’t really know how to process all the feelings that I’m having. Does anyone know how to handle this? Dr. Weber says that he wishes he had a cure for these feelings, but he doesn’t.

            I went to the klinik with a stomachache, and did my hyperthermia. Dr. Weber came in to talk with me and said that he would like to ultra sound me. I was given some anti-nausea medication in my infusions. When my appointment was over, I went down to the dining area to eat a little something. Gunther was sitting there, and it was really nice to talk with him. I haven’t been seeing him that much lately, and I was glad to know that he’s all right. He has been going home on the weekends to stay with his family. He seems really happy. He also informed me that he is on a new chemo that is allowing him to make his own blood. This is a huge improvement for him, because he was getting transfusions everyday.

            After breakfast, I went to Marcus and he was like “ your late!” 

I said “nope!” but I was. So my appointment got canceled and I went upstairs to get my little blue appointment book to see what happened. Stephie scheduled me for 9:00 with Marcus, but put it down as 9:30 in my book. Miscommunication is all. I used this time to get an Ultrasound and there is nothing out of the ordinary going on inside of me. The legions on my liver haven’t really changed in size much but the one in my side is significantly smaller. Last time there wasn’t a whole lot of change while I was here as far as tumors were concerned, so I’m not that worried.

            10:00 foot bath with the “high flying scavenger”. I don’t understand why she needs to stand over me and the other patients. Maybe they don’t get uncomfortable, but I sure do. It is so awkward to have someone stare at you for lengths exceeding 5 seconds. She sat staring for two minutes; I could feel my blood boiling. Anyways, I couldn’t wait for that to be over. After my footbath, I had magnetic field. Nothing exciting about that treatment.

            I left the klinik, and went to the store. I needed to get some fruit, and some juice, and water. I also got some really good rolls and tuna salad. I went back to the hotel and made myself a tuna sando and watched some Vampire Diaries. I laid around for a couple of hours then decided to take a long, hot bath. I spent almost two hours in the tub and it was great. Its still pretty cold out, so I got bundled up and decided to get everyone caught up in the past couple of days. I hope that all the mothers had a very nice mothers day. I’m grateful for my mother, she goes above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to me, and my children. I love you momma. Thanks to everyone else for the support. Much love!  Lucas

days#14&15

OK, so Wednesday was a pretty straight forward day. Not a whole lot of action, In fact, I was in a really bad mood! I am at the halfway point of my journey and I'm really starting to get a little home sick. Basically, I miss my kids. Last time I was here, I had Chad and Lisa to talk to, and now I'm really not feeling any connections with any of the patients. I got my appointments done really fast on Wednesday and went back to the hotel.
I'm thinking that because of my mood, I'm getting really tired during the day and that is why I'm taking naps. I again fell asleep around 1p.m and woke at 5:30p.m.. I was hungry, so I got some food and then came back to the hotel again, streamed some T.V., and went to bed. I was up and down through the night due to my nap. I told myself that I was not going to have this problem anymore, and drink some coffee during the day, so I could keep my eyes open.
When I woke up this morning, I was really tired. I got my act together and went to the klinik. I had hyperthermia right away. I was able to get my injections too. I read my book "Way of a Peaceful Warrior" I enjoy this book, It has a lot great lessons that can be applied in my life. Since I have it in my iPad, I can highlight things I like and it saves them. I finished my hyperthermia, and did the andulating massage, followed by magnetic field. I was supposed to have my massage with Marcus at 10:30 but, when I went down at 10:00 to wait, He switched me with another patient.
I had reflexology with Marcus, He told me that I don't have any Chrystal's in my pressure points. This is a really good thing because it means that there are no blockages in my system right now. From his opinion, I'm in great internal health. A cancer fighting machine if you will. We talked also about a festival that was going on today in Brannenburg. It's fathers day in Germany, and it is a holiday. They have a festival every year at the firehouse. He told me to check it out.
I left the klinik, and returned back to the hotel. I took a shower and got ready to walk over to this festival. I figured that if I went there, I would stay awake and get some food. It was a pretty cool festival. They had lots of tables, all filled up with people in the traditional clothing of Bavaria. They were serving big mugs of beer, and a whole bunch of different meats. There was a brass band playing, and a jumpy house for the kids. I got some grilled pork and potato salad. I sat at this festival for a couple of hours, just watching all the people.
When I got back to the hotel, I wasn't feeling all that great. I laid down for a little while and then ran to the bathroom. I got food poisoning I think. I was violently up-chucking for an hour off and on. I think that the meat was undercooked. I went back to the bed and drank some water. I spent most of the evening up and down, not feeling that great. It is now 3:30a.m. and I'm awake. I figured that I might as well get this blog written, so i can keep you all in the loop. I'm going to try and get a couple more hours of sleep before the sun comes up. Enjoy the blog. Love from Germany.  Lucas P.S. I wanna give a Birthday shout out to my Dad. I love you old man!! Hope you are having a great day. I also want to give a congratulations to John and Angi Busick on four years of Marriage. You are great people and deserve an eternity of happiness..

day#13

                   Today started out like any other morning. I woke up and did my routine, then made my way to the klinik. I rode fast because I wanted to get some breakfast before hyperthermia. I grabbed a roll, and an apple to eat while I had my foot bath at 9:00. so, I had my hyperthermia treatment, buzzard free, and I slept peacefully through it. When it was done, It was time for my foot bath. I ate my bread, and drank some water. A woman from russia named Genya, was on the Andulating Massage table. She said that the English couple had said that I was a big hiker, and that I would be a perfect partner for her. O.K. first off, Where did they get that idea from?, and second, Why are they trying to "hook" me up with people? This made for a very uncomfortable half hour.
                   I finished my foot bath and said "good bye" to Genya. Im really quite bothered by the fact that people that I don't know are up in my business. It seems like that is the theme of the klinik right now. Everyone is in everyone else's business. I have been avoiding all the drama, and trying to focus on me and my little issues, without making them everyone else's. Yet, I'm getting dragged into the conversations by people who have shared maybe minutes worth of conversations with me. 9:30 I had my magnetic field treatment and then went to Marcus.
                  My appointment with Marcus was great. It was very relaxing to me. We talked about the different breweries in the area, and which ones were his favorite. He likes a few of the local breweries, and prefers different beers depending on the weather. We also talked about wine, He doesn't really have much of an opinion on it. He really was working my feet today and I could feel my insides responding to the pressure points. When I get home, Im going to continue with reflexology and probably look into acupuncture as well. When this appointment was over, I headed back upstairs to get my Andulating massage.
                   Laying on this table and starting to relax, I was listening to this one patient talking about Doug. She was giving her opinions about what he's been talking about since his falls. This is bothering me, I'm not very fond of this patient, as she is like the drama center. I will keep my mouth shut for now, but if I hear her giving opinions about me I'll snap. What these people aren't understanding is that they aren't helping anyone with this gossiping. Maybe its deflection, my two cents are to turn the mirror around. So, I closed my eyes and tried to detach. I opened my eyes and the English Chick was next to me. I immediately got uncomfortable, and was counting the seconds until my treatment was finished.
                    So, I left the klinik around 10:45 and went into town to the store. I was going to get some groceries and go back to the hotel for a while. When I got to the grocery store, I went inside and looked for a hand basket, there weren't any so, I went outside to get a cart. They charge 1,50 euro for a cart, I was not going to pay this. I went in and figured I could get everything i needed without a cart. I was able to, but barely. First, i got a bunch of fruit, then some mustard,then meat and cheese. I then needed something to drink, so I got some O.J. and made it to the checkout as my grip was slipping. I will not be so cheap next time and get a cart. On my way out, I stopped at the bakery and got some rolls.
                    I went back to the hotel, and made myself a sandwich, actually two. They were delicious. After I ate, I laid down and rested for a few minutes. When I awoke at 5:30, I realized that I was really tired. I made some more food and watched some Modern Family. I took a long, Hot bath. This was very relaxing for my muscles, and my mind. I texted with a couple friends, and ended up face timing with Ashley Flint and her kiddos. Ashley and her husband have been a really great support for me through everything thats been going on. It was nice to have an actual conversation with a friend, Texts just don't do the same thing for me. Thanks for that Ashley!!
                   When we finished FaceTime, I figured that it would be good for me to write my blog. I have had an interesting day today. I also sent a facebook post out, and I'm hoping that people aren't taking this the wrong way either. I am very passionate about people doing what they say, and that is why it upsets me when i get news like this and I feel like people say things but then forget, or they don't mean them at all. I would rather someone say that they can't do something to me, then to say say "definitely" and then not follow through. Believe it or not, It really hurts to have your hopes up. I've done it too many times in my life and I refuse to do it anymore. I will call anyone on this behavior too!! Please respect me enough to be honest.. That's all i ask for.  O.K. I'm done ranting, enjoy my blog. I put a lot of effort into these everyday!!

day#11-12

Good morning Altolf,  Today  is looking to be very nice weather. The window blinds are glowing from sunlight beating against them. I get out of bed and look at my phone, its 9A.M. and I really need a shower. I walked to the bathroom, cleaned myself up, and got my clothing on for the day. I went downstairs to have some breakfast, and Chantal was already there getting the table ready for everyone. I sat down and Chantal prepared me some scrambled eggs. I had some baguette with marmalade also and a cup of coffee. Chantal joined me with a bowl of cereal. We talked about struggle, and how some people have a lot more of it in life. We were getting pretty deep in the conversation when Sandra joined us.

We started back right where we left off.  Sandra made herself some baguette with marmalade and coffee as well. She needed some help to upload some pictures from her IPad to Face book and she also wanted to share these pictures with Chantal. I helped her out to the best of my abilities, but as we all know, I have problems with the IPad and photo uploading. We ended up just talking in the kitchen while Chantal prepared cleaned up the kitchen and started to prepare lunch. Andre, finally entered the kitchen, and shortly after came Antonin. These guys can sleep in without any problems. I wish I was able to sleep in like this, its very rare.

 We continued to talk about this, and that. we were just having a relaxing morning before we had to go. For lunch we had a flaky pastry with some chicken, and veal in a sauce. This was another specialty from the region, and it was delicious. We talked at lunch about the different kings and queens from France, and how the dish that we were eating was created for a queen. We also talked about American gun control and the laws. This is a sensitive subject for a lot of people, and i guess that's why I never talk about it. Conversation became heated, and we had to change the subject.

After lunch, it was time to leave for the train station. Sandra and I said goodbye to Andre and got in the car. The drive to the train station was nice. when we arrived, Chantal and Antonin walked us in. Sandra's train was leaving a few minutes before mine so we said our goodbyes to her first and then they walked Me to my train. I said goodbye and thanked them for having us for the weekend. Chantal said that I was welcome anytime. I gave them both hugs and boarded the train. I hope to see them again soon, If my health permits, i"ll see them before I leave.

The trains back to Brannenburg were a piece of cake. I had no problems at all getting home. I spent a good portion of the trip back writing. I am working on the idea of writing a book. I have been really thinking about a lot of experiences that I've had in life and started to put them down in my hard drive. I need to get the motivation up to write though. right now, the blog takes a lot of my time and energy, so when I'm done typing that, the last thing I want to do is type some more.

when I arrived back in Brannenburg, I stopped at the Italian restaurant for some spaghetti and a salad. I ate very quickly because I wanted to get back to the room and get settled in. when I got to the room, I laid down and could barely keep my eyes open. I got up the strength to take a quick bath and Face book that you would have to wait for my blog. Well as promised, here is yesterdays blog.

I woke up to the sound of my cell phone alarm, and I wasn't happy to hear this. I hit the snooze, then ten minutes later, I hit the snooze again. Then, again and, again. Then I got out of bed and did my morning rituals. I walked down stairs and the breakfast wasn't out at the hotel. I rode very fast to the Klinik so I could grab a quick bite before Hyperthermia. I got some cereal, and an apple. Doug was there and he told me that he had fallen on Friday morning, twice! He told me that his head has been hurting him since Friday. He is not looking as good today, and this is very worrisome to me. He's a good man, and I hate seeing him the way he is right now.

I went up to hyperthermia, and Stephi is back from her vacation. Also, the buzzard wasn't working the morning shift either. Cha Ching! I got my injection of thymis, and then went to the hyperthermia. while I was getting the hyperthermia, I was able to get the Infusions as well. Josephine got me all hooked up with the infusions. Mark, who is a patient from Iowa, was on the table close to me      and we talked for the whole hour of my treatment. I told him about my family from Iowa. He thought that was pretty cool that we come all this way, yet we are connected in that fact. We also talked about Europe, and the wines from the different regions. Since I told him I was from the wine country, the conversation just kind of lingered on that subject.

After Hyperthermia, I had magnetic field treatment. Melanie came in and asked if i would be willing to take an earlier massage appt. "Of course I would" I told her. So, right after the magnetic field, I had to go right to my appt. with Marcus. When I got on the massage table, Marcus and I started exchanging stories about our weekend trips. He told me that they ended up staying in Munich at a hostel and going to some local bars. He told me that they went to a small village where there was a historical robber, like Robin Hood, and they have a restaurant/ beer garden for the tourists who come to see this attraction. He said they drank many beers and ate really good food. All in all, he had a very fun weekend. I told him my story too! He thought It was funny.

After Marcus, I went for an adulating massage, and then for my Bio mat treatment. These were both very relaxing. Once I was finished with these, It was 11:00. I went back to the hotel and got a sandwich at the local bakery. I ate in my room and watched some Modern Family. Around 2:00 I decided to go take a little walk and ended up at the train station. I hopped a train to Rosenheim, and when I got there, I just strolled around the streets. I popped into a few shops to look around. I found and Adidas suit for really cheap, and then 20% off on top of the already low price. I had to buy. Its an awesome suit too.

I walked some more and ended up at a bar/restaurant where I had some Weinershnizle. It was great. The people watching was really good from this spot. I stayed for an hour and then started to head back to the train station. While walking there, I saw a woman hit an man with her bag, and then he poured his beer all over her head. People are crazy! I snickered, and kept walking. I got my ticket, and headed back to Brannenburg. Now, I'm back at the room and I am just finishing the blog. I am ready to lay down and possibly go to sleep early again. I love you all, and thanks for the support. enjoy!!!  

day#10

               Good morning Altorf, I slept like an angel. We were up late last night visiting, so I didn't fall asleep until 3:30 a.m. I came down stairs, and there were fresh pastries to eat, plum marmalade, fruit juice, and coffee. Sandra and Chantal were both awake, so we sat down to eat. we talked for a while about the award that Chantal had been given in 2011. It is called "Meilleur Ouvrier de France" this is the highest award given in any single field of work. It is a competition where sometimes there is no winner. This is a huge accomplishment, and now she can travel the world and give seminars with this title. She is basically the best of the best in France for Food service, table art, tasting, and pairing.
                We were planning to go into Strasbourg after lunch and see a few of the sights. Chantals mother joined us for lunch, she doesn't speak any english, but she refused to believe that I didn't understand French. It was really cute because she would be talking to me, and I would be shaking my head, and Chantal would tell her "He doesn't speak French" but she would just smile and say "I think he understands it though!" For lunch we had some pork, potatoes, and sauerkraut. This was very delicious. We all sat at the table after lunch, just to let the food digest. I ate a whole lot of food and I was unable to put anymore in my stomach.
                Around 2:30, we got in the car and headed Strasbourg. When we got there the streets were packed. There were lots of tourist shops. We went to the Strasbourg Cathedral, now this is a sight. The cathedral was built between 1176-1439. The stone work is absolutely amazing, I cant believe the work that people had to do before all the modern power tools. We went inside and the stained glass was amazing by itself, then I looked at the stonework inside. This was so cool, the masons of this time were so talented. I got a lot of pictures that I'll post to Facebook. I lit two candles, one for Liam and the other for Camille. Chantal lit one for me, and we put them all together. The candles represent a prayer, a good health charm in our case.
              We left the Cathedral and walked towards the Ill river where we were going to take a boat tour to see some of the main sights. This was a good idea. We bought tickets and then went to a cafe to sit down for a little bit and wait for the tour. while at the cafe, I had sometime to catch up on my people watching for the day. Even though the streets were really crowded, I felt really relaxed and all the people seemed to have the same vibe about them. It was just about time to walk over to the boat tour, and It started to rain. First a sprinkle, and then a down pour in about two minutes. We made our way to the boat and hoped on as soon as the captain would let us in. The boats were covered so, this was a great idea for the rain.
               When we were in the boat, there were headphones that you could wear to listen to the tour in your spoken language. This was very nice for me, I really needed some english explanation while touring. I could have asked Chantal and Andre but, it would have been a little annoying to them and would take away from their tour. The tour took us up the river, under a few bridges before turning around. along the way, the headphones would chime in and let me know the history of certain buildings as we passed them. The tour took about 45 minutes and was very informative. I had a great time. When the boat docked, we got off and started our way back to the car.
              When we arrived back at the house, Antonin was waiting for us. We had reservations for a restaurant in the next town over. We went inside to quickly regroup, we also had to say goodbye to Chantal's mother. I bid her a fare well and she got in her little car and left. We, all very hungry, piled into the car and headed to the restaurant. Chantal told me that we would be eating a traditional Alsacian dish called "tarte flambé" This dish was amazing, It is like a pizza with bacon, onion, quark, and thin crust. we had maybe 5 or 6 of these. then for dessert we had an apple flambé! This too was wonderful. We sat at the table for a long while, and talked, and laughed about many different things. I had a lot of memories with this family in america. They spent six weeks in 2005 and again in 2008. we had spent a lot of time with each other.
                After dinner, we went back to the house and I slipped into something comfortable. We all sat at the table with our computers, emailing and face booking. I started to work on my blog but then was too distracted. I figured I would finish later. We chatted for a little while longer but we were all very tired. we all said goodnight and went to our rooms. Antonin and I talked for a little while longer, It was nice to get some one on one with him. He's a really good kid, and i'm very happy t know him. well, we said goodnight to each other, and then he left my room. I still had this blog to finish, so I buckled down and knocked it out. I hope you all enjoy reading it. With love from France, Lucas                  

day#9

Good morning Germany. I am up at 5:45 and ready for an easy day of treatment before my trip to France. I ate an apple so I wouldn’t have to take my medicine on an empty stomach. 6:45 and I rode to the klinik for my 7:00 hyperthermia appointment. “Good morning Buzzard” I thought to myself as she got me all setup on the hyperthermia table. I brought my Ipad with me today so, I read the book “Way of the peaceful warrior” This is a good read; I got lost in it.

 When my appointment had ended, I went to breakfast. I had scrambled eggs today, along with my bread and jam. Doug, the man from Australia wasn’t at breakfast. This was weird because, he either is there when I get there, or there are remains from his meal there. Richard asked me if I had seen him, I said that I had not. I went upstairs to get a footbath, and while this was going on I heard Richard ask the nurses if they had seen Doug.  He said that he heard a crash sound above his room earlier that morning. This bothered me because while I was getting my hyperthermia, I heard a nurse call button alarm, and the buzzard came into where I was, but her response time was like two minutes and it wasn’t even me. This got me thinking that Doug might have fallen and rang his emergency button, and had no response.

I didn’t hear anything else on Doug, so I went on with my treatments. I had my andulating massage. It felt so good that I fell asleep almost instantly. I woke up when the massage stopped, and jumped onto the biomat before anyone else could. The klinik was really packed today, a lot of outpatients. When my biomat was over, I was hoping that I could get the magnetic field treatment. There were about five people in front of me. About an hour and a half wait! I said, “Screw it” and left the klinik.

I got back to the hotel, and went up to my room so I could lie around for a while before my trip. I watched some Modern Family while I packed for my trip to France. The maids at the klinik did some of my laundry for me. This was nice to have nice clean clothing to pick from. I packed up my backpack, and made sure that I got all my batteries charged. Around 1:30 I went into the bathroom and decided that the facial hair had to go again. I had clippers this time so, I clipped the goatee and then straightened it up. This is a must for me every couple of months, otherwise my beard and mustache get all sorts of scraggly and annoying. After I shaved, I took a shower.

Shower done, and now its time to finish the last minute checklist, and throw on my traveling clothes. I left the hotel and went to get something to eat on the train. When I rode out of the parking lot, Angela was walking with her mom. I asked her if she heard anything about Doug.  She said that, she heard he fell, but that was it. I really hope that he is ok. She said that she as well didn’t spend a lot of time at the klinik today, because of how busy it was. I needed to get on my way to the train station so, I said goodbye and rode off.

I got to the train station at 3:00; my train was at 3:11. I sat at the bench and watched the school kids coming in packs to get back to their hometowns. The train was right on time, and I got right in. Next stop was Rosenheim, and then I would switch to the Munich train. I got on the Munich train and when I arrived at Munich, I had ten minutes to get to the train for Stuttgart. I had to run so I could make it to the train on time. I got in the very back and the seats were really comfortable, with fold down tray tables. I was thinking that this was a very nice change from the normal trains. When the ticket master came around, I found out that I was actually sitting in a first class seat and that is why they were so nice. I got the boot, and had to go find a seat in the 2^nd class. There were no seats, so I sat on the floor by one of the exits. It wasn’t that bad, I had my headphones on and I was enjoying the ride.

The train came to a much slower speed, and there were lots of announcements on the loudspeaker. Of course they were in German, so I was unable to understand. Soon the doorway was getting crowded with people and I asked if anyone spoke English. One guy said he did and let me know what was going on. Apparently, one of the windows got broken, so they were only allowed to go at the lowest speed. They were arranging trains to take all the passengers. The man told me to follow him; he was going where I needed to go. I followed him to a packed train, and we got turned around, they told us that the other train was fine to continue the trip, so we ran back to the original train we were on. It would not be a train trip for me without a whole lot of mix up.

As the train made its way to the next destination, I started to wonder if I would make my next connecting train. This was a special train, not an hour on the hour train. The ticket master came through and I asked. She told me that I would have been better off taking that train that the old man led me too. FUCK!! I was supposed to get into Strasbourg at 8:11, now I’m going to get there at 12:00 a.m. I’m really annoyed that this nice and easy trip is turning into a fiasco, but that’s life right. I strapped a big smile on my face, and kept on moving forward. I’ll make it eventually, right? The next transfer was going to be at Stuttgart. I was told to go to information when I got there.

We arrived in Stuttgart 45 minutes late. I went to the information counter and there was a line of about thirty people. I got in line behind a woman and then people started piling up behind us. The line was slow moving, and this guy was slowly trying to cut his way in front of me. I was not going to have that, but I let him believe that he was going to get away with it. Right when we got to the entrance, I shimmied my way back in front of him and he laughed, then almost simultaneously, some lady cut in front of me. I was like “are you serious?” She looked at me and said, “I’ve been in front of you the whole time.” I assured her that she was wrong but let her go anyways. People are so lame when it comes to lines. Senses of entitlement drive me crazy. I wish I could taze people some times.

When I got to the counter, the lady told me that the next train didn’t leave for another fifty minutes and I would have three transfers before I reached my destination, at midnight. Ok, let the fun begin. I went to a little sandwich shop and got something to eat, and then I walked down to the platform where my train would be taking off. I finished my sandwich, and continued to wait for the train. The train finally got here and I was back on the tracks towards France. No problems on this train, straightforward.

Arrived at next transfer without any issues, I then proceeded to the next transfer. Then when this train ride was over, I was ready for my final transfer to Strasbourg. When I followed the signs to the platform, it was kind of creepy. It was all-dark and there was a long path. It all looked a bit sketchy to me, but I followed the path and it brought me to this lonely platform. There were about seven people standing there, and they were all looking a bit exhausted. I had a twenty-minute wait before the train was going to come. I was excited though because this is the last transfer in my long day of traveling, and transfers. The train arrived and I got on. The trip took about a half hour, I called Chantal, to let her know that I was close and to come pick me up from the train station.

When I got to Strasbourg, I walked out to the front of the station to wait for my ride. Strasbourg is way bigger then I thought it was. There was a lot of action going on, on the streets too. I started to get a little worried that I got off at the wrong train station. I called Andre and he said I was at the right place, just then I saw Chantal, Antonin, and Sandra. They were all excited to see me, and I was really happy to see them.  We got in the car, and Antonin was driving. In Europe, the kids have to wait until they are eighteen to drive. He is a little new at big city driving and we ended up taking the scenic route. I thought it was funny, the last time I saw this kid, he was almost fourteen and driving me around on a golf cart.

We made it to the house around 12:40 a.m. and Chantal offered me some white asparagus, fresh from the farmers market. I also had some, prociutto, and ham with a baguette. The food was delicious. We sat and talked until 2:30, and then we all decided to go to bed and continue in the morning. I wanted to get my blog out so here it is. Another wonderful adventure for me. I love you all, Lucas

day#8

                Hello, and welcome back to another great blog by me. ;) I slept really good last night, and when I woke up I felt well rested. I got dressed right away and went straight to the klinik. My vulture awaited my arrival, so she could soar around me like roadkill. I started my hyperthermia, and fell asleep after about ten minutes. I kept waking up in a panic that "the buzz" would be standing over me, then falling back to sleep. A sudden sense that someone was in the room came over me and "Ahhhhhh," never mind, its just Melanie. What a relief that is. I went straight down to breakfast following the Hyperthermia. It's Liz's last day, and she is still at her normal shenanigans. Complaining, worrying, and listening. She leaving at lunch so thats a relief. I enjoyed my usual, two soft boiled's, bread w/ jam, meats, and some coffee.
                As I sat at my table eating, I listened to the people at the table across the room. they were talking to Liz, and the conversation was everything negative around cancer. They were criticizing the food we were getting, the treatments, the Dr., and another patients diet. Its annoying to me when people think they have all the answers. I know that I don't, but I have some experience with treatments, and diets. I was biting my tongue; then I decided to chime in when one of the patients was talking about sugar. He was saying that It was preposterous that offer us sugar when we have cancer because they know how it effects the cancer. He said that he thinks they want to keep us sick. I then spoke up and said that the reason I think sugar is offered to us is, for the mental effects that it has on us. I don't believe that it's for nutritional value at all. I just basically said that even the "bad" stuff is ok in moderation, but maybe don't live on candy bars. The tone of the conversation switched at that point and I was able to peacefully finish my breakfast.
                  I went back up stairs for a foot bath. I sat next to Ron's wife, can't remember her name, but she is a really nice woman. They're canadian, and she is really friendly. We talked about the weather, It had started raining today, with lightning storms. I was loving, watching this from the window. I said how I would like a little snow again, and she just looked at me like "you take that back!" I forgot how much snow canadians get. But, I would like a day or two of snow again. When my foot bath was done, I was summoned by Melanie to get my blood treatment, and my vitamins.
                 I laid on the bed where they give Biomat treatments, and Melanie came in to take my blood for lab tests. She then started the Ozone treatment. We talked about the festival that she attended yesterday, and she said that she had a good time. I really enjoy talking with this nurse, She has good advice and she listens to what I have to say as well. When the ozone was done we switched to the vitamins. I closed my eyes during this infusion. It was very relaxing at this moment, with the weather, and the atmosphere. When the treatment was through, I decided to stay on this bed and do the biomat treatment. Melanie brought me a hot pack as well. I napped through this treatment. The hot pack felt great on the liver.
                I went to the other room where buzz was waiting for me. I got on to the adulating massage table, and got myself a good ol' shake down. I get this treatment with heat and it's really rejuvenating. I then jumped over to the magnetic field treatment. Nothing special to say about this one, except that i got to listen to my iPod. Yippee! After the magnetic field, it was lunch. I went down and had Salad, Creamy broccoli soup, Beef Patties and Mashers, and for dessert; Blueberries in yoghurt. It was very yummy lunch today. No negative talk from the peanut gallery. That in it self made my lunch more enjoyable.
                After my lunch, I went back to the hotel, where I watched some Modern Family, and worked on my blog for a while. I had a 4:00P.M. appointment with Marcus so, I had a few hours to kill. I went back to the klinik at 3:30 and there was cake time in the dining area. I had a piece, it was a marbled bundt cake. It was delicious, not too sweet at all. I had a second piece. Gunther and Angela walked in around 3:50 so, I had a few minutes to chat with them before I had to head into my appointment. Gunther has been getting visited from his wife often, she has got time off from work since he's sick. He says that he will be having to go home next weekend because the insurance will not be able to keep him here. This is sad to me because he doesn't do well at home. I feel that without the klinik, he might not be able to remain strong enough. I had to go to Marcus but, I will talk to Gunther some more and hope that the insurance will let him stay.
                 Marcus, the man with the magic hands was great. He did some reflexology on me. We talked about diet, and the vibe at the klinik. I told him what I got from the vibe, and he told me his side of the drama. The kitchen crew is a tight knit, secretaries are all cool, but the nurses; they have a problem with one of the nurses. "The Buzzard" It seems that she doesn't just rub me the wrong way. He told me not to tell anyone, but none of you would rat me out, right? ;) Hahaha, "As The Infusions Drip" New Soap Opera coming this fall!!  Anyways, I finished my appointment and rode back to town for some spaghetti. I went to my room with my food and ate like a king. Now, Im just finishing this blog for you, and getting ready to turn in. I hope you all enjoy, you always do. Love ya. Lucas
               

day#7

             good morrow to everyone. I woke up in the middle of the night with a sharp pain in my chest that felt like I pulled a muscle. It hurt to breathe, and all I could do was lay in a hot bath tub and hope that the pain would subside enough for me to go back to sleep. It eventually did, and I went back to sleep. I re-awoke at 5:30 with an instant message from my friend Julie, she and her boyfriend, My friend Matt Doyle have made these warrior shirts to wear, and share. They will be selling them to raise some money for me. I am really grateful for this. So, with this news my day is now starting off good, but I still had this pain in my chest.
             I rode my bike to the klinik, to have my Hyperthermia treatment. The nurse Daniella was there this morning to get me going. I was pretty tired from the midnight sleep intermission, so I closed my eyes for the hour. When I awoke, Ahhhhhhh, The buzzard was standing over me. I was wondering how long she was lurking. Very creepy! Im really not trying to be mean, I just don't like people lurking around me. I went straight to breakfast. I had two soft boiled eggs, some bread with meat, and jam. i drank some coffee, and black currant juice.
             After breakfast, I went to the lobby and Dr. Weber was standing there. I asked him what this pain could be and he said that he wanted to take a look with the Ultrasound. We went to his office and looked with the Ultrasound, and there was nothing serious. He thinks that the hyperthermia has caused my liver to expand a bit, and that is what is causing the pain. He gave me a shot, and said that by after lunch the pain shall be much less. I then went to do all my normal treatments. I started with my favorite nurse in germany Melanie (Carrie, you are still my number 1 in the U.S.) She gave me my Ozone blood infusion, and my vitamin drips. We talked about her favorite Pop singer named Robbie Williams. He's some british bad boy. We also talked about how the nurses in Germany get their training, as apposed to the U.S. - its different. She kept me company the whole time I was getting infused. This is very pleasurable for me.
             After infusions I proceeded to the domain of the Avian Variety. I had the adulating massage. I had a chance to talk to Angela from the U.K. She was getting a foot bath. We talked about diet, and how to keep on when you get home. I told her that its hard if you don't have someone supporting you. We talked about organics and fresh, local produce. She says they get a lot of "Rubbish" food in the U.K. but they have local farms and farmers markets once a month. I told her that was a start. I then went to have magnetic field and Liz was there, so I had biomat instead. when this was finished, Liz was gone, bullet was dodged, and I did the magnetic field.
              Lunch time, and the food was great. I had a salad. chicken broth soup, and weinershnizle (breaded veal). I had two servings of this because it was perfect. Dessert was an roasted apple, with cranberry and vanilla Ice Cream. Melanie joined me for Dessert. She told me to watch the soccer game tonight between Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Its a huge game. I said O.K. After lunch, I hung around the Klinik. I looked around online for a while waiting for my appointment with Marcus. Today is a holiday in Braveria. They have traditional things going on in the villages. The people raise these trees called the "maibaum" which is in the village center as a symbol of the trades of this village. The people all take the day off and go to these festivals. They dress in the traditional attire. Melanie Was going and showed me her traditional clothing.
               I had my massage with Marcus, we chatted about this, and that. I was really soaking in the massage. When this appointment was over, I was able to finally go back to the hotel. I came back and watched Modern Family for a while. Relaxing just feels right sometimes, defiantly felt right today. I went and got a pizza for dinner and came right back to the hotel. I just turned on the soccer game, and Im going to leave you all on that note. Hope you all Enjoyed. Love you all!! Lucas.
         P.S. Buy a shirt through Julie Schulz on Facebook ;)