Since I have been on chemo, I just can't take the spicy heat like I once did. And when it comes to that level of heat, to me, pain is NOT a flavor!

Yeah, anybody heard from him lately?

Where IS Big Meatball?

I haven't seen any updates from saccopoo, either.

Damn.

So it is less than 2 weeks until I leave. A female friend of mine whom I am suspicious of trying to sink her hooks into me, and I have straight up told her, we are friends and we will NOT date, has said things like she will bawl like a baby when I leave. She has asked me what day I am "leaving her" instead of asking when I am leaving on my trip. Not one to pass up an opportunity like this, I am having great fun at her expense. I sent her this YouTube link just yesterday and rattled her cage good! lol

And to clarify why I won't date her, the price would be too high and I have no interest at my age and in my condition of jumping through hoops like some trained seal so she might ration out some lovin'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOpWRHMDLHI

Meatball has posted within the last 24-48 hours, he's still kickin

Fast Eddie, you should consider playing along with this lady for a bit... cookies are often worth a high price :)

Love 'em and leave 'em.

Homey ain't playing that anymore. Been there done that 30 years ago, got nothing to show for it!

You presumably dipped your wick, thats something!

Yeah, but who got the dipping is the problem. She was unworthy!

LMAO must've been pretty bad to not be worth it

Some birds aren't worth the hassle. Definitely true.

I'm glad you're feeling well LE! keep on, keeping on.


I have a cousin in his 30s, young family that had an issue last year, was given the all clear signal...3 weeks ago wasn't feeling well, went in and was given bad news, and this week told to go home and get his affairs in order.

Cancer is a useless sonnabitch.

Yup, cancer is pure evil.....but it's weird too. I had an aunt who had breast cancer. They said it was bad and to get stuff in order too. 40 years later she passed away. Go figure.

Thats the kind of story I hope Ed hears more of, plenty of tales out there just like it

I almost did myself in today by carrying a sack of concrete mix from the barn to the house to patch up the front stoop. It's about 250 feet or more between the house and barn. My heart was hammering and I was breathing hard out of my mouth and sweating. The chemo pills have knocked my blood cell counts down, both white and red, so it was not a good idea to tackle this project today. I burned some dead weed patches in the yard and pasture and watered my cedar saplings and my peach and pear trees, too. I should have just done that and left the concrete mixing for another day.

I took a shower and drank some water, and now it is nap time. My endurance right now is pitiful. I can't wait to be done with the pills on Friday and work that stuff out of my system before my departure date. I am looking forward to feeling good and strong again when I am in Denmark and Scotland.

Like Andrew Dice Clay once said? Uuuuggggh! Get out.

Friday is here at last and that means two more doses of the chemo pills today and I am done with the bastards until I return from Europe! I am happy to be near the end with the pills, since they've been messing me up. Low blood cell counts leading to no endurance, a chest cold, a strange knotting of a muscle in my shoulder blade at night which keeps waking me up and at times makes my right leg jerk, feeling queasy all the time, and thankfully just once an attack of the dry heaves... I won't miss any of that stuff when I am once again on the soil of my ancestors.

I can't wait to get over there. I have many new adventures ahead, both in Denmark and Scotland. As much time as I have spent in Aalborg, I still managed to find 4 "new" points of interest for me, so it will add some newness and discovery to that part of my trip. I love the old, familiar things I do in that town, and it is a big part of what keeps me coming back, but a few new things to see and do just adds another element of joy to the trip for me.

Seeing family and friends again will be wonderful, too. My cousin's daughter Helle and her husband Martin will be treating me to dinner my first two evenings in Aalborg, and it's always great spending time with them. They are equal parts family and friends to me. Martin is saving me a Jacobsen brown for my arrival. He knows that is one of my favorite beers of all time. I love the aroma of the six malts blended so masterfully together in that brew as well as the flavor. I like to close my eyes and just smell that beer for about 10 seconds before taking my first sip. Then I feel like I am truly home again in Denmark.

Hang tough my friend, fight like hell...

Most awesome.. have a great return trip man, and post lots of pictures.

Keep fighting like hell indeed..

LonewolfEd is a tough mother ****er.

QFT

Enjoy your trip LE.....You definitely deserve it!!!

Here are some pics from my 2015 trip, just to give you a taste of what lies ahead for me! The first is me by a tourist bus. Danish can be funny since some of their words look like English, but are not. In this case, "fart" means speed or journey, and turist means tourist (that was hard to figure out! lol), but since I had a big old tumor in my colon then, I found it rather funny since I had many, many "turistfarts" of my own! The second was a beer I had not tried before and it was terrific. I intend to discover many more new ones this year. The third is something I may have again, a wonderfully authentic Viking feast prepared by an eccentric Viking chef, and the fourth is Voergaard Castle, built in the mid 1500s. I love me some castles.

I'm glad you're getting back to Europe, Ed!

7 more days until my first flight out of here!! I think I may just survive to see this trip get underway after all.

The authentic Viking repast looks and sounds like a great experience

ps - more shots (and more revealing shots) of the leggy, lovely blondes at the Irish House :D

Jealous Ed, can't wait to see some more of Anna longlegs

She isn't bad, but Gitte is the true goddess, and who knows, there might even be some fresh new hotties at the café this year.

My dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 8 years ago, went from golf ball to softball size in 6 weeks.

Told him with a whipple he would last 2 years tops. 8 years later, last Tuesday we were all at the same hospital taking him to visit my step mom who basically raised all of us, she had a small dose of pneumonia. Same doctor pronounced her dead while we sat there after talking to her an hour before. He heart went from 250 bpm to 10 to 275 to nothing...


Who ****ing knows whats gonna happen in this life... It's crazy and it ****ing sucks

That's great, man! Are you going back to the same place?

Yes, I will start out in Aalborg for 5 days, then go to Løkken for 6 weeks and I will go to Scotland during that time for 5 days, then 4 days in Aalborg in June, and the final 5 days in Copenhagen with my cousin, Anne-Marie. She's going to take me to castles!

That is terrible. We live in a universe where lots of bad, crazy things happen. Sorry for your loss.

I don't post in this thread because I don't want to say anything negative. My prayers are with you, have fun and have a great time, sending some brotherly love with you always.

Thanks, and don't worry if you do post something negative. It's okay and I don't mind. I do mind when people treat me like I can't handle it now. It's like they think I am sick or something! :)

Have an awesome time Ed, that sounds like an amazing trip!

I went to the cancer center today for my final appointment before my trip. They sent me to the 3rd floor for my blood draw, and a tech was there not a nurse, so I could not have blood drawn from my port, but the crook of my elbow instead. I *hate* that! My veins do not tolerate needles well at all, and the last time I had an IV in the hospital, the vein in my hand blew and it felt like someone hit the back of my hand with a ballpeen hammer. It hurt for about 3 weeks. I did not pass out, however, but my palms got very sweaty after the jab in the elbow. It bled a bit more than usual, too, but then since my blood cell counts are low across the board, especially my platelets, it was not a surprise.

Hopefully, my blood cells will get back to normal in the next 5 days. My endurance now is feeble, although my muscle tone is pretty decent. The true test comes on Monday when I have to get my heavy checked bag to the ticket counter in the airport and on Tuesday when I will be getting it on and off a bus in Aalborg then up to my hotel room. The nurse finally came to see me after an hour wait, and we went over things about my trip. My lovely insurance company refuses to pay for my meds to cover my trip, so I have a bottle of 30 pills of xarelto at the moment, which if my math is not faulty, will NOT last me for 2 months.

So, my options are: Cancel the trip. Go with half the meds I need and probably die from the blood clots I have. Pay over 330 dollars myself for another bottle of xa-damned-relto. Have my dad call in the prescription in two weeks, then mail it to me in Denmark (which, I think, is illegal, shipping pills??)

Damn you, insurance company, which is touted as the "best" in the area.

I don't think mailing yourself your pills would be illegal but I'm not the best person to say...

I have little choice in the matter. It's a pity I can't make Blue Cr-, er I mean, my unnamed insurance company pay for the shipping. I'd go for the most expensive option FedEx has if that were the case.

Goodluck Ed. Hope you have a banging trip

If it comes down to either not going on your trip, or coming up with $330, please let me know. I'll see to it that, that doesn't keep you from your big trip.

Thanks very much! I am not cancelling no matter what. Either I go over there or my ashes do! I'm going to the post office tomorrow to buy a little box to ship the meds over in, legal or not. I'll give my dad some bubble wrap and that should keep them quiet in the package. I will have him ship them to my cousin's daughter Helle, whom I hang out with often there, so I will be sure to get them.

Can't you get some kind of mail order option for your prescriptions and just have them shipped over to where you'll be?

Ed, have you actually explained your trip situation to your insurance carrier? I cannot believe that they won't provide some option for you to ensure that you get your required meds. Have you talked to them directly? Have you appealed? Have you had your doctor call them?

Heck, I'm sure you're all over this thing and have MUCH more knowledge of this kind of thing than I do; but, man, surely this sort of situation can be remedied.

In any event, have a GREAT TRIP and please keep us posted as you meander throughout Europe......pics would help (especially of Miss LongLegs)!!!

Take care, and ENJOY.

I can to my residence here, but that doesn't help me at all now. Damned bureaucrats...

I'd imagine it would be OK xarelto is. Blood thinner right? It's not like you are shipping narcotics.

This.

****

Have a great time, Ed.

The nurse told me that she requested a 90 count bottle of xarelto and metoprolol for me since I was going out of the country, but the insurance company wouldn't approve it. I could always pay for it myself, but it's 330 dollars for a 30 count bottle of just the xarelto. I went through a similar situation in January when I got the new insurance and they were slow to get on the ball and didn't know yet if the drugs were necessary. I had just been on them since march of the previous year, but I guess that isn't a factor in their decision making. I did get a free bottle of 10 from the KU Hospital pharmacy, thanks to a social worker there, but I had to drive up there to go it, and it's 35 miles each way.

I have not spoken with anyone at my insurance company, and I don't think they would want me to. I might not be very pleasant...

Yes, it is a blood thinner. Someone told me it is the same stuff that is in mouse poison, but I am not going to buy some of that at the hardware store and see.

Not the same stuff but does the same thing. I'll chip in if there's a paypal account to donate to so you can the $330 you need for a bottle. If you were in CO I'd help you work something out.

Yeah, sometimes you can't get more than an X day supply for one reason or another.

There are some great people here for sure! Post the info if we can help.

Ed-just want to let you know that you should ask your insurance company for a vacation override for your Xarelto. This is something that happens all the time, and formerly working for a mail service pharmacy, I can't imagine that your carrier doesn't allow it (everyone allows vacation overrides, especially for people who have severe illnesses, like you).

Hope that helps. Call the number on the back of your prescription card, explain your situation, and make sure they're aware you have cancer and not receiving your Xarelto is life-threatening.

PM if you have questions. Happy to leverage my knowledge on your behalf.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The nurse at the cancer center has spoken with the insurance company twice, and they are not going to give me extra despite being told I am going to be gone for 2 months.

This isn't the place for whatever your trip is, friend.

Is it processing through a pharmacy? If that's the case, the pharmacy should be calling your pharmacy benefits manager and requesting the allowance.

It's possible BlueCross won't allow the vacation supply, but they're typically pretty lenient with non-controlled medications like Xarelto.

I'm sure the medical claim would say that they won't approve the claim, because they don't deal with that type of thing. It's handled through the pharmacy side.

She called both the pharmacy and the insurance company. Bastards must want me to die!

I am happy to report that my endurance is higher this week than last. There is a pine tree by the northwest corner of my house with a few branches hanging over a gutter downspout, and it was clogged. I carried a large metal ladder from the barn to the house, and unlike the previous week when I hauled a sack of concrete mix, I didn't have to stop, my heart was not pounding, and I was not sweating. I was breathing harder, but not out of breath. I cleared the spout, lopped off two branches that I could reach, and took the ladder back to the barn, all without taking a break or stopping. By Monday, I should be in even better condition. I hope so, because I am not quite done packing and my checked bag is getting pretty close to 50 lbs. I hope I don't go over and have to pay hundreds of dollars. But, being away for 2 months, I do have to bring more than usual.

Just live, brother. Just live.

This.

I got an email this morning from my second cousin Helle's husband Martin. They were at the café in Løkken that my friends own and run. He took a photo and I saw the bar now has Carlsberg instead of Royal beer. That means Sascha can get Jacobsen Brown ale now, my favorite beer of all! It's a glorious brew made with 6 different malts, with an aroma unparalleled and a flavor so fine. If she has that in the café now, I will kiss that woman when I get there.

That's awesome, bud.

Martin just sent me a short video showing the SNOWFALL in Aalborg. I guess I'd better work on my tan today since I leave tomorrow. Maybe I should put some thermal underwear and wool socks in my luggage, too. I already packed my coat, but it might not be enough!

Have a wonderful and safe trip!

Have a great trip, Lonewolf!

Be well, my friend!

Remember:

Hot euro-chick pictures, and lots of them.

Have fun!

Enjoy yourself brotractor. Don't overdo it.

My blood cell counts must be rising, because I feel stronger. When I hit that buffet in Aalborg with the wild boar and red deer, I am sure my power will soar!

Ed have a fun and safe trip.

^^^^ Have fun big man.

It's about 3 hours until I head to the airport. I have all my things ready to go and now I am anxious to get going. It sucks that I have to sit in Newark for 5 hours and 7 hours on the way back, but I am ready to get this underway!

Enjoy Ed.

I had farewell dinners with many friends Thursday, Friday and Sunday evenings. It was good to see them all and though my friend Chipp would love to be going along with me, he has pressing domestic matters to tend. As we left the restaurant, I told him as I usually do, "Peace on you!" And as I am about to leave here now, I say peace on all of you, too! :)

Fly safe, mang!

Be safe and good luck buddy.

I am in Copenhgagen, waiting for the departure gate for my Aalborg flight to be posted, so I logged onto the ipad and checked for email. I had one from the cancer center, showing my CEA (the cancer marker in my blood) has soared to 54.1 and it was 2.something in January. It was 88.1 when I was initially diagnosed. Dammit all, that really brought me down. I don't even feel like having a welcome back beer right now.

Have the beer anyway.

Don't let it ruin the rest of your trip. The rest of your life is likely to have these ups and downs. Live while you can and let fate take care of itself.