Germany Part 5 / Great News/Recipe

It's June 3rd, and I had my interim ultrasound and blood work this morning. The Ultrasound showed that all the tumors have gotten smaller, some more so than others. And part of the blood work was a marker which shows how the tumors are growing; it showed a decrease in growth! I'm on a natural high at the moment. Now - back June 1st.

I didn't write at all on June 1st. Short recap - vitals taken around 8:00AM, then my hyperthermia with Vit C (every day with Vit C, so I won't write that again) at 11:00AM. My sodium bicarbonate infusion was at 1:30PM, for two hours, and then I was finished for the day until my 7:30PM injection. It rained very hard for most of the morning, and was still overcast and cool during the afternoon.

After my infusion, we went into Bad Bergzabern to walk around a bit, exploring streets we had passed which had looked interesting (they were, but everything was already closed as they close early on Sat; lucky Art), and then to have dinner. The town is really beautiful. Art and I are into architecture, so it was a great experience. I have photos in Art's camera. I'm waiting for my phone, which needed to be repaired, to be returned, and then I'll have my own camera. Hope to download them before I send this. (Didn't get to this time.)We had dinner at a lovely restaurant, Culinarium. The atmosphere was very cosmopolitan and the service was excellent. While we waited for the meal, we were each given a demi-tasse cup filled with a curried carrot soup which had been whipped, light and tasty. I had grilled shrimp and Art had Veal Cordon Blue, which he hasn't had in a lot of years. I cook chicken and fish, plus, of course, lots of veggies but no red meats; so he gets his red meat fixes while out to dinner.

We woke up on June 2 to sunshine, and that's how it stayed all day, reaching the mid to high 60s. I had only my vitals taken and night injection, no other treatments. What a glorious day to be outside walking around, which is what we did in Strasbourg, France, only an hour to an hour and a half away, depending on your route. Maude, our GPS, took us the fastest way going there, which wasn't the prettiest way, as it included a long time on the Autobann. Our ride home was through Wissenbourg, a much more beautiful set of roads to travel. We had a major disappointment while in Strasbourg; I had so wanted to take the boat tour, but due to all the rain we've been having, the tours were cancelled as the water was too high. In some cases, it was over the sidewalks; there was no way the boats could fit under the bridges. Maybe it wasn't such a major thing, but we were really disappointed. Actually, it should be the worst disappointment I ever have!

Our first stop in Strasbourg was at the Cathedral. What a magnificent edifice!

This is the front of the Cathedral, seen while walking down the street.

This is the left side of the Cathedral. The details are spectacular. Wish I were a photographer!

This building is to the left of the Cathedral.

Part of the Plaza in front of the Cathedral.

Again, hope to have the photos available to sprinkle amidst this text. (These four were in Art's phone, so I had no trouble downloading them. Next to tackle his camera.) It was worth the trip just to see it. They were having services, so we really didn't get to explore the inside of Cathedral as we would have. Then, we took our own walking tour to Le Petit France, or the old section; it's a World Heritage Site. On the way, we stopped at St-Thomas Church, another wonderful building; it has a major baroque sculpture and a very famous Silbermann organ. We had a lovely lunch at L'eveil Des Sens, sitting outside (this info is for anyone planning a trip to France and Strasbourg). Today, all the shops were closed, as it's a Sunday. Can you imagine any store in the US being closed on a Sunday, such a big shopping day? I guess they do have lives to live here; something we in the States oft times forget. (While in New Zealand, we found time and again people choosing lifestyle rather than money.) Again, Art was very lucky. I'm not a big shopper but I really like to look, and I usually find something. Oh well, another time. On our route home, we passed an Art Festival. It was small and I'm glad we did stop, but it was mainly paintings. I love all the rest of the things usually found at a festival, such as pottery, baskets, hand-made clothing, etc. I DID find ceramic buttons I'm going to use on this month's BJP bracelet.

We returned to the Klinik around 5:15PM and took a nap. I had my night injection at 6:30PM and then we went to a wine tasting, the chef at the Klinik had told us about. After that, we had our second disappointment of the day when we went to The Cygne for dinner, in Wissenbourg, and they were closed - again. Apparently, they were opened for lunch but not for dinner tonight. Now we know when they will be opened and hope to make it there, as they were highly recommended. We ended up back in Bad Bergzabern at Zum Hass Restaurant, which turned out to be very good. I had a big salad with grilled chicken and Art had a wonderful fish dish.

I've gotten my schedule for tomorrow, and I have a very busy morning but an open afternoon. Hmmm, where to go tomorrow?

Turned out we just rested. After my busy morning, I was feeling really tired, so I napped and read away the afternoon. In addition to the good news written about at the beginning of this blog, there were a few things still needing help. My protein indicator showed it went down, so now I need to have two protein shakes a day; my hemoglobin is still low, so I will be getting a shot of B vitamins. This is in addition to the Mistletoe shots twice a weeks for the immune system, the low dose chemo twice daily, the Vit C infusions, and the sodium bicarbonate infusions twice a week. A lot going on, and well worth it all for the direction the tumors are headed!!!

Have a wonderful day! Enjoy every minute!

Red Bell Pepper Burritos

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

1 small onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup red peppers, chopped

1 1/2 cups kidney beans, canned, drained, rinsed, mashed (1 can)

1 tablespooon mild chili peppers, chopped

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp oregano, dried

8 organic corn tortillas or other gluten-free tortillas

1/2 cup raw goat cheese, shredded, or your choice of cheese

Salsa

Hot pepper sauce

Goat’s milk yogurt

Chopped tomatoes

Sliced avocados

Shredded romaine Lettuce

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet, heat the oil. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and sauté for another couple of minutes
3. Add the peppers and cook until almost tender, 5-10 minutes.
4. Add the beans, chilies, cumin, and oregano and heat through.
5. Place a tortilla in a heavy 10” skillet over moderate heat, and turning frequently until pliable.
6. Spread about 4 tablespoons of filling down the center of the tortilla and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of cheese.
7. Roll up the tortilla and place in a casserole with the seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
8. Heat burritos in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes.
9. Serve with salsa, hot-pepper sauce, yogurt, tomatoes, avocados, and lettuce.

My favorite way is with the salsa, yogurt, and avocados. Yummy!!!