[JeffreyD]

Julie,
Having recently returned from Germany where I had a 3 level lumbar operation with Dr. Zeegers, I can relate to you our experience. We (my wife and I) flew Lufthansa, and I could only afford economy class. Travelling to Munich, we were upgraded to business class (Praise God). This was wonderful, as the seat reclined into a full flat position and I actually layed down and slept most of the flight. I was in bad shape prior to surgery........had to lay down on the floor in the gate area prior to our flight, for instance.
Coming home, we were not upgraded due to a sold out flight. It wasn't a big deal, though, as I stayed 6 weeks post op in Munich. First and foremost was that I wanted to have the initial therapy during those critical weeks at the Alpha Klinik, plus I was able to see Dr. Zeegers for my all-important six week checkup. The cost for therapy is irrelevant, since I would have had to pay for therapy back in the U.S. anyway; same goes for food (we had a room with a small kitchen), etc. The only actual added expense when you break it down, was for the extra time at the hotel. Interestingly enough, by staying the extra time, we qualified for a significantly reduced nightly rate. The added bonus was that the plane flight home was not difficult, as I was in much better shape than if I had left after 2 or 3 weeks. Also, the extra costs were ffaaaaaaaaarrrrrr less expensive than paying for 2 first-class or business class tickets.