joey sue -
i too didn't want a hotel, so i rented an apt i found through vrbo.com. got a 2 bdr/1ba apt w/ a washer/dryer unit, full kitchen, in a great area for less than 100 euros/nt. could have gone a bit cheaper but would have sacrificed a few things that mattered to me and my travel buddy.
i wanted no part of driving in another country - er, asking my friend to drive in a foreign country. imho, one of the biggest drawbacks to the location of Nuffield Hospital. public transit is dirt cheap and bus/train goes everywhere in BCN - i used cabs some but had i know the bus system better, could have used them less. didn't really figure that out til the end of my trip. you can get a 10 trip pass for about $11 that works for train or bus.
as far as the flight - i feel SO much better being at my own house... i actually wanted to come home a few days earlier when i realized how quickly i was recovering and how crappy the bed was, but i couldn't fly another day w/o sacrificing the lay flat seat, plus my apt was paid for... so i was just out and about more! i paid $3500 r/t - well worth it imho, and a drop in the bucket considering the cost of the trip as a whole. i would also have been absolutely miserable on the way over w/ my bad disc.
my travel buddy flew "economy comfort" on delta - an extra $80-100 for more leg room, power plug, more recline, and free booze. also at front of coach and earlier boarding. since he's 6'4"... absolutely necessary! another option for those who don't want to go biz class.
for future BCN travelers: the site for the apartments i used is
Negre BCN Apartments: Your place to stay in Barcelona. they had staff in the toys/paper store next door who helped w/ all sorts of things. you can pay w/ a credit card - big advantage b/c some places want you to pay CASH euros on arrival - necessitating carrying a large amount of cash for your trip and getting raped on the exchange rate.
neighborhood was top notch for my purposes - convenient enough and quiet enough, very safe, pharmacies/restaurants/shops galore withing walking distance. 5 min walk to Metro. wasn't touristy at all, which is a good thing b/c i felt safe walking alone at night b/c the area isn't targeted by the vagrants...