Comment from jmdg1954

Excellent

Hmmm... a couple of points;
1)with Julie leaving on a two month tour and Fran and Mike going on assignment leaving Brian all by himself could, maybe, possibly spell a bit of trouble force scientist. We'll see...
2) I like the sex/no sexy banter between those two. I got a chuckle from it.
3) maybe a mention of why Daniel and Kimiko were not at there holiday party. I was wondering why (unless is missed something from a previous chapter).

All in all... great post!
John

 Comment Written 21-Sep-2024

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reply by the author on 21-Sep-2024

Your suspicions are correct about trouble brewing, John. I haven't mentioned it yet, but Daniel and Kimi are married and live in Botwsana where he is from. We will see them again before the end, though.

Comment from barbara.wilkey

Excellent

You've left us with a feeling that things aren't going to go so well for Brian and Julia. Is it something to do with the increase in the sexual urges? I am wondering. Can't wait to find out.

 Comment Written 21-Sep-2024

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reply by the author on 21-Sep-2024

That's not quite it, but that's a good thought.

We'll get back to the Prologue in the next chapter.

Comment from lancellot

Excellent

Another well written and positive chapter. Everything is still glowing and going perfectly for Brian, his wife and family. The pain is at level one and no side effects are shown.

 Comment Written 21-Sep-2024

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reply by the author on 21-Sep-2024

Just preparing for the next chapter when things start going awry. This is where we get back to the Prologue.

Comment from Tom Horonzy

Excellent

First, who cares "Do I feel better because we're having more sex, or are we having more sex because I feel better?" I am taking what is given and smiling.
As for the end, is there a disaster near-at-hand?

 Comment Written 21-Sep-2024

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reply by the author on 21-Sep-2024

Good point. I guess it only matters because he wants to know if it's the drug making him feel better or all the sex. Maybe the drug isn't needed at all and the solution to pain is just to have sex all the time. :-)

There is disaster very near at hand now.

Comment from Wendy G

Excellent

I don't like the premonition I have, now that she has a feeling something will go wrong. I suppose all stories must have their ups and downs, but .... So long as you can reassure me that it will have a happy ending. Please.
Wendy

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 Comment Written 21-Sep-2024

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reply by the author on 21-Sep-2024

I'm a firm believer in happy endings.

There is a baseball story called The Natural by Bernard Malamud that ends sadly. They made a movie of it, starring Robert Redford, which redoes the ending into a happy ending. I really preferred that over the ending in the book.

Not to worry, Wendy. That being said, there are some difficult times ahead!

reply by Wendy G on 21-Sep-2024

Thank you Jim. Lol.

Comment from Wayne Fowler

Excellent

Well written.
I would think Brian would look to a dosage change for faster-acting results. 1-2 weeks seems long for someone to fill a prescription for pain.
After I broke my neck, I often self-medicated with a 2 hr regimen of aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofin (alternating) on bad days I would add a third pill. (This was in the 80s. Surgery in 1992 fixed the problem.)
My point is that after a few days, I would most certainly take more of your pills.
Good luck with your novel.

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 Comment Written 21-Sep-2024

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reply by the author on 21-Sep-2024

I think it's probably a little different with the use of nanoparticles as a delivery system. There is likely an adjustment period for them to work correctly in the body and find the targeted area properly, and Brian understands that and wouldn't increase his dose until he had allowed sufficient time to pass with no results.

Good thing you had that surgery. That much use of nsaids would undoubtedly have eventually caused you organ problems. I took an nsaid called etodolac for a number of years for arthritic pain, but had to discontinue it because it was affecting my kidney function, putting me in chronic kidney disease stage 3. Since discontinuing it, my eGFR number has come back to a normal range.

reply by Wayne Fowler on 21-Sep-2024

I didn't do the pills all the time, just when pain was bad. I never analyzed triggers, whether pain followed hard work, or sitting, of what. Turned out to be a disc that was broken into 3 pieces , but evidently C-6 is hard to see in x-rays or even MRIs. Having them out was instant relief.

reply by the author on 21-Sep-2024

That's interesting. Glad to hear it gave you instant relief.

I had two herniated discs in my neck, and this January I had a disc replacement and fusion of C4-C6. I had numbness down my arm and into my hand. The surgery was actually not bad, and recovery time was minimal. However, it takes nerves a LONG time to regenerate, and I've still got the numbness in my hand. It's a very slow process in getting the proper feeling back. At least it doesn't hurt. Even with the fusion of 3 vertebra, I still have full range-of-motion of my neck.

Did they go in through the front of your neck to fix your herniated disc?