Coming Along

After pruning some trees over the weekend I slowly started to develop some pain in my right shoulder blade.

It probably wasn't the smartest thing for me to try to do. But it had to be done.

I discussed it with my oncologist on Tuesday. We agreed to watch it. It did sound like it might be a physical thing, not related to my cancer.

Then Tuesday afternoon the pain really began to grow. Into Wednesday the pain was severe and I started to take some pain pills I had leftover from when a tumor was found in my hip bone.

But yesterday it seemed to start feeling a little better. Now, thankfully, today it is feeling even better yet. I still have pain. But it's nothing like it was just two-days ago.

I'm going to try to be smart, for a change, and lay off pruning trees for a little bit.

I consider myself somewhat of an expert on pain. I've cracked my skull. I've cracked two ribs. I've broken the same ankle twice. I think almost every finger, and a few knuckles have been broken along the way too.

I have had hundreds of stitches, more than a hundred in just my head.

I've stretched muscles, bruised muscles, pulled muscles, strained muscles. You name it. I've done it.

But I've never felt a pain like the one I've had this week. Maybe a stretched tendon or ligament? I don't know. Something else to add to my list.

The oncologist was impressed with how well I was handling the new chemo. I really haven't been feeling any side-effects from it at all. He was so impressed that he suggested that we double the chemo dosage. I was surprised by this. It's not something that has ever been suggested before. But I didn't hesitate to agree. If that's possible, let's go get 'em, I said to him.

I am feeling a little more fatique and a little more nausea from this increase this week. But it's not a big deal. Whatever it takes, whatever I can take, I'm going to do to try to fight this thing.

After many years of contemplating the idea, I've finally decided to try to collect some of my stories and try to have them published as a book. It's a shot in the dark. Publishers receive hundreds of manuscripts every day. Some never get read. There are so many people who want to write a childrens' book, or the next best-selling romance novel.

If anyone, by chance, knows anyone who has published a book or may know a literary agent who might be able to help in this endeavor I would greatly appreciate the reference. No matter how good the book, without an experienced agent to properly market it, the only reader may be myself. And this is a world with less readers than ever before.

Happy Friday everone!