And Sample Chapters…

this book was formerly called, “Hit me once”, and was also titled, “into the grey”…

Middle age

After remarrying, to a San Jose native, I moved to her domain, and became a local apartment dweller. 

I had been in sales support (telemarketing) for loans and mortgages in Pennsylvania, and secured a position in the solar industry. After some years of commuting, I landed another solar job locally. Since COVID-19, I’ve worked almost exclusively from home, and remote work seems to suit my introverted personality.

Rolling merrily along

Visiting Kaiser periodically for routine blood work, my asthma on the wane, and my brain chemistry fairly stable, I figured I was coasting a bit, and that all things being equal, while I was overweight due to meds, things seemed good.

Hit me?

So, I went to Kaiser for my routine bloodwork. I had a past diagnosis: Bipolar Disorder, and currently was pre-diabetic, a longtime asthmatic and overweight to boot.

The psych meds were to blame for the diabetic proximity and the weight, and while the Zyprexa was no longer medically necessary, per my psychiatrist, I could not sleep without it.

I had to get bloodwork more often with Kaiser, but also to check on my Zyprexa bloodstream levels. I no longer took Depakote at all, as my mood swings had thankfully abated after a few decades, so there was less concern on the part of my mental health overseer.

My primary care provider also looked at my tests and as my cholesterol was then high, he regularly ordered a lipid panel.

I was in the habit of reviewing my bloodwork results, often requiring fasting beforehand and occasional concern afterwards. But I was not intimately familiar with most of the terminology therein. Some items like LDLs and Triglycerides became more key for me to understand, but other items like Creatinine were a mystery. I’d heard of the stuff when working out and drinking sports drinks, but that was the extent of my pursuit.

I scanned through the test results that day, in ignorance; and it was on Feb 28, 2022 at 10:40 PM, that my doctor emailed me that my kidneys seemed to be functioning significantly subpar. My doctor tested me again in March, to confirm, and said my kidneys had declined again. I was beginning to worry.

I was a hypochondriac to begin with, but the thing you think will get you, is not always, in the end, the culprit. In a past relationship, I worried about things I had done that would deter my lady from liking me, but it was my then debt that she found to be anathema. Yes, I’d worried about coronary disease, and a heart attack could still kill me, but I never once considered the kidneys as my potential kryptonite.

Here is a link to my Author Page on Amazon

Here is my latest finished book on Amazon: