Comment from Pearl Edwards

Excellent

Great line - you don't desert someone when they're sick - and very true.

That was a fun question asking us readers if we want the full explanation.
Great chapter Jim, you're really on a roll going into these final chapters. Well done,
Valda

 Comment Written 03-Oct-2024

---

reply by the author on 03-Oct-2024

Thanks very much, Valda. People who have never experienced it may have a hard time accepting that anxiety and depression are indeed a sickness, and it would truly be a faithless spouse who deserted someone when they were sick. It would never have crossed Julia's mind to do that.

Comment from royowen

Excellent

Clever you, the name Nadia struck, of the names you could come up with it was that one, my brother's beloved pet dog, a Doberman, called Nadia passed away this week, it has devastated he and His polish wife Elizabeth, it was his dog, a delightfully natured dog. You are knowledgeable and clever Jim, blessings my friend, Roy

 Comment Written 02-Oct-2024

---

reply by the author on 02-Oct-2024

Sorry to hear about your brother's dog.

Nadia is actually my daughter's cat's name. And by extreme coincidence, she is also a tortie.

reply by royowen on 03-Oct-2024

We owned a tortoise shell.

Comment from barbara.wilkey

Excellent

It sounds as if we have a possible solution. I am glad Julia is remaining with Brian. I'm curious how many spouses would. I know it has to be hard on her. You're doing a wonderful job. I like the kitten addition.

 Comment Written 02-Oct-2024

---

reply by the author on 02-Oct-2024

Thanks very much, Barbara. It is hard on her, but I'd like to think all spouses would remain with their mate suffering from depression, but there are probably some who wouldn't.

Comment from Debbie D'Arcy

Excellent

This is highly technical stuff here, Jim, but I'm just about keeping up! The introduction of the kitten into Brian's life is a great move as the reader automatically reflects back on that very sad incident in the attic space and we see how caring and clever Jules has become. But now to use the example of her climb to work out how to stop the endorphins attaching themselves to the receptors is genius. And probably the way all great, observant scientists have been inspired in their inventions (not necessarily with kittens!) An excellent chapter and love story with a difference! Well done! Debbie

 Comment Written 02-Oct-2024

---

reply by the author on 02-Oct-2024

I'm so glad it was (mostly) understandable. That's as complicated as it's going to get, and there won't be much more of it. Now we get to see how it all plays out in the final chapters.

I had to give Nadia a purpose in the story, and, like Archie in What We See, she helps provide the solution to a problem. This is a common theme in a lot of stories when someone says or does something that triggers a solution to a problem, but for me, it never gets old. I think in real life, you're probably right that many events become serendipitous inspirations for new inventions.

I'm glad you've also realized how much of a love story this novel is. That was never my intention when I started out writing it; it just kind of grew in the telling. I'm not a big fan of romance novels per se, but I certainly like some romance in my stories.

Comment from Karen Cherry Threadgill

Excellent

I want that kind of drug myself. Oxy made me sluggish, depressed and dumb. And I still hurt. His would take away the ;pain and do nothing else. I wanna sign up. :-) Karen

 Comment Written 02-Oct-2024

---

reply by the author on 02-Oct-2024

I hope like hell someone is working on it. They'll make a fortune if they can accomplish it (and it doesn't get squashed by Big Pharma who would lose one of their main cash cows.)

Comment from Rachelle Allen

Excellent

What a fine chapter you've written here. They are such team players, these two, and it's wonderful to be on the sidelines watching them fix - together - whatever has gone away.

I can't help but hold my breath @ the thought of him entering this arena again, but w/ Julia controlling the dosage, hopefully it works out AOK!

 Comment Written 02-Oct-2024

---

reply by the author on 02-Oct-2024

He's done it twice before when both Fran and Daniel had control of doling out his pills, so it sure seems like it should work again. Now that he has an idea for a solution to the problem, I think that will become his major focus.

I have loved writing about Brian and Julia's relationship in this story. It's what I call synergistic, since they both seem to bring out the best in the other and are better together than apart.

Comment from jmdg1954

Excellent

WOW. Lot of stuff happening in this chapter.
First and foremost I was wondering when Brian would contact his old professor and friend. With alk the problems I'm glad to see that.

I like the interjection of Nadia into the story. I'm a huge believer that every home needs a valued pet, they are very powerful members of a family. In my case, its dogs that rule the house...

Great chapter, Jim.

Cheers,
John

 Comment Written 02-Oct-2024

---

reply by the author on 02-Oct-2024

Thanks very much, John. It worked out well introducing Nadia to the story. Brian could benefit from a pet, and I needed a plot device to trigger the idea for the solution.

Comment from Pam Lonsdale

Excellent

I watched The Queen's Gambit during the thick of the Covid shutdown - it was a God-send! I needed distractions (like Brian), and it was just such a good series.

I like how you show all of Brian's misgivings about himself and the future, even though Jules is telling him otherwise. Of course he's struggling to believe he can do better.

Does a one-legged duck swim in circles ... LOL!

I'm not surprised that Julia did not flush anything, and I love that she got the kitten. As she knows the Chloe story, she probably also knows that Brian will never do anything like that again!

Great chapter, Jim. Just enough science to convince and impress us, and a lot of hope that Brian is on the right track again.

xo
Pam

 Comment Written 02-Oct-2024

---

reply by the author on 02-Oct-2024

Thanks so much for this wonderfully detailed and perceptive review, Pam. Keeping a depressed person busy while the medication takes effect is crucial, otherwise they spend too much time inside their own mind, and what they are thinking isn't good. Kind of like when you are in pain, you need to distract yourself, otherwise you just dwell on it.

Glad to hear there wasn't too much science. It's part of the story, to be sure; I just hoped it wouldn't overwhelm anyone.

reply by Pam Lonsdale on 02-Oct-2024

I meant to ask how you area did in the hurricane? You're obviously fine; North Carolina took a beating, I've heard. People always think we Floridians are going to suffer in storms, but these monsters are traveling all up and down the coast now. Take care.

reply by the author on 02-Oct-2024

We were lucky where we were in the Winston-Salem area. It kind of swooped around us. We had only 3 inches of rain over a 3-day period. No massive winds or flooding around here. Just 50 miles west of here, the devastation begins.

Thanks for asking, Pam.

Comment from Wayne Fowler

Excellent

Well written, of course.
...the important thing is to try to keep busy and keep your mind off your troubles. - That covers most of us most of the time, even without addictions.
Dipraxa along with the anti-depressant and anti-anxiety drugs? What would your doctor say? Or pharmacist?
I understand (sort of) chemical compositions with letters attached to one another by lines. But I don't see how a chemist can affect the shape of a molecule.
Best wishes.

This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.

 Comment Written 02-Oct-2024

---

reply by the author on 02-Oct-2024

Thanks, Wayne. You bring up a good point about drug interactions, and it's important to know how drugs work and what the potential problems are should you take them in combination with other drugs.

Certainly there may be some risk when taking a new drug to know what it may react adversely with, but who would be better to gauge that risk than a drug designer who has worked in the pharmaceutical industry creating drugs? Brian is a neuroscientist who understands how these particular drugs work and interact.

The chief danger in terms of drug interactions with venlafaxine (the SNRI drug Brian was taking) is serotonin syndrome which is too much serotonin. Any drug that might increase the serotonin level too high should not be taken with venlafaxine. Brian understands Dipraxa well enough to know that this would not increase the neurotransmitter serotonin because its whole purpose was to target only the pain centers and not affect the production of any neurotransmitters--endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, etc.

He might be in trouble if he were to exceed his 200 mg dose of Dipraxa, but I think he probably understands the risks of taking his drug along with venlafaxine better than a doctor or pharmacist might.

Concerning your point about chemists affecting the shape of molecules, there are many ways in which they do this. Try going to Poe.com and asking the assistant "Can a chemist affect the shape of a molecule?" and see what it says.

But Brian didn't say he was changing the shape of molecules, but instead the shape of the endorphin that was produced. An endorphin is a neurotransmitter that is made up of many molecules, and you could potentially change its shape without affecting the shape of any particular molecule in it, but instead the arrangement of the molecules within it. In the next chapter, you'll see what Brian really meant by the "spiky" appearance and removing the spikes of the endorphins.

reply by Wayne Fowler on 02-Oct-2024

I'm more comfortable (good understanding) with an ax, shovel, or hammer.

Comment from Dolly'sPoems

Excellent

It makes you wonder how one person can take so much medication and bounce back each time. Drug use takes its toll on the body eventually and Brian is hell bent on creating a drug that will help him and others and yet he never thinks of letting the body heal itself over time. Another fine chapter and I am glad that his girlfriend has not given up on him yet, love Dolly x x x

This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.

 Comment Written 01-Oct-2024

---

reply by the author on 02-Oct-2024

Thanks so much, Dolly. Certain types of pain just won't get any better, which is a sad thought. I guess he figured that after being drug free for 13 years and still suffering from level 6 pain, it probably wasn't going to improve on its own.