Gabapentin:

Oddly enough, in my two professional careers, I had both attended MLA conventions and written about gabapentin (Neurontin, Parke-Davis)! I'm glad to see that the initial 3,000 mg dose didn't kill poor Christina: the world NEEDS more English professors like her (unless of course her department is French & Italian). Actually, the story had me thinking of a different class of drugs from anticonvulsants: Facetime reads like a JBEdwards story on steroids. Yet another wild & fun romp--this one even wilder than usual. Thanks yet again, JB.

A very special day in any girl's life: when she experiences her first kiss and her first father-brother threesome! The Ecstasy in the punch seems to have worked even better than the gabapentin they gave to the keynote speaker at the MLA, several stories back (although she had a fun night too).
This story is great fun; it's sexy too. I especially enjoyed the heroine/narrator's personality, including her fairly strong—but decidedly quirky—ethical principles. I do feel sorry for her uncle, though. He got left out of the action entirely. Perhaps there will be a Part 3? Fine with me, if so.

Story progress ~ zip.
Not much good news. Went to my neuropathist on Wednesday for a series of tests. 'Yes', I have nerve damage and 'no', the doctor looking at the results couldn't understand why. Essentially, they ran an escalating electric current from various spots on my lower leg and foot to toes to see how I responded. I highly recommend this as a means of torture.
On the downside, I am becoming resistant to my pain medication, so life sucks coming and going. My psychiatrist upped my Gabapentin from 300 Mg to 400 Mg [3x a day] and it isn't helping. Woot? I'd kill for a decent night's sleep.
Thank you for asking. I really wish I had better news.
James aka FinalStand

At this time the prognosis is not good. Not only do I have other stories far closer to completion, my latest medicine, Gabapentin is KICKING MY ASS! It is a pain-killer, for those who care, and it is doing its job. I can walk with minimal pain now. Sadly, I can barely walk now because my whole world is spinning (a cautioned side effect is Dizziness). Typing this is 'fun' and not in a good way. I feel like I'm constantly about to tip over out of my chair so creating anything is going to be a chore.
On the beneficial side, I know where I want to take Chapter 5 in this tale. I have much of it mapped out in my mind.
They travel to the mainland in pursuit of the Atlanteans ... which completes the 13th Circle of the Black Witches Coven (whoops!) ~ giving the descendants of the other 7 the power they have been long denied. There is still the government task force on the serial killings to deal with plus the on-going conflict with the White Coven. The main mystery remains ~ what was an Atlantean doing breeding with an Abenaki and teaching at least one half-breed offspring magic over 400 years ago ... and why would a normally amoral Altantean 'noble' be interested in said half-breed today?
God - sometimes I really wish I had a clone ... or two.
James aka FinalStand

bornwildnfree, I sent you a private message. Please contact me.
As for everyone else ... life keeps adding on the 'happy' {sarcasm}.
My neurologist decided to prescribe a more powerful tool to manage the pain in my feet. So, he gave me a foot cream. What wasn't obvious was the non-prescribed 'side effects' of the foot cream which included ... (sigh) ...
Well, as my feet have been hurting like sons-a-bitches, I was slathering that cream on three and four times a day. It had minimal positive effect which was leagues ahead of the pain I was going through. Besides, it was foot cream. What was the worse that could happen?
Baclofen (2%) ~ [Lightheadedness or fainting, trouble seeing, severe tiredness, weakness],
Cyclobenzaprine (2%) ~ [Anxiety, restlessness, seeing or hearing things that are not there, severe drowsiness, fainting, or confusion],
Diclofenac (3%) ~ [Sudden or severe headache, or problems with vision, speech, or walking],
Gabapentin (6%) ~ [Behavior problems, aggression, restlessness, trouble concentrating, moodiness (especially in children), problems with coordination, shakiness, unsteadiness, unusual moods, or behaviors, thoughts of hurting yourself, feeling depressed, dizziness, drowsiness, sleepiness, tiredness],
Lidocaine (2%) ~ [which, somewhat stunningly, isn't trying to fuck with my head]
So I've been staggering around in a semi-lucid state for the past several days, unable to figure out why I couldn't do much, if any, writing. It took me complaining to my wife to provide some clarity.
I repeat - it is freaking foot cream!
I've stopped with the foot-crack and am back to dealing with the pain. Hopefully I'll be back to writing soon too.
James aka FinalStand

I loved this! I, too, suffer from severe neuropathy due to an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Thankfully, it's mostly under control right now thanks to Pregabalin. Before that I was on Gabapentin for years until I was eventually on the max dose and it no longer had the desired effect. I dread the day Pregabalin no longer helps me. While reading, I kept wondering why she didn't take any meds. Life was pretty unbearable before them, for me. I chose to assume that she tried them and they didn't work for her or she eventually became immune to them. I remember what it was like to not be able to be touched because the pain was too intense. That pins and needles, itchy, tingly feeling of being on fire is miserable. I was nodding my head when you mentioned tight constant pressure not being as bad as loose touching. It reminded me of how I'd lay in bed and it'd hurt to lay down but eventually I'd get used to it. The real torture came from someone trying to put a bed sheet over me. Fuck no. The pain of a thin little bed sheet was unbearable. When I read that I kept thinking, but being underwater helps. I'd spend entire days in the bathtub, sometimes even sleeping in it, just so the pain would be lessened, to have just an hour or two where I didn't want to scream. I preferred warm or hot water over cooler water though. I always felt like I was on fire so the temperature change with cool water was uncomfortable. Anyway, while I was thinking about how much being submerged helps, you introduced a pool not a page later. Really great work on accurately describing life with neuropathy and how painful and isolating it can be.
I often think about how I'd love to read a story on here in the BDSM category where the sub was chronically ill and how that'd change the play. I'd love to read the steps the Dom would take to make BDSM accessible for the sub while still being mindful of her symptoms and limitations, which can be a broad, varied, long, and constantly changing list. It'd be fascinating to read the tricks and work arounds the Dom would use to still accommodate the sub's desires while constantly having to keep an eye on her health and limits considering that the chronically ill often push themselves harder than they should in every day life and pay for it later with pain, exhaustion, and/or an increase in symptoms of their illness. I've considered pitching this idea one of my favorite authors here but she's in the middle of a long series right now. Anyway, this story is the closest I've come to finding something like that here and it was lovely. Usually what I come across that includes disability, especially in Romance, are stories where a person is either blind or deaf, or a spouse or parent finding love again after cancer has taken their spouse/child. While those are great, they don't necessarily encompass the often shifting landscape of living with many neurological or rare diseases or even of living with cancer (rather than being the widow/widower). Representation matters and it was great to come across a story where the person has a symptom like mine. Thank you.

Sometimes on this site I go from link to link to link and end up reading all kinds of stories. Today I read one in the romance category called The Naked Gardener about a woman who is in pain when her skin is touched. I left a long comment on it and I'm sharing it with you because for a long time I've thought you could write an excellent BDSM story where the sub has a chronic illness and the Dom has to accommodate for that in their kink and personal life. I know you've had cancer and I'm sure you have experience being sick and tired of being sick and tired, how it fucks with your head, your emotions, how you just want to be your old self again (but with chronic illness you will never ever get there, even just physically), how you push too hard to keep doing what you did before, how treatment and testing will literally never end, etc. It'd be such an interesting dynamic to explore and I think you'd do it justice. Just an idea to add to what I'm sure is a long list of future story ideas.
And here's my comment on that story:
I loved this! I, too, suffer from severe neuropathy due to an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Thankfully, it's mostly under control right now thanks to Pregabalin. Before that I was on Gabapentin for years until I was eventually on the max dose and it no longer had the desired effect. I dread the day Pregabalin no longer helps me. While reading, I kept wondering why she didn't take any meds. Life was pretty unbearable before them, for me. I chose to assume that she tried them and they didn't work for her or she eventually became immune to them. I remember what it was like to not be able to be touched because the pain was too intense. That pins and needles, itchy, tingly feeling of being on fire is miserable. I was nodding my head when you mentioned tight constant pressure not being as bad as loose touching. It reminded me of how I'd lay in bed and it'd hurt to lay down but eventually I'd get used to it. The real torture came from someone trying to put a bed sheet over me. Fuck no. The pain of a thin little bed sheet was unbearable. When I read that I kept thinking, but being underwater helps. I'd spend entire days in the bathtub, sometimes even sleeping in it, just so the pain would be lessened, to have just an hour or two where I didn't want to scream. I preferred warm or hot water over cooler water though. I always felt like I was on fire so the temperature change with cool water was uncomfortable. Anyway, while I was thinking about how much being submerged helps, you introduced a pool not a page later. Really great work on accurately describing life with neuropathy and how painful and isolating it can be.
I often think about how I'd love to read a story on here in the BDSM category where the sub was chronically ill and how that'd change the play. I'd love to read the steps the Dom would take to make BDSM accessible for the sub while still being mindful of her symptoms and limitations, which can be a broad, varied, long, and constantly changing list. It'd be fascinating to read the tricks and work arounds the Dom would use to still accommodate the sub's desires while constantly having to keep an eye on her health and limits considering that the chronically ill often push themselves harder than they should in every day life and pay for it later with pain, exhaustion, and/or an increase in symptoms of their illness. I've considered pitching this idea to one of my favorite authors here but she's in the middle of a long series right now. Anyway, this story is the closest I've come to finding something like that here and it was lovely. Usually what I come across that includes disability, especially in Romance, are stories where a person is either blind or deaf, or a spouse or parent finding love again after cancer has taken their spouse/child. While those are great, they don't necessarily encompass the often shifting landscape of living with many neurological or rare diseases or even of living with cancer (rather than being the widow/widower). Representation matters and it was great to come across a story where I share a symptom with one of the characters. Thank you.