Author Update + RaaWC 1 release

Hey guys, how is it going.

I'm still alive, but I've been having a rough time of it.

Since the beginning of the year, I've been having trouble with my vision. Just not feeling well, in a fog, etc. I was getting some visual migraines and was just not functioning right at all. I didn't have any energy to go try and fix things much either, probably depression.

Finally the optometrist referred me to visit an ophthalmologist suspecting I had diabetic retinopathy. I have had this blind spot in my right eye for 9 years and saw an ophthalmologist back then about it, but it never got worse and stayed the same so I never really noticed it and they said it was some macular telangiectasia thing back then and not to worry and come back if it got worse... more on that in a bit.

I went and got an at-home A1C test instead of waiting the full month for the appointment. Sure enough it was high, very high at 11.1 so the optometrist was right I had diabetes. I've spent the last few months getting that under control, finding out how bad the damage was.

When I got covid 3 years ago I ended up stopping my regular biking routine and stuff because it had fucked up my lungs. Then I was couch potato and just writing and stuff. So figuring that was what ended tipping things over. But the new ophthalmologist says that after looking at the imaging from my eyes from 9 years ago she believes it was diabetic retinopathy back then, too. So its slowly progressed for a long long time...

My A1C has been coming down, I'm on metformin + tradjenta now, doing a 1-2 mile walk after meals and feeling a lot less 'drugged' or fogged out. So that's good. My blood pressure was terrible 140-150/90-100 but now its under control with the lisinopril as well although I get lightheaded a bit sometimes when standing. My kidneys are slightly damaged, they have some leakage but its minor and they are still functioning >90 (normal). So that's positive at least, it could have been much worse.

I'm doing my best to try and get back in shape so I can begin bicycling again. My Lipid profile was terrible and so I've been on a diet of salad + olive oil + nuts + lean meats. No more 'bad' things.

Eyeball-wise my right eye is much worse than the left. I have severe-non-proliferative-retionpathy in both, which is one step below the worst. No bleeding, but macular edema with swelling and leakage from the blood vessels there. The right eye its center-involved which is bad, but the left eye its not.

None of the damage can be reversed but I have to keep the blood sugar levels in control as much as possible and blood pressure down and that will prevent it from progressing. They have some treatments as well but the doctor wanted to wait for me to stabilize since a lot of changes and problems come form lowering your blood sugars from high to low. (it even changes your myopia.)

I have some neuropathy but it's minor now, it was worse but since I've started to normalize at a normal level it's calmed down. My toes are fine.

Anyway, I didn't really plan on writing everything in so much detail, but it sort of just came out.

I haven't been writing much, but I'm still really hoping to continue and knock my projects down and finish them. RaaWC 2, ShipCore, Sigma, Lastia, TGPDC, Princess&Maid.... Haha it feels like a bit of another mountain to climb.

Really I shouldn't have let myself get so idle in the first place, but It's just been all my mental energy dealing with having to travel so much to all the doctors (the ophthalmologist is a 2 hour away drive) and I am the driver. It's a bit of a pain to have to wait 4 hours for the eye dilation drops to stop. I had a ton of blurry vision while my blood sugar was coming down too, which made driving in the morning problematic and stressful at best. Thankfully that's stopped and can see 20/20 in both eyes again.

To get back into things, I have re-read RaaWC 1 last week and the current (33k) words of RaaWC 2 just so I could help remind myself of where the story has been. I'm going to be doing my best to add daily work on the story into my schedule.

Thanks to all of you for supporting me. I definitely wouldn't be able to be upbeat and as positive if I hadn't have received all of your support. (Shout out to the regulars on discord, things wouldn't be the same without you!)

Now more positively, and better news:

RaaWC 1 will be coming out on Amazon, June 11th including audiobook! Print will include Hard and Soft on release day.

Audiobook --- KDP / Ebook