Lore Forge News, April 2026
- Herman P. Hunter
- 10 hours ago
- 8 min read
Just when I thought my medical issues were coming to an end, something new rounds the bend.
Health Issues
I went into surgery on April 6th to remove my gallbladder. While they were able to remove the organ laproscopically, the procedure necessitated 2 additional "holes" because of the amount of scar tissue I have on my abdomen already. Yet, by the end of the week, I was up and walking around, eating, drinking, and on the mend. The abdominal drain had been removed and, by all appearances, there were no complications.
On April 14th, my wife left work early to take me to the ER...again. I had hellish acid reflux, and I had just vomited up my breakfast. After some X-Rays and a CT scan, the determination was that I had fluid buildup in the area where my gallbladder used to be. Because of this, I was admitted to the surgical ward of the hospital.
They started me on an antibiotic drip as I had a slight fever. That night, I was sweating like a stuck pig. It was so bad that, when I finally woke up in the morning, I had to change my hospital gown and the bedding because they were soaked. Initially, I was able to eat and keep food down. However, at some point, the acid reflux came back (with a vengeance), and I was vomiting again. A decision was made to run a tube up my nose and down my throat to my stomach, so they could drain the excess fluid that was accumulating there.
It took four attempts. Four attempts with vomit, snot, and blood being spat out all over my hospital bed and me. The nurse who finally got the tube down dubbed me "The Trooper" as all I needed was a few minutes between attempts before I told them to go again.
From that point on, I was off both food and fluids. IVs would keep me hydrated, and the antibiotics were still flowing. My medication was crushed up, mixed with water, and injected up the tube where it was deposited in my stomach. I was given about 30 to 45 minutes of freedom from the pump, while my meds were digested, before the tube was reattached, and my stomach drained.
About a day later, some X-rays were performed. The procedure involved injecting contrast dye into my stomach via the tube, putting me on a pivoting table, and moving me up, down, and around while they tracked where the dye was going with the X-ray machine (I called it the Milkshake Maker). It was determined that there was a fluid buildup in and around the spot where my gallbladder used to be, and it was pressing on a section of my upper small intestine, preventing fluids and food from passing down further into my digestive system. Once this was determined, the surgical team moved swiftly - like "the same day" swiftly - to get me into surgery. I went through another laparoscopic procedure to drain the fluid that had accumulated. They also added another abdominal drain - a small bulb on the end of a long tube - to help extract any blood or bile that was trapped in this void. The way the drain worked was when you emptied the bulb (it had a spigot on the top), you left the bulb compressed so that there was always suction at the surgical site (the open end of the tube, stuck up inside my abdomen).
The next several days were spent waiting for the fluid filling the bulb to slow or stop. During that time, I was not allowed to have food or fluids. At this point, E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G made me hungry. Food ads on TV. My roommate's meals. You know it's bad when you're LONGING for a tall, cold glass of water like a man dying in the desert.
During this period, my white blood cell count returned to normal, but my potassium levels dropped. So, I was getting potassium infusions via IV. This was a new, fresh hell. If not diluted properly, a potassium drip BURNS. Even when properly diluted, if you move your arm too much or kink the IV, you learn a painful lesson to not do that again.
A few days passed. The fluid coming from the drain slowed. The medical staff felt confident enough to do what they call a "Clamp Test." This is where they disconnect the tube coming from my nose from the stomach pump for 6 hours, allowing digestive fluid build up in my stomach. Then, after the 6 hours are over, they reconnect the pump and see how much fluid gets drained off.
Well, I was successful on the first attempt.
Soon after, they pulled out my stomach tube, which left me paranoid - I wasn't about to go through reinserting a new one again after the experience I had. A strict liquid diet followed: jello, water, juices, ice cream, puddings, broth, and sherbet. The next day, my diet was upgraded to a "full liquid", which included runny cream of wheat that I dubbed "Gruel of Wheat. Everything went down and (most importantly) stayed down.
A couple of days later, I was being discharged and having the abdominal drain removed. I liken the extraction of the abdominal drain as something akin to the removal of some huge parasitic worm that had burrowed under your skin. It wasn't painful. It wasn't comfortable either. Lots of fluid still remained up there, and they all came spilling out when the tube was pulled from my gut. That seems to have stemmed as of late.
From start to finish, I was in the hospital for roughly 8 days.
Now I'm home. I've eaten pizza, oatmeal, eggs (this morning), and I even tasted the forbidden fruit of BBQ potato chips. I'm well on my way to full recovery.
Now comes the harrowing part.
Back in February, when this whole ordeal started, a CT scan revealed a node that was somewhere at the bottom of one of my lungs. Apparently, this is a common thing, and after discussing this with my General Practitioner, it wasn't a priority.
This time, however, it showed up again and is now deemed "Malignant."
Yes. That means "Cancerous".
I'm going to attempt to have another CT scan next week as per my GP's orders. I'm not sure where this is going to lead. There will undoubtedly be a biopsy in my future. I'm dreading another fight with cancer, though it seems like I don't have much of a choice.
So, it seemed, I've bounced from one problem to another, one that very well may be lethal.
The Next Book
My gallbladder issues put a significant dent in this month's activity. However, my wife did read the entirety of the book, leaving me copious notes to sort through. I had gotten through a good two-thirds of her edits and suggestions before my "Trial of Tubes and Fluids." My intention is to start working on updates this evening, finish them, and then do another revision pass. After that, the book will be off to beta readers.
I won't bother to whine and complain about money woes at this point. Though I reserve the right to whine in future newsletters. ;D
In addition to a new Halsedric book, I have another story fermenting in my brainpan that takes place outside the Fantasy world I'm currently writing in. This one features a warrior who is gathering items to create a weapon. And that's all I'll say about that. I'm notoriously tight-lipped about this kind of stuff because I don't want to ruin the reader experience.
Live Events
The Sip, Shop, Read Adult Book Fair went pretty well. I sold more than my minimum, which was a good thing. It felt good to be interacting with new readers and fans. I was a bit off my game, to be honest, and the attendees weren't exactly what I'd call "my crowd." But I really enjoy these live events, and it really does bother me that I can't do more of them.
I've also had event coordinators contact me to see if I was interested in attending their fairs/conventions. Unfortunately, I had to turn them down, given all the stuff going on in my life. Hopefully, I'll have a change in fortune next year.
Here is my revised schedule:
To see my full schedule, check out the EVENTS section of my website. And, as always, if there is an event that you'd like me to attend, reach out to me at author@hphunterwriter.com.
If you were hoping to purchase a paperback from me at an event, you can always purchase it from my online store. While you may not receive special event pricing, you can use code BIONICHEDGE2026 at checkout to receive a 20% discount on your entire purchase. Every paperback you purchase comes signed and with a bookmark. I also send along a pen with each purchase (I really like the pens - I use them myself).
Substack Articles
Despite my current condition, I've been trying to be consistent in updating my Substack page. Check out some of my recent articles:
Please consider subscribing to my Substack (use the link above) as I have plans to provide paid/exclusive content on the site in the future.
The Revenant and the Tomb Campaign
Right now, I'm at 192 sold, just in eBook alone. Plus, I'm getting a slow trickle of readers into the other Halsedric stuff. My hope is to top off at 200 eBooks sold by the end of April.
Upcoming Changes
All of my eBook distribution outside of Amazon has been handled by Draft2Digital. This accounts for a tiny - and I do mean tiny - portion of my sales. Of the hundreds of books that I've sold overall, I've managed to move less than 60 books through Draft2Digital. I was content to leave that option open because it didn't harm the business despite how dismal the service performed.
Draft2Digital, in its infinite wisdom, is now going to assess an annual charge to use their service if you don't sell a minimum number of books. This is where I step off that platform. I've tried just about every avenue open to me to sell books outside of the Amazon umbrella - there is just no interest there. Using Draft2Digital hampers me from joining the Kobo Unlimited plan. I'm unable to drive sales to Barnes & Noble, no matter what I do. Amazon can put me into the Apple infrastructure just as easily as D2D. Smashwords has been a dud. There is literally nothing tying me to Draft2Digital anymore. So I'm going to delist my books from their service and cancel it.
Secondly, after lots of consideration, I intend to allow my eBooks to be sold without Digital Rights Management. I'm going to drop the Book Funnel subscription that I use to distribute my books and remove the DRM-only flag on my Amazon account. While I absolutely hate eBook piracy and know some people will actively distribute my books to thieves, the abuse of digital content by places like Amazon, and the fact that many readers have eBook collections, hold a heavy sway in this decision.
I've literally had people tell me that I don't deserve copyright protections. That anything I write should be considered public domain and given away for free. When they are confronted with the costs of publishing a book, they either dismiss it or tell me to use ChatGPT.
Deep thinkers, eh?
All of this is going to take some time to do. But look for these changes in the very near future.
Conclusion.
I'm not sure of the Almighty's plans, but I'd like to continue writing and publishing for a bit longer, if He'll allow me. Prayers would be helpful if you are so inclined.
Every little bit helps.
Holy moly you've gone through a lot. That was hard to read but you're writing is so captivating I kept going. Hard to put in the words my response to all of this. I don't even know what to say. But a quote does come to mind, "if you're going through Hell. Keep going."