Pickle Jar Test: A Novel:

In Sickness and In Health Novels #2

by Terry L. Turrell

Jake and Lindsay have revived their loving relationship and found peace by moving to a small beach town in México . Though the battle against Jake's bipolar disorder was long and painful, his depression and manic episodes have finally leveled out with proper treatment and a less stressful lifestyle. Lindsay and Jake are both grateful that his mental health is good and his sense of humor has returned, as it was in the early years of their marriage.

Strong and healthy from years of working as a carpenter, Jake is now in denial about the new symptoms plaguing his body. Are these annoyances simply medication side effects, or a new condition? Should he tell Lindsay or fight this battle alone? Tremors, loss of sense of smell, pain, stiffness, and other changes in Jake’s muscular body bring fear for both Lindsay and Jake. Could this be Parkinson’s disease ? Obtaining a definite diagnosis becomes a challenge, and then a shock.

Can Lindsay and Jake fight this disease and keep their vows—in sickness and in health, through the ordeals that might tear them apart? Is love enough to help them endure the challenges of this new illness?

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 22, 2020

About the author

Terry L Turrell is the author of the 5-book series, Healthy Living in Mexico. Her novel series, In Sickness and In Health, includes MEXICO FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE, JUST ANOTHER MANIC MOMENT and PICKLE JAR TEST, available on Amazon.

She and her husband, Jon, now live in Mexico after a year of being full-time RVers. They traveled to Mexico in their motorhome for six months each winter and toured the United States during the summer until they found their little piece of paradise in Mexico. Terry is passionate about Zumba and yoga. Terry was a pharmacist for 30 years, practicing in Oregon, California, and Texas where she lived and raised her children. After retiring as a pharmacist, she is now living her dreams of traveling and writing. Follow her journey with Jon and their Mexican Chihuahua, Sophie, on her Facebook page, Healthy Living and Traveling in Mexico at

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTerryL...

Reviews

[Terry Turrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Lisa Genova's books, you'll enjoy this story.

I like it that Jake and Lindsay moved to a new Mexican beach town and that they love it even more than the one they moved to in "Just Another Manic Moment: A Novel (In Sickness and In Health #1). Their love for each other is tested again and again when physical and mental illnesses challenge them. Love, patience, and kindness are needed to cope with the changes happening to Jake, but Lindsay has a lot to learn.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this second installment of Terry Turrell's "In Sickness and in Health" series, which follows Jake and Lindsay in their next medical (and life) chapter, as they come to the realization that Jake is suffering from Parkinson's Disease. Both Lindsay's perspective, as the helpful but sometimes frustrated wife, and Jake's, as the sufferer with PD, are well documented. I enjoyed the descriptions of their daily life in coastal Mexico once again, and Terry's descriptions of all the wonderful food and restaurants made my mouth water and got me really missing our time in Mexico.

While it is obvious that Lindsay and Jake are still very much in love, I could have done without the descriptions of their sex life, though I guess they demonstrated that PD doesn't have to mean the end of that part of a couple's relationship. I was curious about what the title meant, but I'm not going to spoil that; you'll have to read it to find out.

Like the first book, this installment is heavy with pharmacy and medical/psychological lingo, which is not surprising considering the author's former career as a pharmacist. I have always enjoyed medical stories, so that didn't bother me. Aside from the medical side, the author's message that healthy living and exercise might slow PD progression is a hopeful one, and I strongly suspect that it is true.

Anyone who is dealing with a loved one with PD could benefit from the practical information here, as well as the personal challenges of living with this disease or living with someone with it.