A Novella by James Brentlinger

The Shaking of My Hands

A pediatric neurosurgeon's descent into the shadows of Tardive dyskinesia, addiction, and the fragile line between healing and self-destruction.

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The Story

A Career Built on Precision, Threatened by Involuntary Motion.

Dr. Grant Hayes was the finest pediatric neurosurgeon in the country. His hands were his instruments, capable of the most delicate maneuvers known to medicine. But when the first twitch appeared, his world began to fracture.

Diagnosed with Tardive dyskinesia, Grant faced the end of his surgical career. Desperate to maintain the facade of perfection, he turned to the hospital's own supply of Percocet, hoping to quiet the tremors that threatened to expose him.

What followed was a spiral into addiction, theft, and the eventual loss of everything he held dear. The Shaking of My Hands is a raw exploration of burnout, the pressure of medical excellence, and the long road to redemption.

Core Themes

Medicine, mental health, and human resilience under pressure.

Exploring the physical, ethical, and emotional fallout that comes when professional identity starts to fail.

Tardive Dyskinesia

A deep dive into the physical and psychological toll of movement disorders on high-stakes professionals.

The Addiction Spiral

A realistic portrayal of opioid dependency born not from recreation, but from a desperate need to preserve a career.

Physician Burnout

Exposing the silent epidemic of burnout among doctors and the dangerous culture of hiding vulnerability.

From Surgeon to Speaker

The story does not end in darkness. Grant Hayes's recovery leads him to a new calling: helping other physicians confront burnout and hidden disorders before they lose everything.

Consultancy Advising medical boards on physician wellness programs.

Advocacy Breaking the stigma of mental health in the medical community.

About the Author

James Brentlinger

Working as an optician at PAL Optical, James has carved out a unique niche by blending clinical expertise with technical development. His work is defined by a commitment to efficiency and modernization, building custom tools that streamline the workplace from the inside out.

From complex quoting systems and inventory management tools to digital patient intake forms, he has acted as an in-house developer, bridging the gap between optical services and functional software solutions.

Beyond the office, his creative energy shifts toward writing, music, and gaming. He is a singer-songwriter, admittedly a much better songwriter than singer, channeling the same drive to create into original music.

A lifelong tinkerer of novels, James has spent years starting stories that were never meant to be finished. Before The Shaking of My Hands, his literary output was confined to poetry, with his last published work appearing in a college journal over ten years ago.

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