Minor League Ball Status Report

Time for a status report.

The 2015 Baseball Prospect Book was supposed to be finished this week. Obviously it is not finished yet. I am about 10 days behind schedule, which sucks but is better than being 10 weeks behind schedule like I was last year.

As with last year, progress on the book and the Top 20 Prospect Lists have been slowed by a health problem. I don't mean to turn this into the John Sickels Medical Report like last year's Concussion Drama but I do want you guys to know what's going on so you don't think I'm slacking.

I have been struggling with unusual physical symptoms since late November. It started off with back pain and what I thought was just muscular strain, but it just got steadily worse. Eventually it became abdominal pain, at times very severe and debilitating abdominal pain. The back pain is still there too. Basically, I hurt all over. Pain-killers only dull the sensation, they do not eliminate it. There are also a variety of unpleasant digestive issues accompanying this as well as some weight loss since I don't feel like eating.

After an ER visit two weeks ago, the doctors finally got around to running a bunch of tests. So far, almost everything is normal. The one exception is my spleen, which is enlarged. They don't know WHY it is enlarged, but it is. They have ruled out heart trouble (thankfully) but other options include a bad gallbladder (although ultrasound shows no stones), a stomach ulcer (although I test negative for the bacteria that causes ulcers), and other things that would be worse.  My regular doctor has decided that I need to see a gastroenterology expert. The problem with that is, so far, I can't find one who can see me before March. And in my current state, I can barely function.

But I am functioning and making progress, just at a slower pace than normal. My goal now is to be finished by February 20th. Thank you for your patience. The JohnSickels.net website will be updated tomorrow to reflect the change in the due date.