Today,  once again I will make the trip to the dentist's office just 8 blocks  away from Mark's Den. Today marks the 3rd week in a roll with another 6  weeks to go in which I will have a dental procedure.

The  first week, Dr. Tony Stringfellow extracted the most unsightly of my  tooth stubs in the upper center of my mouth. All together, 7 stubs were  taken out. Last week, the doctor took to the bottom left of my mouth  removing 5 teeth and stubs including a wisdom tooth. How many and what  is in store for today I won't know until I get in the chair once again  at 2 p.m.

I  am wondering if he will tackle the 3 or 4 still remaining in the top of  my mouth or if he will opt for the bottom center 4 or 5. No matter what  direction he takes eating will become even more of a challenge this  week than it has been the past 2 weeks.

As  expected and becoming routine for me, the anxiety is building as the  hour approaches. The tension is enhancing the pain in my right side  around the incision areas when I had my lung surgery in March. My  cluster headaches are attacking with gusto. The apprehension increases  my depression.

Have  to keep thinking ahead to my final visit on October 12th. Have to keep  remembering that with the teeth and tooth stubs gone, the infection  which wasted my right lung will be but a memory. Have to keep  remembering that my left lung will be safer and less likely to become  infected in the same way.

At  least this week, Iohn will be able to be with me for the entire  procedure. Last week he had to drop me off and return to the Den to wait  on the electricians.

There  has been no pain from the first 2 procedures. I have been thanking God  that all has gone as smoothly as it has. But today, I am really thinking  the pain medication I was prescribed will come in handy. Something  tells me after today's procedure I will not be as lucky as I have been  the past 2 weeks.

Of  course, it is a necessity I bounce back or at least can tolerate the  pain today. President Barack Obama gives his acceptance speech at the  Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina tonight.  Plus Vice President Joe Biden gives his speech as well earlier in the  evening.

I  have to be in a state of mind and tolerance to pain to be able to  continue my reports and analysis of those speeches as I did last week on  the Republican challengers of presidential candidate Mitt Romney and  vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan.  I feel it incumbent on me to  fulfill what I feel is a duty to provide objective wording of what I see  and hear.

Yeah, I know, there is no real necessity that I write From the Cornfield and upload video responses to CNN's iReport,  but from a purely selfish standpoint, it does allow me to continue to  think that I am contributing to society. I am still making an impact and  giving a forum for discussion of the issues that affect us all. Yes, I  realize that is probably only real in my mind, but it does give me a  purpose to keep fighting to stay alive.

Nearly time for me to shower and get ready. The clock will soon be striking the 2 o'clock hour.

From Mark's Den, I must ready myself to march yet again into the lion's den.