About the Book:
Jennette Fulda went to bed on February 17, 2008, with a headache, and more than three years later, it still hasn't gone away. Yes, she's tried everything: intravenous drugs, chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, subliminal messaging, marijuana (for medical purposes only), heavy drinking (which just made it hurt more), and lots and lots of chocolate. A pint of ice cream makes her feel better, but her insurance doesn't cover mint chocolate chip.
In this painfully honest, smart, and funny memoir, the popular PastaQueen.com blogger who chronicled her nearly two hundred pound weight loss in Half-Assed shares her incredible journey to find relief from a chronic headache. As she visits countless doctors, indulges all manner of unsolicited advice from the Internet, and investigates every possible cause, from a brain tumor to a dead twin living in her brain, Jennette considers what it means to suffer, how to live with pain, and why the best treatment might be the simplest: laughter.
About the Author:
Jenette Fulda is a freelance web designer, blogger, and the acclaimed author of Half-Assed. Her inspirational weight loss story has been featured by NBC's Today, CBS's The Early Show, The Washington Post, Women's Health, Shape, Broadcasting Corporation and the Associated Press. Visit her at JennetteFulda.com
My Opinion:
I will preface this with a disclaimer that I too have had a headache that has not gone away (mine started in January of 1997) which is why I jumped on the opportunity to read the book. I figured I knew a little something about the topic. That and I love chocolate and have tried Vicodin - it didn't help....but I still eat chocolate.
The book is written in a very breezy manner; in fact I read it over the course of the Friday evening when it arrived and a few hours the next day. Ms. Fulda takes the reader through her experiences as she meets her headache, fights her headache and finally as one must, makes a certain peace with her headache. Her tales of doctor visits and alternative practitioners are very entertaining and for anyone who has gone down those paths very true.
She includes emails that she received on her blog, Pasta Queen (Ms. Fulda had previously lost over 200 pounds and wrote her first book, Half Assed
detailing that achievement.).and they are hysterical. People just want to help but sometimes that help just doesn't.I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Fulda's tale. I completely empathize with her. Some of the force of the search may be lost on those who cannot understand a headache that doesn't abate. Although headache pain touches almost everyone in one fashion or another. Just imagine if it stayed with you and only varied in intensity.
Ms. Fulda does not spare the dark side of her search for a reason for her headache; she shows her thoughts of suicide and her breakdowns but you don't come out of the book feeling downtrodden. What she learns along the way are life lessons for all.
Chocolate and Vicodin is available for pre-order at Amazon.com
Disclosure: I received a gratis copy of Chocolate and Vicodin. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.
2 comments:
Sounds like a good read. I often have headaches days at a time. I know others who have chronic headaches. I also knew someone who told me she had never had a headache in her life & she was in her late 70's at the time!
Wow that sounds like a very powerful book with a lot of emotion.
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