Headache And A Half

Yesterday I finished the memoir entitled Chocolate & Vicodin:  My Quest For Relief From The Headache That Wouldn't Go Away by Jennette Fulda.  This book chronicled one woman's efforts to rid herself of the headache from hell that started one day and then became an ongoing chronic condition.  She tries everything under the sun to rid herself of the chronic pain and additionally discover the cause of the headache.  This included the usual headache medications, neurology visits and tests, acupuncture, Botox, chiropractic assistance, massage, and finally, she crossed state lines to visit a chronic pain clinic in another state in order to find relief.  Eventually, she does find some relief and at the same time I think she realizes that she may be contributing to her own problem due to staying in a work environment in which there are ongoing rounds of layoffs.  Once she starts to have some relief from the headaches, she is able to freely enjoy her life once again, including, saving six months of living expenses and preparing to open her on company as a web designer.  As a person who readily deals with many areas of the medical and health industry due to my own medical ailments, I could readily sympathize with her frustrations regarding the varying levels of care extended by doctors and the red tape involved with health insurance. 

The other interesting facet to this story is the main character has recently lost over 200 pounds and chronicled her weight loss efforts via a previous memoir.  At several points in the headache memoir, she finds relief in enjoying junk food once again, but then witnesses the repercussions via the increasing numbers on the scale.  Hence, the chocolate and vicodin in the title.  Once she regains some control of the frequency and extent of the chronic pain from the headache, she is able to take back control of her life and once again begin to enjoy exercising and socializing.  I thought this was a very true-to-life and humorous memoir recommended for anyone who has ever suffered from a chronic ailment and had to spend vast amounts of time and money in the U.S. healthcare system.