I've been such a lame blogger lately! Truth is, I'm buried in school work (and still working some at my old job too) so unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to blog much until I get caught up on everything. I really shouldn't have taken so many classes this semester, but too late now.
I just wanted to say if you've e-mailed me, I have five e-mail accounts and I've been completely neglecting my War on Headaches one. Please accept my apologies!
Oh and no headache update; they're the same. They just can't get enough of me. Joy.
Now I'm going to dive back into this Photoshop assignment. It's fun, but I miss you all! Until next time. :)
P.S. - check out this photo I took for my photography class. I love spring!
Before we get to that, I wanted to thank everyone who read/listened to my last post and those who read this blog in general, and a special thanks to all of you who commented and shared the wacky things you've tried to help you headaches and the no-so-helpful advice you've received from other (well-intentioned) people!
And now, thanks to Random.org, we have a winner...
...RHONDA!
Rhonda, please e-mail your address to me (waronheadaches(at)gmail(dot)com) ASAP and I'll make sure Jennette's publisher sends you a copy of her book, Chocolate & Vicodin.
If I don't hear from the lucky winner in one week, I'll randomly generate a new winner!
P.S. Totally unrelated, but I've left countless comments on other Blogger blogs, and they disappear. I've tried commenting without linking it to my account, tried linking to my account (nothing happens), and even tried linking it to a non-existing livejournal account because at least with the other options there was a pop-up box where I could enter something. Is this happening for anyone else? I use Firefox and I tried Safari and it did the same thing. It's very frustrating so if anyone can help I'd really appreciate it!
When author Jennette Fulda asked me to review her latest book, Chocolate & Vicodin, I was intrigued by the title and happy to give it a read. The book arrived in the mail, and I immediately fell in love with the cover. How creative is this?!
Reading the book was like reading my own thoughts. Jennette developed a headache February 17, 2008 and has had it ever since. Chocolate & Vicodin documents her journey which is probably similar to the journeys of everyone who has chronic headaches and migraines: lots of doctors, testing, research, treatments - make that "treatments" with emphasized air quotes, depression and acceptance (I'm still working on that last one). Jennette's honesty and use of humor makes this book hard to put down and, dare I say, enjoyable. I actually found myself smiling while reading a book about a constant headache!
Jennette puts into words what I often have trouble expressing or even acknowledging. For example:
"I sat on the couch, acutely aware of how odd my life had become. The headache had invaded every aspect of my life. ... It was amazing how one simple thing, a headache, could cause a chain reaction in my life. ... It was as if someone had set off a long chain of dominoes, one failed treatment toppling over to bump into the next failed treatment. Was this the last domino in my chain? Or were we just getting started?"
I'm lucky enough to live near Jennette, so we met at a coffee shop for an interview, which she graciously volunteered to record on her digital recorder. To listen to our full interview, please click the play button below.
Jennette Fulda
This contest is now closed, but you're more than welcome to keep sharing your stories. Thanks for participating! Now for the GIVEAWAY. I have one copy of Chocolate & Vicodin to give to a lucky reader. All you have to do is comment to this post, and to make it fun, also write the strangest headache/migraine treatment you've ever tried and/or the craziest advice you've received from someone else pertaining to your headaches/migraines. (Side note: Jennette starts almost every chapter with "advice" she's received and some of it is the wackiest stuff I've ever heard! It's pretty entertaining to read.) I'll pick a winner at random on March 9 and will announce it that day on this blog. To get things started, I'll share mine:
-Strangest treatment: cupping
-Craziest advice: have more sex (yes, this was from a guy, and sadly, he was serious)
Disclosure: Jennette's publishers provided me with a free copy of this book to review.
