There is nothing worse than a headache.  I get them occasionally, usually as a “gift” from Aunt Flo.  Even the smallest headache can make me completely useless and miserable.  Luckily they never last for more than a few hours and can be knocked out with a few Tylenol and a nap. 

Jennette Fulda, the poor dear, is not so lucky.  She’s had a headache for years.  Years!  Eeeeck! 

I’ve been reading Jennette’s blog for a long time so I knew about her headache and I knew she wrote a book about it.  I resisted reading it at first because I thought: a memoir about a headache?  Seriously?  But Jennette’s clever book trailer finally intrigued me and last month I added Chocolate & Vicodin My Quest for Relief From the Headache that Wouldn’t Go Away by Jennette Fulda, to my Amazon order.  I’m glad I did. 

Jennette has a witty, easy style of writing that makes reading about even a headache enjoyable.  I went into the book thinking it would come off as whinny and full of self-pity but to my delight it wasn’t like that at all.  Jennette hooked me from page one as she took me on a tour of what must have been half the waiting rooms in Indianapolis seeking the advice of neurologists, chiropractors, allergists, acupuncturists and massage therapists.  She reports on her experiences clearly and candidly in a conversational style that makes you feel like you’re talking to your best friend.  Jennette also has the simile down pat.  A little too pat for my taste actually which is my only criticism of the book. 

I read the book in a weekend, unable to put it down.  Even though I already knew how it all ends from reading her blog, a little part of me still had hope that Jennette would finally cure her headache.  SPOILER ALERT!!!!  She doesn’t.  But what I won’t give away is the revelation Jennette comes to at the end of the book.  It’s a piece of wisdom anyone could all benefit from (I sure did) and fortunately you don’t need to suffer from a chronic headache to have it.