Abby J Reed

I have suffered from headaches my entire life. I remember being a little girl laying in bed feeling the dull ache. It was a pain that has worsened throughout my life turning into severe migraines that I struggle with daily. There is not a day that goes by that I do not have pain. I’ve seen doctors and specialists galore and have yet to have a definitive diagnosis. Not many know about my struggle as it isn’t something I like to advertise but I feel like the pain has robbed me of my life.

I debated picking up this book for a good, long while. I knew it was going to be triggering for me, and in a lot of ways it was, but then there was also an eerie comfort in knowing that I am not alone in my suffering.

The author’s descriptions of various migraine attacks resembles my own journey with the painful beast, a harbinger that is inescapable for me, as well as many others all over the world. While I appreciate the knowledge that I do no suffer alone, I hate to imagine the millions of people that deal with this same pain. I wouldn’t wish this suffering and torture on my worst enemy.

The chapters are short and choppy, ebbing to and fro with no real rhyme or reason, making me feel the familiar cadence of pain, and leaving me wondering if this was the author’s intention all along or if this was all written during lucid less pain-filled times. I tend to believe it’s the latter, especially because this is how my writings tend to be.

I took my time reading this book. I had to wait until I was not in my own pain to ingest tiny morsels of the author’s own struggle that eerily mirrors my own. There were days I didn’t pick it up at all knowing I didn’t want to glimpse into that emotional mirror, knowing I wasn’t mentally strong enough to witness someone else experience my own personal hell.

I commend the author for pouring her pain onto the pages. I know this is hard as I can barely document my own journey in my private journal. The struggle is hard and real and my prayer today is not only for the author but all of us who suffer daily in silence.… (lisätietoja)

I remember once while I was in the midst of an aura and migraine while out of town, someone told me I just needed to stop being so sensitive to pain, essentially meaning I should somehow ignore it and get on with life. They obviously had never experienced a migraine! So if you have family, friends or even employees who suffer from migraines in any capacity, you must read this book. It will help you understand what they go through and how it’s so much more than a mere headache. They are in a whole lot of more pain and discomfort than you may ever know!

I really appreciate this book because the author is so unapologetically honest and raw. Abby grapples with thoughts, emotions and questions most people won’t say out loud and often even live in denial of—especially those about God regarding suffering and pain.

She so well encapsulates how I too have watched the church respond to those with chronic conditions, having experienced the countless healing prayers and such myself to the point of ceasing to talk about my own pain to avoid their responses.

In this book, Abby gives a needed voice to those who suffer from chronic conditions as she expresses the innumerable things we’ve felt but but either don’t know how or are afraid to disclose.

This book overflows with honesty and vulnerability, so gut-wrenchingly raw and needed. It’s truly something those who face chronic pain or disease need, and I think will help them feel seen, maybe for the first time.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book for free from the author (prior to also pre-ordering the book myself), and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.… (lisätietoja)