I first heard of this author when I read her weight loss memoir ' Half Assed ' which I enjoyed as I have issues with my weight as well and could relate to her struggles.

Later on she wrote this book about a headache that would never go away, and I felt such compassion for her, as I can not begin to imagine how a constant pounding in the head every single day with no let up. She went to so many doctors and alterative healers for so so long, it was crazy.

She is a lot braver than I would have been, I don't think I could endure that level of daily pain with no relief at all.

God bless her - I would have wanted to rip m head off my neck, anything to make it stop. ( )

First published on We Should Make T-Shirts.

As someone who has suffered from migraines for over ten years, I thought that I would easily be able to identify with Jennette. False. As bad as my headaches get, they eventually go away.

I can't even begin to imagine that kind of constant pain. Especially when it's in your head, where you are. Jennette tries every doctor and every medication you can think of, all to try to destroy the headache that is trying to destroy her life.

If you're a victim of chronic pain, this book will probably help you feel less alone. If you're not, it's a good reminder that your situation could always be worse, and we should all be more understanding of our friends and family members that have to go through this.

Can we please get some more funding for headache research? ( )

Funny, yet utterly relateable. As a fellow sufferer of chronic, invisible pain, I chased the dream of finding a cure, like Fulda has. While I'm not a fan of Vicodin, I am proud to admit that I tell all of my doctors that I take Chocolate for my pain, as if it were a prescribed drug. It really should be. If you have a sense of humor despite having chronic pain, then you'll love this book. ( )

For the full review go to The Well-Read Wife

Heartbreaking. Sweet. Funny. What do these words have in common? They are all adjectives that could be used to adequately describe Jennette Fulda’s memoir Chocolate & Vicodin: My Quest For Relief From The Headache That Wouldn’t Go Away. Fulda’s story begins as she is about to start promoting her book Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir. With a new book out it seems like everything in the author’s life would be going great, right? Wrong. Shortly before the release of Half-Assed Jennette Fulda became afflicted with an agonizing headache that would not go away. ( )

Chocolate and Vicodin is a must-read for anyone suffering with chronic pain or those that live with someone with chronic pain. Ms. Fulda will not solve your problems for you but she will make you feel much less alone with your pain and make you smile at the same time. I am honestly afraid of support groups because who wants to be around others complaining. Ms. Fulda is able to explain her situation and all that she goes through without sounding like she's complaining. She just shows you the real side of herself and how she is pulling herself through even though she still does not have a diagnosis. I understand the not-knowing. I can somewhat name my problem, though there is still some gray area to mine as well, but to not know at all has to be tough.

The book is written in a real yet a humorous manner. I love when she gets snarky at times (mostly in her mind), that is the same way I feel at times and to be able to get that out would be wonderful. Ms. Fulda proves that you can get through it like she does and there are days when you will be down but sometimes you just have to adjust your reality, change your life to suit it and move on. I think this is the core message. Another things I took away - it is normal to feel alone when suffering from something that others can't see. Like she says - it's easy for someone to see you are in pain when you are curled up in a ball, but when you are going on with everyday life the best way you can, then the pain is harder to see (I paraphrase).

I loved this book, I felt like I was talking with a friend when I was reading it and I saw so much of myself while reading it. I would like to thank Ms. Fulda for this excellent book and for showing me I'm not alone and also for teaching me some ways to express myself around others so they understand what I am feeling. I think she does a great job of showing all the different doctors and procedures she had done just to try and find a diagnosis and giving her real feelings. That is what I really loved.

I think Jennette is an amazing woman, to first lose 200 pounds, run a half-marathon with a headache and to continue to plow through life. She has given me hope that I can continue on as well and maybe one day I will run my half-marathon as I originally planned in 2008. I think her ideas of laughter as medicine is the best suggestion and I will go on trying to find the positive on the tough days and looking to my wonderful husband for laughter on the bad ones.

One quote I loved and could relate to from the book:

I’d read about other people’s experiences at these institutes on the headache forums online. I’d been surprised that people in that much pain had been able to set up and maintain online forums but there they were. I was a lurker on the forums and never posted or interacted with others. I wasn’t sure why I’d never struck up a conversation with my fellow pain sufferers. It was just easier to lurk, read up on the information I needed, and then log off without getting too involved in other people’s misery. When I’d blogged about my weight loss , I didn’t start commenting on other peoples blogs until I’d lost almost one hundred pounds. I wasn’t sure how long I’d have to have my headache before I felt comfortable to raise my hand in front of the class and talk about it.

I often feel the same way - I have lurked on forums for my problems but never post - I just don't feel right for some reason.

Some other quotes that resonated with me:

Not having a name for my disease was almost as frightening as the disease itself. How could I fight something I couldn't name?

My headache no longer seemed like a big deal. I clearly wasn't the only person in the world in pain. I probably wouldn't even make the list of top ten most suffering people in the building. A dose of perspective might not be a cure, but it made me feel a lot better about my own situation. No matter how bad your life was, there was always someone whose life was worse. ( )