Brain on Fire
by Susannah Cahalan
Having gone through a slightly similar experience (an
unknown illness for a period of time in August 2017), Susannah Cahalan’s
true-life story, Brain on Fire, had a
strong connection with me (please note, I did not have the same symptoms OR
other horrible side effects, rather no doctor could diagnose it). Cahalan, a writer for the New York Post, was going about her work
when she suddenly felt different. She was experiencing the following symptoms:
nausea, chronic migraines, forgetfulness, strange outbursts, paranoia, and
hearing things. After the saga was over,
her employers suggested she document what she was experiencing and put it into
a story in the daily newspaper, which later became a best-selling book. Cahalan shares her own memories but mainly
those from her doctors, family members, and friends as she lost most of what happened
to her in a very short period of time.
Luckily, NYU – yes, the NYU Langone Medical Center that my wife works at
– saves the day for Susannah. While many
doctors she sees thinks it may be a result of alcohol overuse, bi-polar
episodes, and other mental illnesses, one doctor perseveres to determine it is
a virus in the brain called NDMA. Her horrific
moments are re-lived in the book. We all
learn that viruses can kill if not discovered early. The book is a scary reality of what we face
in this world of chemicals, germs, and other unknown things in this world. A wake-up-call book. Quick read, not overly hard to get through,
but does keep one on their toes throughout…
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