"Brain on Fire" - Book Review - Dana Chirps

Written By Dana Podgurski

So I read this book several months ago while traveling, but am just now getting around to posting about it. "Brain on Fire" is an autobiography by Susannah Cahalan. It's about how the 24 year old successful writer for the New York Post went suddenly "went crazy" for about a month. She was hospitalized and very closely monitored as she was violent, delusional, and exhibited behaviors similar to Alzheimer's. Doctors thought she had schizoaffective disorder and some even chalked it up to partying too much. But after a series of misdiagnosis, she was accurately diagnosed with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. (Say that 3 times fast.)

Once she was property diagnosed, and got the treatment she needed, she thankfully recovered. But what I thought was fascinating about this book were the parts after she had been treated where she is watching video of herself during her "crazy" month, as she had no memory of it. I can't imagine not remembering a month of my life. The only thing I can compare it to is when I was roofied - I don't remember a thing after a certain point of that night and it drives me insane, so I can't fathom how difficult it must have been for her to not remember a whole month. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, but I also like weird stuff, and love learning about the brain. I think if you like medical stuff (especially the brain), then it's an easy  book to enjoy. 

 

Dana Podgurski

Hi everyone! I'm Dana Podgurski!

I'm a foot in the mouth, tongue in cheek, head in the clouds, and heart on the sleeve kind of gal. I live for new experiences, but am a total sucker for nostalgia at the same time. I'm tough as nails, but am a complete softie for all things kids and animal-related. I fly by the seat of my pants, and live for adventure. But I firmly believe that adventure is a mindset that one's self determines.

For work, I am a marketer through and through. Bringing brands to life, and content marketing are passions of mine. Many would consider what I do as nerdy, but I seriously dig it. I have been doing marketing contract work for years, and appreciate the variety it brings, and the relationships I've developed with my clients. If you're interested in a partnership, click here.

For fun, I love to create - writing/blogging, photography, and painting are my main three mediums of doing so. Feeling good and healthy is also high on my list, as it really lends itself to making everything more enjoyable. So I maintain a very active lifestyle, eat pretty healthy, and am outdoors as much as I can be. And if my blog didn't make it abundantly clear, I absolutely LOVE to travel (near and far) and go on adventures. I spend any extra money I have on tickets and feel so fortunate to have been to several amazing destinations both domestically and internationally. There's nothing more fulfilling than coming home from a trip and adding a been-there-pin to my map.

Cheers!

Dana

http://www.mightygoodpen.com
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