"Blackout: A Look Inside Wernickes" by David J. Steele

This is my third and final secret about to be revealed. My neurological disability is Wernicke-Korsakov Encephalopathy, but I'm one of the rare cases that is NOT related to alcohol. This is the first patient-side book (as opposed to medical books and books aimed at the medical profession) that I've discovered so it'll be interesting to see which of the authors symptoms are the same as mine and which are related only to their alcohol consumption.

I know you may not believe me 'cos most people don't when I tell them, but I've never been drunk in my entire life... a bit tipsy a couple of times, yes, but never drunk - I've never seen the appeal of it and the thought of a hangover the next day is really not my idea of fun.

Aaaanyway, lets get going with the reading and reviewing shall we?

Just my luck that my Kindle is throwing a strop at me this morning! lol Good job I've got the app on my computer as well, really!

Oh dear, the author can't spell gait lol I'm with him so far though 'cos it was the same for me when I first woke up on the Neurology ward. I don't remember anything about it, just waking up on a Neurology ward after being in ICU and then HDU for the best part of (I think) 2 (or was it 3?) weeks.

Oooh! I still get the eye twitching in my left eye but I thought it was a vision thing rather than a WKE thing! I don't need to mention it to the optician after all then!

That first section was one of the big reasons that I've never been drunk... I just haven't fancied the chance of losing a job and/or career that I loved and being forced into a drink problem support group like Alcoholics Anonymous because of it... maybe things are different in America (where this book has been based so far) but the less trouble I can cause and be caused the better. I've never been a trouble-maker so the idea of getting bladdered then sleeping through an important meeting or being too drunk to wake up until after lunch has never been my idea of fun.

Yup, I had multiple episodes like that early on, which were diagnosed as Psychotic Depression before I was blue-lighted to hospital on Christmas Day, unconscious, and I've been taking prescribed APs ever since that keep me pretty sane usually.

Yup, I can totally relate to the random puking, double vision and especially the not eating... before I was rushed to hospital, I couldn't even keep tap water, let alone anything else, in my stomach so everyone thought it was an eating disorder rather than something physical and did for 3.5 years before I was rushed into hospital!

Yup, apparently I frequently went to "play with trains" in the early days... everyone put that down to my psychotic depression and me being suicidal too, but it was the early warning signs of my WKE!

Yup, this was definitely me around the time of my emergency hospital admission and soon after I regained consciousness!

Yup, the blue curtains were a biiig thing for me in the early days on the Neurology ward... it's all starting to come back to me now!

Yup, my late hubby said that they didn't think I'd make it at one point either... I think he said that I'd got to hospital just in time too.

He's spelled gait right this time but he's written till instead of still but this must be a painful book for him to write so I'm not gonna knock off a star for the odd spelling mistake - heck knows I make enough of them too!

Yup, clips and snippets with me too... maybe I've got more in common with the author than I initially thought, maybe our lives aren't that different after all, just because we got struck by the WKE for different reasons?

Yup, I think (but not 100% sure) the unresponsive thing mentioned with me for the first few weeks after I got rushed in!

This should be interesting... apparently only alcoholics get WKE "unless you happened to be starving to death, and then only maybe." I'm the maybe.

Yup, BTDT myself with the stopping taking the B1 (for me the answer was "I don't know!" rather than "nothing") - never ever again though. People laugh or think I'm lying when I explain why I *have* to take the multivitamin as well as the vitamin B complex every morning (as well as my other 3 pills that I take each morning) but this has explained it better than I ever could. If you know me and you want to be more supportive about my B1 extremes, read page 70 onwards to get a very tiny glimpse into the essentialness of those two small pills that I take, without fail, as soon as I come downstairs every morning. They are *the* most important pills that I take out of all of them combined and they are available over the counter.

Yup, the first two sentences of section 3 were me to a tee... I left the ward knowing that I was going home after the best part of 3 months and couldn't wait to restart my life with full health. By the time I stepped out of the lift I was like "who are we visiting?" and by the time we got to the car park it was "ooh! Where are we going?" Within about 1,000 steps and 10 minutes of leaving the ward, my mind was a total blank!

Ooooh! The Nystagmus thing (your eyes bouncing around) is a WKE thing as opposed to an optician thing too then! That's two things crossed off the list of things to talk to them about... I wonder if the possibility of getting a detatched retina is a WKE thing too?

My sense of smell is kinda OK... I can usually still smell strong smells like garlic, usually onions, occasionally curry, but subtle, flowery smells etc are history for me but never realised that was connected to my WKE too until I read it!

Oooh! Maybe my toe pain is 'cos of the WKE instead of my ingrowing toenail that only hurts when I think of it, like now? I'm seriously starting to wonder if more of my minor medical complaints are due to my WKE instead of the general aches and pains that everyone gets from time to time... is my WKE still controlling my life even after more than two decades since leaving the ward for the last time as a long-term in-patient??

Oooooh! My huuuuge memory issues are because of the Korsakov bit of my diagnosis, not just me going loopy in my middle age! It's why my GP referred me back to the same neuro who diagnosed and treated me in hospital as opposed to any other neuro at the hospital and it's why I skipped the waiting list too!

Yes!! The author has described why I write and how I cope with the memory issues better than I ever could! On the rare occasion that I mention to someone that I write their eyebrows immediately raise as if to say "she's either lying about the writing or her memory issues and now I don't believe either of them or even anything else she's said so far!" Confabulation is an issue for people with WKE, but that's different to the lying that non-WKE people do! It's embellishment rather than lying and I immediately correct myself too!

This book has been such a refreshing change and I feel understood at last!

"One Born Every Minute: Real Stories from the Delivery Room" by Maria Dore and Ros Bradbury

Kindle: Paperback: Audio CD:
out of 5

This is a guilty pleasure of mine... I love experiencing the birth of babies to mums because it's something I'm unable to experience myself, and not for the reasons you're thinking of.

I'm not gonna rush through this book 'cos I'm hoping it'll have self-contained chapters so that I can pick it up again between carer visits again tomorrow.

Let's get going with the reading and reviewing shall we?

I've just finished reading the first chapter, which was a good way to get to know the two authors. Gonna make a start on the second and third chapters to see if they really are self-contained like I'm really hoping or if I'll have to rely on my cruddy memory in the morning when I pick the book up again.

That's the second chapter read and it seemed pretty self-contained, so hopefully the third chapter will completely put my mind at rest and I can confidently pick it up knowing that I don't have to be word perfect on everything that has happened tomorrow.

Yep, I can sort of feel semi-confident that I'll be able to get back into this book pretty quickly in the morning 'cos the chapters are pretty much self-contained but they lead on nicely from one another, thankfully.

I'm really enjoying this book so far, but I'm wondering how soon the inevitable emotional bit will be... the authors haven't let me get too close to each of the mums and babies yet, so I haven't needed to blub yet, but how long will that last for I wonder? lol

One more chapter before I hit the sack methinks. The last couple of chapters have been totally worth it and I read them in under 10 minutes... I'm up to page 103 now... will I have the review finished before I have my lunch tomorrow? It's looking likely!

You hear about things like that happening in chapter 7 but you never quite believe it... I guess it's true after all though lol

I'm proud of myself for not collapsing into a sobbing heap with that chapter, but I reckon I've got to the inevitable emotional bit, so I'm gonna stop reading until after lunch so that I don't have to answer the door in floods of tears.

Soooo glad I waited to read any farther 'cos I'm blubbing like a blubbery thing now lol

Just finished this amazing book and it's been 5 stars throughout, thankfully. Being able to experience the realities of childbirth is something I will never be able to personally experience, but it's books like this one that help me to calm the maternal cravings when they appear. If you're interested in the birth stories and want short updates on a few of the babies you might have seen on the telly, then definitely buy this book!

"Christmas Every Day" by Beth Moran

Kindle: Audio book: Hardcover: Paperback:
out of 5

I'm starting to read this late afternoon on Christmas Day and I'm not gonna rush through it, so let's see how long it takes.

If you've already read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll already know what I'm about to say and can skip this paragraph. If this is the first review you've read of mine though, I start them all off by saying that every book starts off with the full sleigh-load of stars and I'm always hopeful that they will all still be solidly in place by the time I close the back cover. My usual reason for taking a star off a book is due to copyright or trademark infringement but there has been one book that's rapidly had the fifth star replaced thanks to a magic little sentence right at the back, at the end of the novel and I'm more than happy to make it two books if that happens again.

Let's get going with the reading and reviewing shall we?

A lot has happened in that first chapter, but I've been left with questions hanging already!

Oooooh... do I sense a touch of romance maybe happening before the end of the book?

I'm liking this book more and more... the questions from the first chapter are still there, but they aren't at the forefront of my mind any more.

Only 10% of the way through after an hour, but this is an incredible book so far! Has the main character potentially got romance and a job in her life already?

No spoilers, don't worry, but the first 12% has been brilliant and I'm aiming for one more chapter before I sign off for the night.

Oooh... the main character is about to play detective on her past! I've got time for another chapter I reckon and my interest in what happens won't let me go to sleep until I find out lol.

Ooooh, I can see why she left her home and job so suddenly now and it was worse than I was thinking!

I've had an exhausting day today, so I'm gonna crawl up to bed now and keep reading and reviewing tomorrow... I can hardly wait to get my nose stuck into it again!

Oooh... a hint of romance ever so gradually starting to emerge there? Is the main character's heart finally starting to thaw?

Sounds like a heart-in-her-throat first day at work! lol Gotta love kids testing the boundaries - I remember it well lol

I loved chapter 11! If the main character and her new friends can do it, then why can't I?!

I've yet to find anything I don't like about this book, which is rarer that gold hen's teeth! At 30% it's still definitely 5 stars!

That chapter was pretty intense... it may sound stupid, but this book is making me feel like I'm actually there with all the characters!

Woops! I've been so lost in the book that it's now dark and I haven't updated this review for hours on end!

Up to 93% now and I'm gasping for a drink that I can undoubtedly cry into at the end of this incredible book.

Wow.

That was just...

Wow.

What a perfect ending to a perfect book and I'm not crying at all lol

"Emergency Laughter: It Wasn't Funny When It Happened, But it is Now!" by Mike Cyra

Kindle:
out of 5

If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you will already know that I start them all off in the same way and that is by saying that every book I read and review starts off with the full trolley-load of stars and that I'm always hopeful that they will all still be stuck firmly in place by the time I close the back cover. You'll also know that I'm not shy about removing stars as I feel necessary, but I always give my reasons for removing each one. The usual reason for me making an otherwise 5 star book into a 4 star book is 'cos of copyright or trademark infringement - there's been one book so far with a magic little sentence at the back that made me instantly replace that lost star and I'm more than happy to do it again if that magic little sentence appears again!

Let's get going with the reading and reviewing.

I've already decided that there's no way I wanna be a paramedic or even in the same ambulance as that nutter of a paramedic!

I've read 20% of the book, my hot drink has become tepid and I'm not in touch with my reality any more now!

Up to 33% now and the last chapter was pretty hard going... no spoilers don't worry, but it's hard to imagine what they must go through when it happens!

Oh deary me - that chapter told me how to thieve scrubs from a hospital and the paramedic said that they'd done and got away with it several times too! Not good.

I'm at 52% now and soooo glad I'm not a medical bod working in a hospital!

I'm glad I've never been in that situation with an ambulance lol

Tis true... small women have had to learn how to look after themselves and the bigger the height difference, the easier it is lol

That's one of the big reasons I've never seen the appeal of getting drunk lol

Oh yes, a fantastic little book, although I don't recommend reading the last chapter just before you go to bed lol

All in all a very much 5 star book that I haven't found a single thing to moan about! A definite light-hearted medical read!

'All in a Doctor’s Day: A collection of short medical stories' by Peter Sykes

Kindle Paperback
out of 5

If you've read any of my recent book reviews, you'll already know that each book I read and review starts off with the full truck-load of stars and that I'm always hopefully that they'll all be stuck firmly in place by the time I close the back cover. It always breaks my heart when I have to take off a star, but I always give my reason for removing each one. I've also hurriedly replaced a star thanks to a magic little sentence right at the back of a book and I'm more than happy to do it as often as I see that magic little sentence.

I'm a nosey girl at heart and the medical profession have always held a special fascination to me. What goes on in other people's medical appointments? What do they say to their doctor and how does the doctor reply? As long as there isn't too much blood, guts or vomit, I'm really looking forward to starting this book!

Let's get going shall we?

That first chapter was good, but the descriptions of the blood wasn't so much... I hope the whole book isn't as blood-ridden as that first one otherwise I'll be having nightmares for aages which I really don't want to happen!

I've lost track of chapters I've read now, but that one was a real feel-good one!

I'm up to 14% now and really enjoying the book so far!

At 21% I've got a grin on my face and a chuckle in my heart - I can just see me doing something similar if/when I'm in that position! lol

Oh dear, the issue at that chapter is the kinda mistake I'd make lol

Up to 45% and time for me to head to bed on that last 'maternity' story lol

That first chapter of the morning brought another chuckle to my heart! I'm loving this book so far!

Oh dear, that chapter had me grinning by the end of it!

That one was great to read and has me starting to well up with pride for the patient that he managed to turn his life around!

Now at 70% and that last chapter reminded me of what I've been told I was like in hospital although I was there for a very different reason lol

There have been a couple of uses of brand names, so, like with the other books it's happened in, a star is coming off... will that magical little sentence be at the back of the book which will mean I can return it I wonder?

Just finished the book and it's been left on a slight cliff-hanger - no spoilers 'cos I don't know the outcome with 100% certainty, but this is a definite must-read of a book!

'They never told me that at vet school' by G. Inskip

Kindle Paperback
out of 5 stars

I've you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll already know that the first paragraph of the review explains that each book starts off with the full shed-load of stars and that I'm always hopeful that they will all be stuck firmly in place by the time I close the back cover. You'll also know that I'm not shy about removing stars but I always give my reasons for taking each one off. I've also been filled with a huge amount of relief when I've been able to replace a star thanks to a magic little sentence right at the back of the book.

Let's get going with the reading and reviewing shall we?

That first chapter was good... is the vet already regretting her desire to work with big animals by any chance? lol

The second chapter was equally as good, but seemed to be shorter/a quicker read... does that mean that I'm into the rhythm of the authors words now I wonder?

What a great relief chapter 3 was! It took about half an hour to 45 minutes to read, but it was sooo worth it!

This review is getting on the long side so, like with the majority of books I've reviewed, I'll just comment on significant things from now on.

There have been a few yucky chapters and I almost lost my lunch with the tongue chapter, but that last chapter was an awesome way to finish a great book.

"Doctor, Doctor: Incredible True Tales From a GP's Surgery" by Dr Rosemary Leonard

Kindle Hardcover Paperback

out of 5

I finished reading this book last night, before realising that I hadn't even started reviewing it, so I'm gonna read it again and I'm definitely reviewing it this time as you're currently reading the review!

If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll already know that I start 'em all off in the same way, by saying that every book I read and remember to review starts off with the full surgery-load of 5 stars and that I'm always hopeful that they will all still be stuck firmly in place by the time I close the back cover. You'll also know that I'm not shy about removing stars but that I always give my reasons for taking each star off.

Let's get on with the second reading and first reviewing of the book shall we?

That first chapter was a great introduction to the author and she sounds like a great doctor who genuinely understood that patient and could quickly get her to open up and support her... what a great doctor!

The second chapter is sending warm fuzzies down my spine and this is already a huuuuuge review, so I'm only gonna comment on the noteworthy parts instead of each of the chapters.

Up to chapter 9 now and about half way through the book. The 7 chapters I haven't commented on have been truly eye-opening and told me that I really couldn't be a medical bod, let alone a GP!

There have been a few mentions of TV programmes and I'm not too sure about the legalities of using them without permission so unfortunately a star is coming off, which is breaking my heart.

What a great way to end an incredible book. It's definitely one of those "shoulda been 5 stars" books though, but every one of those four remaining stars are totally solid.

"Green Goblin" by David J. Steele

Kindle Paperback

This book was written a year before the first book I read by the author on our shared disability so it'll be interesting to see how different this book is to his other one that I've read.

As with all my recent book reviews, this book starts off with the full ward-load of stars and I'm always hopeful that they will still be firmly in place by the time I finish reading.

I've got WKE too, but not for the same reason as the author... my WKE came from not even being able to keep water in my stomach for 3 years and I was rushed into hospital, unconscious on Christmas evening 2002.

I can't wait to get my nose stuck into my Kindle to see what the author has to say in this book!

Let's get on with the reading and reviewing shall we?

The numbers are really confusing, but I think I'm up to chapter 12 now and the author could be talking about me back in 2002 when I was on the Neurology ward. I don't remember anything about it, but my late hubby and best friend said I was in a similar world of my own that didn't exist in reality but was the realest of the real to me at the time.

Up to Part 2 now and the first part was apparently exactly what I was like... not the fictional character, obviously, but apparently I was on Mars and my family were visiting me from Earth. Apparently they put me back on the anti-psychotic meds pretty rapidly when I regained consciousness and I'm still on them now, over 20 years later!

Yup, it was the same for me when I experimented with not taking the Thiamin soon after I came home from hospital. I don't remember exactly what happened and the only person who could reliably tell me has passed away, but I knew that I never wanted to be without Thiamin in my life ever again. I now take a vitamin B Complex as well as a multivitamin as soon as I come downstairs every morning without fail and if I spot something that's me-friendly that has added Thiamin in it, I load up on whatever it is and that becomes a regular order for me too. They are two tiny pills that people laugh at when I tell them my honest reason for them being vital to me, but I never want to go back to being totally nuts ever again so those pills get chucked down my throat every morning without fail.

I've never experienced the train thing, but I *did* experience something very similar in the car on the way to the hospital when we were called urgently to see my late husband... I'm not gonna go public with it 'cos it was a very private experience that I haven't told a single soul about, but it was as real as the trains and has been ever since.

This has been a great read and I've been through so much of what the author went through, except the alcohol bits and I've been told that I've got the WKE for life and that this is as good as it gets for me now.

If you want a glimpse into my head and why I have been and continue to be the way I have been since 1999 then you need to read both of this author's books about WKE so that you can get a tiny glimpse into my world.

"We Belong Together" by Beth Moran

Kindle Audiobook Hardcover Paperback
out of 5

If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll already know how I start off the review, right? If this is the first of my reviews that you've read then you need to know that I start each of my reviews by saying that every book I review starts off with the full trolley-load of 5 stars and that I'm forever hopeful that they will all still be firmly rooted to the spot by the time I close the back cover. Saying that though, I'm not shy about taking off stars but I always give my reason for each removal within the review - they don't just vanish for no reason. Also, it's only happened once so far, but I'm more than happy to replace a removed star if it's been knocked off for Trademark or Copyright reasons and there's a magic little sentence at the back.

Let's get going with the reading and reviewing shall we?

Wowsers! That first chapter was incredible! It got me straight into the action and introduced me to 3 characters without ramming it down my throat!

Chapter 2 was good too... not as good as the first one, but not far off either.

We're settling into soothing and calming now. The third chapter was shorter than the first one and I'm starting to care about the characters now.

Oh dear, there have been a couple of brand names dropped in so the first star is coming off now, unfortunately.

This review is getting a bit long, so like with the majority of other books I've read, I'll only comment on note-worthy things for the rest of the review.

I'm up to chapter 6 and it's my bedtime now, so let's let 'Nasty Nora' fester until tomorrow morning when I'll be shaking my head in delighted disbelief again. I'll admit that I'm a 'Nasty Nora wannabe' but I just don't have the guts or confidence it needs to even begin to think about being able to pull it off!

Let's get going with the reading and reviewing for the second day shall we?

I've read 2 chapters in about an hour and I'm still really enjoying the book... the first chapter seems, for the moment at least, to have been the only long chapter and the others are readable in about half an hour, which I prefer, so that's OK.

Chapter 9 was incredible! I honestly felt like I was there, reading the notes and feeling the dreams and the passion that Charlie had felt... I hope Elanor can pull this off!

Oh yes, the utter mayhem in that chapter was perfectly timed and just generally awesome!

Ooooh... this could be interestingly handled and I'm only half way through the book lol

Up to page 239 now and it's bedtime for me again... this is such an amazing book, I just wish I'd picked it up earlier yesterday!

Wowsers! What an incredibly intense couple of chapters! I've just found out who the stalker is and why and there has been a ruckus which has landed one of them in hospital... there's less than 35 pages left for me to read, so it'll be interesting to see how the author handles tieing up all the lose ends in so few pages!

Wow... what an end to the book and in a way that I really wasn't expecting too. Very much a comforting read that everyone needs to read at least once.

"A Day That Changed Everything" by Beth Moran

If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll know that I start them all off in the same way, by saying that every book starts out with the full truck-load of 5 stars and that I'm always hopeful they will all still be there when I close the back cover. You'll also know that I'm not shy about taking of stars, but that I always give my reasons for doing so within the review. There's been one book so far that has had a star replaced thanks to a magic little sentence right at the back of the book - I'd love to be able to do that again, but not unless that magic little sentence is there!

Let's get going, shall we?

Oh dear. The second sentence of the book has named a popular social media platform so the first star is already wobbly.

And now we've got a celebrity's name so the first star is coming off after only a few pages unfortunately.

I haven't even finished reading the first chapter and I'm already bored out of my brain, so the second star is wobbly... will I give up part way through the book? I hope not, but unless it rapidly picks up, I reckon I'll have to.

I'm bored out of my brain with this book, so I'm already taking the second star off before I've even finished the first chapter!

I've finally reached the end of the first chapter and I'm really not enjoying it, so I'm giving it until the third chapter before I officially give up on it.

Total boredom, so I've officially given up on it now, unfortunately. The Authors previous book that I read was incredible, so this one is a total let-down unfortunately.

I'm sticking with the 3 stars for this book but that's as far as I'm reading unfortunately.