Stomach acid is an unseen factor in the digestive process. However, for some people it is threatening because of the suffering it can inflict. Despite numerous physicians doing their best to ease the ailments caused by my acidity issues, since childhood, I have suffered more than one long bout of struggling to moderate this culprit. An embarrassing incident, long ago when I was in the third grade, resulted in hydrochloric acid having a starring role as a villain in my life.
"The Third grade class at Immaculate Conception school was composed of about thirty students, young, shiny-faced beacons of potential. I was among the throng of hope, anxious to do everything to the high expectations of my mother and my godmother.
I had a history of stomachaches. Nausea. Cramping. Vague discomfort. The school nurse was accustomed to my regular visits. She mentioned them to my aunt, a nurse supervisor at the hospital, who was visiting the school. My aunt looked at me briefly, and answered over her shoulder "Nerves." It was an unofficial diagnosis, but I could tell the school nurse believed it. She didn't write a note, just picked up the phone to summon my overburdened mother to interrupt her day and rescue me."
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Author Bio: Katina Pontikes writes in retirement as a form of therapy and introspection. She lives in Houston, Texas and on the shore of Lake Chapala in Mexico, where she counts herself fortunate to enjoy the adventures of an expat. She still has stomach issues, only now she takes an acid suppressing medication, never quite able to tame the stomach monster. Email:katcpon@yahoo.com