Acid Reflections: How I Learned to Stomach Life

by Susan O'Brien

When Susan O’Brien was diagnosed with acid reflux as a newborn, no one suspected the mysterious, life-threatening challenges in store. While investigating what the flux was wrong (and accidentally making her problems worse), she had to face another fear. As chronic illness and a headline-making superbug became her greatest troubles, they also became her greatest spiritual teachers, ultimately revealing that illness, humor, and peace can coexist—and that no one is truly alone in suffering.

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 20, 2020

About the author

Susan O’Brien is the Agatha Award-nominated author of the Nicki Valentine mystery series (Finding Sky, Sky High, and Skydive). Her work has been praised by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Mystery Scene Magazine, and Suspense Magazine. When she isn’t typing away, Susan loves cooking (while blasting old school R&B or playing podcasts), photographing nature, volunteering with hospice patients, and studying spirituality. She lives with her family, including her beloved rescue dog, in Northern Virginia, where she is writing her next memoir. She loves to keep up with readers at authorsusanobrien.com.

Reviews

[Cathryn Conroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

You may think at first that this is a book about one woman's lifelong struggle with stomach issues, some of which were so severe that she almost died, but you would be wrong. OK, that is the topic of the book, but only on the surface. More than that, this is a book about faith and hope and endurance—and that's something we all need.

While most of us have never experienced what author Susan O'Brien has lived with for more than 50 years, most of us have experienced either our own health problems or those of our children or others we love. That is why this book has universal appeal. When we or someone we love hurts and the doctors and modern medicine are only of minimal help, it's easy to just fall apart. And while O'Brien had her times of falling apart, this is ultimately a story of resistance, optimism, and absolute courage.

There aren't many nonfiction books that suck you in on page one. But that is exactly what happens in this memoir. I laughed. I cried. I laughed again. And I cried again--a lot. This book is written with a depth of feeling and emotion that is so personal and so raw that it will change how you look at strangers and even acquaintances just because you will realize you have no idea what anguish and hurt they are experiencing. On the surface, O'Brien looks fabulous, but inside she is suffering intense physical anguish.

While this is the story of a medical journey, it is even more so a story of a spiritual journey, one that will resonate with even the toughest among us. It is pure and honest and fresh. Best of all, the book is beautifully written; it is witty, wise, and tender and totally stole my heart.

This is why I think this book will resonate with many people who are suffering from any kind of medical issue: It offers hope.

Be aware: This is not for the faint of heart. The book contains detailed information on the author's gastroenterological medical condition. While the details range from gross to gruesome, this is an essential part of the story.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read Acid Reflections. Even if you have been fortunate enough to escape the serious health issues Author Susan O’Brien has had to deal with from birth, who hasn’t experienced some nagging health problem that the doctors can’t really figure out, isn’t serious enough to be life-threatening or require surgery, but just won’t go away? We all probably know the stress that goes with that, the ups and downs of hope and failed treatments. The resignation that it’s just something you have to learn to live with. And the lingering fear that maybe it’s not just a minor inconvenience you can handle but could be something serious and difficult to diagnose.

While I thankfully don’t have anything nearly as serious as the issues the author has had to learn to manage, I have always had what we optimistically call “a sensitive stomach.” And this powerful book resonated with me, touched me on many levels. I, too, have learned to manage it. I know when to stay close to home, what foods to try to avoid, how to talk to the doctor so I’m not told, “Oh, you’re just stressed. It will go away.” And learned to endure the eye rolls and sighs from the medical personnel when things get serious enough to take me to the ER and I dare to venture an opinion about what might be the cause.

This is a story about the author’s medical journey. It’s serious, graphic, frustrating, sad. Sometimes disgusting – unless you’ve experienced some of what she writes about and then it’s oh so familiar. But it’s also so much more than that. It’s a story about hope and faith and love and support and perseverance and just putting one foot in front of the other, making modifications and adaptations along the way, and just never giving in or giving up. It’s well-written, well laid out, witty, heartfelt, uplifting, and the medical experiences and the frustration and anger ring true.

Thanks to author Susan O’Brien for providing a copy of Acid Reflections. I was not required to write a review and all opinions are my own. I didn’t really know what to expect when I started reading but I discovered this was a very satisfying journey. I recommend this book without hesitation.