Imperfection series - Part 5: Do I eat my own vomit?

Good Morning people. This is the final entry in this series. So sit back, and enjoy.

There was a time I began to suspect that I had four stomachs, just like a ruminant animal. Here's why. I have rumination syndrome. I was born with it. I know just one person in my family with it, a maternal cousin.

When I was young, they would say "stop bringing out your food, to rechew." I caught my cousin do the same, from time to time. Family members thought it was a habit, and not a condition.

Okay, let me explain the condition now. When I eat, I have to regurgitate over and over again before the food can get to the stomach, and then be digested. It is not a conscious thing. When they taught us about ruminant animals in senior secondary school Agriculture, I began to think I had a cow's stomach, cos it seemed I 'chew my cud.'

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You could just be sitting down, and find food in your mouth, lol. It happens few minutes after one finish eating, like 30 minutes or so. It is not vomit, it is just food that has been mixed with saliva. As for vomit, the food gets to the stomach, mixes with bile, and something triggers it to come out, which is why it is bitter. As for rumination syndrome, the food never reaches the stomach, and it is just pure food that comes out.

As one grows older, it reduces because, and might only happen when one is alone, and not interacting with others, because talking is an activity that can suppress it. If it doesn't come out for about 90 minutes, the food will go down to the stomach. It has no cure, and one can live with it. Obviously, I am still alive. They have not be able to discover the reason why some people are born with this syndrome.

Anyway, that's my last imperfection. I regurgitate and rechew my food over and over again. That's the rumination syndrome for you.

So out of all my imperfections, which is the weirdest to you, my scars, regurgitation, neck breakouts, fainting spells, or my open bite?

I hope you have enjoyed my imperfection series. If you missed any post in this series, click here to catch up on them.