The effects of hunger

Most of us take for granted where our next meal will come from. Safe in that knowledge, we perform our daily tasks, take our meal breaks, and move on to the next thing, ending the day satisfied as we retire for the night. That was me until one day I learned what it meant to be food insecure and it taught me a number of lessons. 

My story starts with a visit to the local emergency room around 5:30 in the evening. As I waited for treatment, I figured I would be discharged with a new prescription and back home in a few hours. Those few hours first turned into six hours.

At midnight, I was only given a small amount of water because the hospital had no food available for patients in the ER. My last meal was at noon that day and the lack of food since then made me uncomfortable. The gnawing feeling in my stomach became a constant focus even through blood draws. By 3 a.m. the next day, I was getting dizzy and my stomach ached from the emptiness.