I Thought It Was Bad Heartburn. It Wasn't.

This lawyer was awoken at night by sudden attacks of severe pain in her upper abdomen.

- LAURA FEINER

I had been a yo-yo dieter since I was 16—name a fad diet, and I'd tried it.

Around three years ago, when I was 52, I was in pretty good shape but wanted to lose a few more pounds, so I popped back onto one of the popular diet programs and lost about 10 pounds in a month.

But a few weeks into that program, I started having terrible stomach cramps that made me throw up. I had to run to the bathroom constantly with diarrhea, and I also had a low-grade fever. I was in so much pain that I wound up going to the hospital, where they ran several tests on me. But they couldn't find anything wrong.

The doctors said it was probably food poisoning or fatty liver disease, and they suggested that I exercise more, stop eating fast food, and drink less alcohol. But I told them I already worked out six days a week, ate mostly home-cooked meals, and drank maybe one glass of wine a month, and only if it was a special occasion. Sure I liked my chocolate and my bread, but I thought I was basically eating well. I was so angry that they were making me feel as if I wasn't taking care of my health, but the pain went away after a few days, so I thought maybe it had been just a stomach bug.

IT DIDN'T STOP