What does heartburn feel like?

What does heartburn feel like and how do I make it go away?

• I've felt really hungry ever since I woke up this morning, and I've eaten like twice as much as usual but it won't go away. There is pain behind my sternum between my breasts and my stomach keeps growling. I'm eighteen years old, at a healthy weight, don't drink, don't smoke, or do drugs. This has never happened before. The only thing I can think of is that I took one more pain pill than I was supposed to last night before I went to bed because of menstrual cramps; could that be why? Is it heartburn? How do I make it go away?

• Answer:

  That does sound like "heartburn'' which is much more properly termed acid reflux. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that the extra pain pill was either ibuprofen or naproxen. Both of those are harsh on the stomach and would explain the situation. Try taking pepto-bismol, mylanta, etc. and stay away from acidic foods for a few days to let your stomach heal. God bless.