33 years-old, father of three, scared and uncertain

[HikingFool]

First, I'm so glad to have found this site and community! I have a family history of gallbladder disease and I had my gallbladder removed the day after Christmas last year - my wife and I spent most of Christmas day in the Emergency Room. The doctor's told me I would not have to change my diet, but I developed post cholecystectomy diarrhea and acid reflux. It was very difficult to know that eating the wrong thing could send me sprinting for a restroom and leave me feeling drained and terrible for the rest of the day. Sometimes I couldn't even identify what caused the diarrhea. In October of this year, I sought help from a primary care doctor at my local clinic and then decided to get a physical and routine blood tests. The blood tests indicated that my liver enzymes - ALT - were well above normal. My primary care doctor thought I was lying to him about my use of alcohol, which was on the low end of moderate. I made an appointment with a gastroenterology specialist who screened me for hepatitis, autoimmune diseases, and ordered an ultrasound of my liver. She diagnosed me with fatty liver and has indicated that, as long as I continue to avoid alcohol, I can manage it by losing weight - we'll meet again next week to discuss a plan for my care and monitoring in more detail. However, I'm not overweight currently and am very physically active - a recent bodyfat measurement put me at approximately 16%. I've done some research and learned that having the gallbladder removed leads to fatty liver in the majority of men. I will further improve my diet, but I am very concerned that it won't be enough and that my disease will progress. I have three young children and a wonderful wife, and the newness and uncertainty created by my diagnosis has me feeling depressed.

I'm very grateful to have found this community and to have read accounts from people who are experiencing the same conditions. I would truly appreciate any advice, resources, links, or kind words you have to share. Thank you all for contributing to this site!

[nash2 Partner]

Hello Hiking

I noticed that your note hadn't received any replies. I had been traveling at the time and apparently didn't see it. I just wondered how you are doing. By now you have probably learned a lot more so hopefully it feels different.

Wayne