26 years old - liver disease, gallstones, GERD, and esophagitis!

[DMP1391]

Surely this isn't normal or common. It all started in my early 20's, I was having pain off and on and it turned out to be gallstones. I had my gallbladder out a few months ago as I went years avoiding surgery, but it had to come out eventually. This was said to be genetic as many in my family had gallstones too.

During this time I was also diagnosed with reflux disease which had caused esophagitis. Then after I got this under control my doctor uncovered that I had a type of benign liver disease called non-cirrhosal portal hypertension, which could be linked to my other health issues till now.

I have come to terms with all this after a long period of grief and anger. I now dedicate my life completely to healthy eating. I cook all my own meals, minimal amounts of either coocnut oil or olive oil, mostly a vegan diet with an abundance of fruits and vegetables, no refined carbs or sugars at all, no junk food, very restrictive salt intake, no coffee or alcohol, no sweet or soft drinks, just water or tea. I am managing all my symptoms bit by bit, but it gets very hard at times because what's good for one thing may not be good for the other. I feel like I have too many conditions for one diet to handle. My symptoms vary day by day...one day my lack of a gallbladder will give me pain and digestive issues, and once it diminishes I start getting reflux and heartburn again. It's always something. All this and I'm still 4 years off 30. I fear to think ahead in the future, but for now I'm doing my best. A lot of my conditions are said to be genetics but I absolutely take responsibility for my previous eating habits. I drank a fair bit of alcohol, are huge portions of meat and salted eggs for every meal, plenty of cakes, eating out a lot, and never even had more than a tiny sprinkle of vegetables in a day. That has all changed now, but I see people going most of their life eating the way I used to, even worse, with no problems. Let that be a warning - most people think they'll be fine, they're too young or active to get sick, crappy junk food is OK to have everyday in moderation etc. No. You can develop problems very early on. Luckily I've never been over weight as I am naturally quite slim.

I do a lot of research about health and diet so I'm quite well knowledged on most issues, but would appreciate any advice anyone has. Thanks.

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I had stomach ulcers in my early 30s - not quite as young as you but it also felt unfair. The cause was put down to too much stress and alcohol - both of which were true at the time. But plenty of my friends still drink as much as I did then (4-5 glasses of wine on a night out) and no stomach ulcers for them. What I'm learning is that the body does slowly heal. I've had to become dairy free (and 'low wheat') as a result, so I also sympathise re managing symptoms through diet