I have suffered from nausea and stomach aches my entire life. But I did not tell anyone about it until 2008. My parents were aware of these symptoms, but it is difficult to really figure out what’s wrong with you when you’re just a child. I was terrified about telling them, because I had heard stories about people having gastroscopy (I had never been to the hospital before). But it was awful living this way, not knowing what was wrong with me. In the beginning I thought everyone had these issues, because I haven’t gone through a whole day without nausea.
I had the gastroscopy in 2009, and I was convinced – this wasn’t normal at all. The doctors diagnosed me with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. My esophagus was full of inflammation, and the doctors discovered something else: my case is chronic. I was actually born with this disease. They immediately gave me different types of medicines to get rid of the inflammation and the acid.
I have lived with this hell since I was born, which is more than 18 years now. I often feel like giving up on everything because of all the pain, but I still have hopes and dreams for the future. A few years ago I told myself not to give up, ’cause if I do, GERD will win. It is a constant battle, but I will not kneel for this evil thing inside of me! It has caused so many problems in my life, such as weight loss and trouble eating (not an eating disorder). My physical health could have been so much better, but I’m completely exhausted by the sleepless nights. GERD is not common in my country, I know no one with this disease here. I’m glad I found this page, where others can share their personal story dealing with all this. I will live with this battle for the rest of my life.
I want to raise awareness, and we can all do that together!
