Hi,
I'm sorry you're having to deal with so much at such a young age. Having to deal with health problems is never fun, but to do so when you're just starting out in life is just not fair.
I was diagnosed with GERD two years ago after coughing for four straight months. I thought it was respiratory problems related to a cold that I had had, but after doing some research, my doctor and I realized that it was GERD. So, if you've been coughing a lot, it could very well be from GERD. But you can live with GERD. It's not that bad.
Let me tell you my story to help you put things into perspective. I'm much older than you (46) and over the last three years, I've been diagnosed with GERD, a hiatal hernia, cervical cancer, and multiple sclerosis. I've always been healthy all of my life, and to have to deal with so much in such a short time has been almost overwhelming. I have nerve pain and pain from muscle spasms (Charlie horses) in my legs and arms from the MS almost every minute of every day. I've gone from being very active to not being able to walk without a cane. In the last two months, my arms have gotten so weak that I can't even open a bottle or container or corab my hair. I have severe short-term memory loss and cognitive problems which make doing my job (I'm a professor) very difficult. I've lost a lot of the vision in my left eye over just the last few months. I've had surgery for cancer, and have to have check-ups every three months to be sure that the cancer does not return.
Through all of this, I've found that having to deal with both cancer and a chronic, debilitating illness like MS has put into perspective relatively minor conditions like GERD. I take my meRAB, elevate the head of my bed, don't eat two hours before I go to bed, and don't give it another thought.
My point is, don't focus on your health so much. Take care of yourself, of course, seek medical treatment when needed, but get out there and LIVE! Life is short, and you are young. Enjoy each day, each minute, each second of life. If you do have GERD, it's not a death sentence or even a debilitating disease. You can still walk, talk, laugh, and love. Yeah, you might need to take some meRAB and alter your lifestyle a bit, but that's no big deal. Enjoy your frienRAB, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and stop dragging yourself and those you love down with what is a very treatable condition. Don't push people away. It's not worth losing frienRAB over.
I would give anything if all I had to worry about was acid reflux! Instead, I have to worry that I may not be able to walk at all soon, that I may lose all of the vision in my left eye, that I may not be able to do my job and support my family, or that the cancer will return and take my life. But I still live my life as best as I can. I still go out and enjoy my frienRAB, though I have had to modify the activities that I can do. I still enjoy my life with my husband. (We had just gotten married a few months before I became ill.) And for right now, I still am able to do the job that I love. I intended to get every ounce of joy out of the life God has given me, no matter what I may be facing. I may have GERD, cancer, and MS, but GERD, cancer, and MS don't have me!
So keep your chin up, Sweetie, and don't let this get you down. It's just not worth it!