The Best Ways To Manage Gilbert Syndrome So You Can Feel Amazing

For the longest, I’ve had what’s called Gilbert Syndrome. 

The NHS defines it this way:

“In Gilbert’s syndrome, the faulty gene means bilirubin is not passed into bile at the normal rate. Instead, it builds up in the bloodstream, giving the skin and whites of the eyes a yellowish tinge. Other than inheriting the faulty gene, there are no known risk factors for developing Gilbert’s syndrome.”

The affects of Gilbert Syndrome

As pointed out by The British Liver Trust:

• feeling tired all the time (fatigue)
• loss of appetite
• nausea or dizziness
• abdominal pain
• irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• difficulty maintaining concentration
• very dark urine.

This is all connected to Jaundice, a result of G.S or anaemia.

It’s a lifelong condition, but it’s not life-threatening like a more serious disease.

NHS also points this out;

“Gilbert’s syndrome is a lifelong condition. But it does not require treatment because it does not pose a threat to health and does not cause complications or an increased risk of liver disease.”

With that said, though, there are things Gilbert Syndrome is associated with.

One example is:

“The jaundice of Gilbert’s syndrome is usually mild, but jaundice can be associated with more serious liver problems, such as cirrhosis or hepatitis C.

And according to MedlinePlus.Gov, it can be associated with:

• Infections of the liver from a virus (hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D, and hepatitis E) or a parasite
• Use of certain drugs (such as an overdose of acetaminophen) or reactions to other medicines or or exposure to poisons (for example, poisonous mushrooms)
• Birth defects or disorders present since birth that makes it hard for the body to breakdown bilirubin (such as Gilbert syndrome, Dubin-Johnson syndrome, Rotor syndrome, or Crigler-Najjar syndrome)
• Chronic liver disease
• Gallstones or gallbladder disorders causing blockage of the bile duct
• Blood disorders
• Cancer of the pancreas
• Bile buildup in the gallbladder because of pressure in the belly area during pregnancy (jaundice of pregnancy)

Gilbert Syndrome is personally a pain in the ass, but that depends on how you’re living your life and how your diet looks overall because that plays a bigger role than people realize.

My journey

Over 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with Gilbert Syndrome. It happened during a blood test. They could see elevated levels of bilirubin in my blood/liver, and that’s how I got diagnosed.

None of this was surprising because as a baby, I had jaundice like I implied earlier. I was yellow as F like I came from the Simpsons family.

That issue got sorted out, but throughout my life, I noticed my “white” eyes would have a yellow tint from time to time, and most of all, I always felt tired.

It feels like it’s laziness at some point, but then you find out the facts and see it’s anything but that. Maybe that’s why they called me “too laid back” in school.

One example is wanting to fall asleep and nap in the afternoon. Usually around 3-4PM. This was some years ago at the earliest.

Sometimes that nap would be at 2PM. I just couldn’t hack it. Random cycles of:

• Fatigue.
• Tiredness.
• Drowsiness.

And things like that can do that to a person, getting in the way of work, business, or whatever it is you have going on (which it did or does).

It was one more reason to start and run my own businesses. That way, I could sleep when the fatigue hits and not have to work on the clock because some ignorant prick could care less about how I feel (you know how it is in work environments).

Nowadays, my eyes are a bit whiter, and my energy is a lot better because I found a better way of dealing with it. On top of my Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

And that’s not even the end of it.

The solutions for Gilbert Syndrome

The main thing about Gilbert Syndrome is how it can fatigue you out of nowhere and make you feel tired, sleepy, and not assed at all.

In that way, it’s like Narcolepsy but NOT to the extremes.

It goes beyond that, of course. The Inability to focus, IBS, loss of appetite, dizziness, etc. A lot comes with it, and I’ve had my variation of most of them.

The solution is to change your diet and what you eat daily.

Keep in mind that “experts” don’t provide a diet plan of sorts for Gilbert Syndrome except for the generic advice of eating healthy.

What I’m sharing is personal experience mixed with some evidence.

If you choose to live a ketogenic lifestyle (low carb):

• Avocados.
• Olive Oil.
• Olives.
• Butter.
• Cheese.
• Dairy across the board.
• Meats.
• Seafood.
• Fish.
• Mayonnaise.
• Tofu.
• Tempeh.
• Vegetables.
• Certain fruits (berries).

And, of course – seaweed, miso, and so on is a good choice to focus on.

Notice how I never mentioned pasta, rice, cereal, grains, sugar, or white flour foods? That’s deliberate.

These foods SPIKE insulin and raise your blood sugar too fast. I learnt the hard way how that made my energy and fatigue much worse than it needed to be.

For a normal person, that’s bad, but for someone with Gilbert Syndrome? Even worse.

It’s the main reason I needed to nap or even lay down after eating. Carbs have sleep-inducing effects as it is.

Now, of course, you don’t have to only go the strict low-carb route (or fat diet route). Being vegan would help you achieve the same result without the meats and what not.

The goal is to lower your carbs enough that it doesn’t worsen your symptoms if you have Gilbert Syndrome, Jaundice, etc.

Otherwise, you’re asking to make life harder than it needs to be, on top of making yourself more tired than necessary. On top of the other symptoms that come with G.S. that can make things more of a headache.

Exercise

Exercise is known to have too many good effects for you to ignore it when managing Gilbert Syndrome.

Indirect benefits, I call it.

Here’s the thing. A lot of people who work:

• Outdoors.
• Retail.
• Hospitals.

Or places where you’re on your feet a lot already get the exercise they need. You probably walk 10,000+ steps doing things like this, which is around 5-6 miles.

You also lose weight and maintain it a lot better at this rate. But if your work or business is:

• Indoors.
• Laptop all day.
• Sedentary.

Then you’re not getting enough of the energy benefits from exercise to benefit as far as G.S. and your health in general.

Keep in mind there are no studies or intense scientific research on this, only personal experience. But the studies on exercise should and seems to correlate nicely in this context.

Also, despite me saying this, it is also true that you can’t exercise as much as a normal person with Gilbert Syndrome, so you might need to take breaks in between.

It’s a hard point to drive home because you can push yourself and forget why you’re struggling in the first place (as far as energy or going the distance).

Forums and people’s experiences

• Gilbert Syndrome Symptoms
• Gilbert Syndrome As An Athlete