I can't be lactose intolerant!

oh boy,  sounds like dairy and you don't get along at all!!

dairy has bothered me since I was a child,   however no one ever really noticed it til I was an adult.

I went in to see a specialist in allergies because I used to get shots for dust allergies and we talked about the possiblity of my being lactose intolerant.  He thinks I have an actual allergy to dairy.

I get cramps and the trots right after eating ice cream or drinking milk.  I also get a runny nose if I drink milk or eat ice cream.  He asked me if I was sick,  and I said no,  I just get a real bad case of congestion if I consume dairy.

I'm love cheese so haven't given up dairy yet,  he told me if I manage to go a month without dairy, of any kind, then I can come back and he'll start the process of testing me for food allergies......

Hope you can maybe cut back or do some alternative switching...like sherbet or something else frozen...

Good luck jennybean

 

Thanks, Trudy. Sounds like you have it even worse than I do! See that's why I was wondering if I really am intolerant or not, because sometimes I am Ok after just one serving. I think I am most bothered if I have more than one serving at once or in a short amount of time. Maybe I am just overdoing it or hopefully just mildly intolerant. I dont know if I can give up cheese either! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks a lot LW! I will have to make a point to look for that next time I am out. Can't hurt to try! Do you use Digestive Advantage yourself?

Thank you so much for the advice. I will definitely try this.

I'm glad you got some good advice! I don't have any to add but I hope you try some of those you got! It sucks not being able to eat dairy without a problem! Hope you're able to find a solution that will work for you.

Thanks fs! I hope so too, I love my dairy!

A simple test.  Go Dairyless for a week and see if you still get the cramps.

Some people cannot do dairy even with the pills they now have.  But best to make sure before embarking on that road.  I am just glad I am not.  I love my cheese!

Go Dairyless for a week and see if you still get the cramps.

Exactly! I've gone without any dairy for 2 weeks and didn't have any of the usual bloating, gas, and other symptoms....everything straightened itself out...

The pills don't help me, I suspect because I had a jejunal bypass back in July of 73. Now my digestive system is wonkers permanently...

I know what ya mean about loving cheese though! that and fish are my favorite foods, after a hamburger


LW's idea though might be one I could try, would LOVE it if it changed things for me in that area

Lactaid and Soy milk make me feel sick too, but the ultra-filtered milk is tolerable. Luckily, it seems as if I can eat as much cheese, yogourt, and sorbet as I want, but no for ice-cream. It's the worst. As well, it's easier to digest higher fat milk than skim. Skim kills me.

Well so far I have gone all day with no dairy, and guess what? No stomach ache! It may just be a coincidence since I dont always get a stomach ache after every single serving of dairy...but I will give it more time. I have to admit I wouldn't be too upset if it turns out I am developing a lactose intolerance, because then at least I'll know what it is I need to do to decrease my stomach pain. Thanks for all the tips, everyone. I will keep them in mind. I am definitely heading to the store this weekend to pick up those caplets LW mentioned. As you said, it's good for digestive system regardless!

As well, it's easier to digest higher fat milk than skim. Skim kills me.

I did not know this. Guess what I have with breakfast every morning with cereal or oatmeal? Skim milk. When do I get my worst stomach aches usually? late morning! Ahhh, now I feel silly not having linked this sooner! Also, I love frozen yogurt but very rarely eat real ice cream, when I do I end up with aches. I always thought it was because I jsut wasnt used to eating stuff high in fat like that.

Go a few days without dairy.  If you have no problems, then eat a cheese sandwich and a yogurt...then you'll know if it's dairy.

Most people are lactose intolerant to a degree, and it gets worse as we age.  (Yeah, Jenny, you knew I had to come on here at some time with my weird food facts...right?)  Well, there is a biological reason for it- after being weened, we (being the animals that we are) don't require dairy (ack!  Don't tell the dairy industry!!!).  So, as we age, lactase (the enzyme that breaks the two sugars apart in lactose so that they can be digested) decrease, since we shouldn't biologically need them.  This causes the sugars to sit and ferment in your large intestine and causes pain and other symptoms.  OK- now a weird fact (had to have one)- almost 100% of Asians are mildly to completely lactose intolerant, American Indians are at about 80% and very dark complected people (not just from African descent) are at 70%.  Most Asians are lactose intolerant by 5 years old.  It also appears that Europeans have a higher rate then Caucasian Americans...though I can't find the statistics or why it would be.  It may be because an American that has a long family history in America is really a "mutt", and just like dogs, mutts seem to have less genetic problems.  Go figure...who knows?

I'm slightly lactose intolerant, and actually allergic to dairy (causes joint pain and congestion).  But..man....I love cheese.... life without cheese is not worth living.... moo

life without cheese is not worth living.... moo

me moo too

mooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOoooo

Thanks for the comments, Karma! I was waiting for you to add your bizarre knowledge of food to this! I love cheese too! That is why if it turns out I am sensitive to dairy, I will not avoid these foods, but just take the medicine so I can still eat them!

Jennybean,

Why don't you simply take a lactose intolerance test? I took one when I suspected I was lactose intolerant but I wasn't. It was a simple procedure when I took it and I guess it is available in the US as well. The test entailed drinking a large amount of lactose on an empty stomach, 50g I think, and they watched the sugar levels taking frequent blood samples. If your blood sugar does not rise, that indicates absence of lactase (or you not having enough of the enzyme).

You can still have problems with dairy, though, I think that you can be allergic to a protein in milk as well even if it is quite uncommon.
Even if I wasn't lactose intolerant I feel much better not eating lots of dairy. And I ate a lot of dairy before. It causes some indigestion for me in any case.

There are charts you can read to learn the lactose contents of different foods. Hard cheeses are fortunately quite low on lactose compared to milk or cream. Don't know if this applies to camembert or brie, though.

I had a troublesome stomach too but I kept a diary of what I ate for about half a year, cooked most of the food I ate myself, and monitored how I felt simultaneously. It was enough for me to find what was causing my stomach problems. I modified my diet accordingly and now I can almost eat anything I want again barring a few items.

Thanks, Jelvis. I do know they can test you for this, but it is hard for me to get to the Dr. since I work during the week, and I really dont want to put myself through all that if I dont have to. If I am lactose intolerant, I wouldn't want to drink something that is going to make me sick just to tell me I am. I would rather just monitor what I eat for a while and see what it is that triggers my stomach aches. If it gets complicated I may have to give in and get tested, but hopefully it wont be necessary I will have to look up those charts you mentioned. Thanks for the helpful tips!

No problem! Good luck to you! I will keep my fingers crossed!

Hehe. Thanks!

TePKzG8EC61r DjXzdH2tTC7Eej 791DKDnDqn2

I have IBS and dairy is definately out! You may want to be checked for IBS as it's far more common in women than men. So far no pills help at all.

try goat's milk cheese too....sometimes the protiens are more easily digested by poeple with a lactose intoerance...or so I've heard