Help with lactose intolerance.

[heydani]

Recently whenever I have been eating dairy, my stomach gets in so much pain and I have uncomfortable d*. But it doesnt happen when I eat yogurt. This is new for me, however I have tons of other stomach problems like IBS and acid reflux.
And of course I freak out when my stomach hurts.

But anyways, just wondering if anyone has lactose intolerance and knows the symptoms, or just helpful ways to deal with it, because I dont think LACTAID pills work for me.

[spilled_milk]

I thought I was lactose intolerant, as my stomach started becoming very upset and I got n* and had d* when I had a lot of milk or cheese. I went to the doctor and took an official lactose intolerance test, which told me that I'm NOT intolerant. However, I am lactose sensitive. The difference with that is the lactaid pills don't help me. Being sensitive its not like there's anything missing that the lactaid pills would help with, my body just doesn't really like lactose. So, I would consider getting a lactose tolerance test. It's really not that bad, they have you drink a small amount of lactose and then test your breath periodically. I thought it would be a lot worse than it was.

If you don't want to take the lactose tolerance test, I started to deal with it by testing my limits of how much lactose I can ingest without feeling bad. I do generally try to stay mostly lactose free now, but that can be really hard at restaurants. For example, I tried a lobster ravioli and my stomach was fine, but macaroni and cheese or really cheesy pizza sends my stomach over the edge. I can also have baked goods with milk in it or mashed potatos with milk, but I wouldn't be able to drink a glass of milk or have a bunch of pudding. Now that I know what I can and can't have and in what quantities, I'm figuring out my new diet.

Oh also, yogurt can be the exception to lactose intolerance/sensitivity because the bacteria in it is really good for your digestive system.

Anyway, think about getting the test and/or doing an experiment to see if there is a "safe" level of lactose for you! Also, remember that if you DO start feeling sick after eating lactose, it is just what you ate and it will go away in a few hours.

Good luck!

[heydani]

Thank you so much !! i think i am probably just sensitive to it. Does the test cost money ?

[spilled_milk]

I went to my primary care doctor and she ordered it, so it was covered by insurance. I think most tests like that are, but you should probably ask your doctor.

I hope you get everything figured out soon and start to feel better!

[Rebecca85]

There are loads of alternative milks out there now. There's goats milk, lactose free, oat, soya, coconut and rice! It's best to experiment a bit, because what tastes nice on its own might not be so good in coffee for example. Personally, I would cut all dairy out, and then gradually reintroduce it, keep a food and IBS diary to see if there's anything in particular that upsets your stomach, or if it depends on how much dairy you eat in total.

But I would go to your doctor too, just to make sure that it's not anything else!

[heydani]

Thanks for the help. I have kept many diaries before, and it usually just ends up looking like I can't eat anything. I hate all these stomach problems. i wonder if i would still have them, if i werent an emet.

[Rebecca85]

In that case maybe you should try an elimination diet. The LOFFLEX was designed to be used by people with stomach problems. You cut your diet back to things which are very unlikely to cause problems, until your symptoms go, then reintroduce foods one by one. If your symptoms don't get better on the diet, it's highly unlikely that intolerance is your problem.

[wargerbil]

Yogurt is easy for people with lactose problems to digest because of the cultures. I would just cut out milk products that bother you. I haven't eaten dairy in like 8 yrs and I'm holding strong!

[heydani]

But isn't so sad not being able to eat ice cream, or pizza ? ! haha

[spilled_milk]

Yes it is sad!! Lol. Cheese is my favorite food in the world, and I was so depressed having to cut it out. That's why removing all lactose and then slowly reintroducing is good, cause I was able to find out that I can have it in moderation. So...just no more pigging out on it anymore!

[Rebecca85]

They do alternative ice creams too! Like soy (never tried it though) and frozen yoghurt (which tastes as good as a normal ice cream in my opinion). As for pizza, make your own using different cheese!