What does your Dr. say?

This is not a medical site.  While there may be folks with medical knowledge as members they are not acting in that capacity here.  And so talking to a medical professional is the best (and far safer) way to get an answer.

Stop eating pop rocks. Five-cents please.

But seriously I agree with the others -- you need to keep consulting your Doctor.

Gas.

Hi all,

I was just hoping someone else went through this but guess not.

Thanks anyway.

Gord, what you say, is true enough, but getting help from the medical profession can be a very frustrating experience.

In my case, when I was frustrated in my attempts to get help from the medical system, I expressed some of my concerns here at WonderCafe.

I am still very grateful for the encouragement I received from fellow WonderCafeers.

Sterton, we were posting at the same time and I did not read your above comment until now.

If cutting out the milk/dairy fixed it lactose intolerance could be the issue. If cutting out gluten helped could be celiac.  If you had to cut out both things to get relief you could have both illnesses.  But I'm with everyone else. Keep talking to your doc.  I think there might actually be specific tests for both conditions.

Hasten thee to a doctor, please.

That said, I sympathize with the "what the blazes can I eat now?" dilemma. While my only problem is cow's dairy, I've got a friend who lives on quinoa, veg and fruit.

Remember that physicians are only one form of medical professional.  It may be that a talk with a dietician would give some answers (unfortunately that often requires a referral from a physician).

Thanks Naman :)

Good luck Sterton. I don't have anything to add. I hope you find an answer soon. Please keep us posted.

I know the benefits of finding support, even online support. Two years ago when I was facing foot surgery, I felt like the only person around with the issue I had. I found others online who had similar experiences and that helped me. That being said, that did not replace the medical help I got.

Good luck!

Lactose intolerance would be less difficult to manage than a milk allergy, as milk is in a lot of things and the reaction is more severe- a friend of mine had diarrhea for months until they figured it out.

I am lactose intolerant, so avoiding milk helps, but I can have something out of  milk once in a while, if I don't overdo it. It seems to accumulate and gets worse if you have milk products on a regular basis. Introducing things back slowly will show you how you react to them. Different foods have different amounts of lactose in it- a dietitian can give you details on that.

Hey Sherton,

I know I am lactose intolerant and I suspect I am also intolerant to something else in milk products (as I also have problems with lactose-free cheeses).  It's not super bad for me, I can't drink milk, but I eat cheese (I am more careful with the soft cheeses) and I'll overdo the ice cream from time to time even though I know what it does to me.

I'm actually the opposite of mrs.anteater.  I find that eating a little bit of dairy consistently helps (maybe it keeps the enzyme production that I do have at a reasonable level).  It makes it a little more tolerable for my body.  If I cut it out for a while and then have a small indulgence, it's much worse than if I had been eating small amounts of dairy products daily.  Perhaps this was the issue after reintroducing it after cutting it out?

Check with your doctor, maybe some lactaid would help while dealing with the reintroduction.  Yogurt can also be beneficial, I find the probiotics do help (or you can just take them as a pill).  I also find drinking enough water, as well as drinking some tea (green or white if I want a bit of caffeine, red in the evening, or peppermint if you prefer infusions) can help with the bloating.  If you're trying to figure out food intolerances though, make sure you check with your doctor before trying anything new, you don't want to mask an issue!

Also remember that medicine is an art as much as a science.  And sometimes it takes a while to figure out waht factor (or combination of factors) is responsible for any particular symptom.  And that is a frustrating thing, as many of us know from direct experience.

So true GordW - the public often does think medicine is all science, and everything is diagnosable, testable (hmmm - that may not be a word!) and fixable.  Wish it were so.  I agree Sterton - keep working with your doc - and if unsatisfied, look to other health professionals too.

That said, I've also got problems with digesting dairy products - and have found myself much better avoiding it.  Getting good information is crucial tho, Sterton - it's really important to replace sources of calcium and other nutrients from dairy if you eliminate it from your diet through reducing or eliminating dairy products.  

Lots of people have food "sensitivities" - which are not full blown allergies - that produce pretty uncomfortable symptoms.  You might also want to reference some of Dr. Mark Hyman's work - he's author of The Ultrametabolism Diet; and look up "leaky gut syndrome".   Hope you'll soon be feeling better!

Northwind: Yes thanks: online support can be quite helpful :)  

Mrs. Anteater: I saw a new doctor and she told me using Lacteeze pills when you don't have to can wreck your own body's way of breaking down lactose (Chemgirl: had you heard that?).  And the doc says there is no test.  AHHH.  I always thought there was.

Chemgal: I think you are right the reintroduction after eating zero for two weeks was what caused my troubles...that's what I had assumed.

Gord W: So true!

Carolla: I'm totally pleased you agree that everything isn't testable and fixable.  I think I'm stuck for life with being ill.

Thanks everyone for your kind words & support.  :)

I looked up the test, it's the hydrogen breath test.  It's a little odd that your doctor said one didn't exist.

I'm not an expert on food intolerances, I'm just explaining the bit I know or seems to make sense!

I could see where the lacteeze pills would cause you to have a similar response to cutting out dairy and then reintroducing it.  If there is no lactose there, your body has no reason produce the enzymes.  Acidophilus bifidus pills or milk might be a better option, because they can colonize your gut to an extent, and provide a longer term benefit than just ingesting the enzyme itself.  I only use the enzyme pills if I'm really indulging.

If it were me, I would try the probiotic and eat small amounts of dairy everyday to see if you could at least get back to where you were before (assuming you don't want to cut dairy out of your diet completely).

Hopefully you'll be feeling better soon!

So Sterton - when you went off the dairy ... were you better?  I might have missed that bit in reading the posts above.

For me, I don't think about my diet/digestive issues as being ill - it's more that my body works a bit differently, that's all.   So knowing what makes me feel better, and doing more of that, is how I manage things to feel my best.  Naturally, there are times I choose to indulge in foods I know will be harder to digest ... but it's my choice and I just try to enjoy the moment & deal with the consequences of my choice as they come later.   

I think we all have our quirks ... some more than others! 

ChemGal: Yes that's the test I knew of too.  :(   Thanks for the advice :)

Carolla: I didn't notice feeling any better dairy-free but when I went back on my belly was HUGE 24-7 where before it only was at the end of the day.  Wish I could have my flat belly back. 

Good luck with your eating!

I found out the test isn't usually done in people with celiac disease, so that could be why your doctor just told you no, but I would hope that a doctor would say there is a test but you can't have it because ...

One thing you might try is eating more fermented food. It may not help the problem but it's not going to hurt at all.

Get sauerkraut at a proper deli, the fermented kind, not the wine kind. Try to get your dairy with things like active buttermilk and live yoghurt. Get some live apple cider vinegar at your health food store.

One of the problems we have in our culture is we eat only dead food. Our guts were made to work with a lot of little beasties crawling around busting up the inedibles for us. "normal" food doesn't give us any of the live bacteria and yeast we need.

Since I've been making my own fermented hot sauce, pickles, buttermilk, yoghurt, sour cream, sauerkraut etc, I've been feeling much, much better. I rarely have reflux any more, where I used to have it several times a night every night.

That being said, always remember to consult your doctor.

Chemgal: wooo...very interesting indeed

Witch: Makes sense!  I'll look into it: thanks

Beer and wine are fermented.

There IS A Medical test for lactose intolerence. My son took it.

It happened in a hospital room.

First he drank some stuff with lactose-that they gave us. Then every so often he had to breath into something kind of like a kevlar ballon. Ballon was sealed and  next time he blew into another one. Whole procedure was 3 hours or so. No other eating or drinking allowed.

Lab analed contents of ballons. He is not intolerant to lactose.

It took place last year at U of A hospital/Stollery Children's Hospital

Yes the breath test is the one I knew too!  I guess not all doctors either know about it or trust it.

I took an allergy blood test through a natural path.  It came back with me being allergic to cranberry and goats milk/cheese.  I actually felt very ill after eating both of these items the last couple of times I ate them so it totally makes sense.  It also said sesame seeds (who knew!).

The other obvious was ALL dairy: d'oh.  

So I cleaned out my cupboard of all my foods I will no longer being eating.  Not much left at all.  Even some of my gluten-free stuff had to go as well: too bad.

Having to avoid dairy and gluten will definitely make eating out and visiting people VERY difficult.  Fruit, veggies, & meat are hard to travel with indeed.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet gave me a lot of relief from the kinds of symptoms you describe and is safe for those with celiac. You can learn more about it at www.scdiet.org. 

It's true that this isn't a place for medical advice but it does help in this area, as in other areas of our lives, to check out how others are dealing with similar circumstances. I see this in threads all over the Wcafe.

Sterton - I am so glad you were able to figure out what's been going on. It's going to make eating out a challenge for sure. Perhaps you can put together a few simple recipes to give to friends who invite you over.

Thanks Motheroffive: I'll check out your link.

somegalfromcan: me too :)