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Lactose Intolerance Advice Needed

Posted , 7 users are following.

bobbs99
bobbs99

Hi all,

I have just been diagnosed with lactose intolerance. After, literally years of suffering, I finally have an answer to my problems. I was just wondering if anyone else out there has this and what you suffered? I mean, this seemingly little thing has caused me to become bedridden! I ate a diet LOADED with lactose prior to diagnosis and honestly felt like I was dying over the last two years in particular. I had severe diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, brain-fog, anxiety attacks...the list goes on... I had my appendix out in Oct 2013 too, which I can't be sure was related, but it was horrendously painful any way!

The symptoms I had, I put down to various things and was convinced I had parasites, which I don't have. I just could not fathom why I was so ill. I had a food intolerance test and eggs came up positive, so I eliminated them from my diet at the time, but I had little relief as I was still eating a high-lactose diet, not knowing that I was intolerant. 

I have now eliminated all lactose AND eggs from my diet and in one day, I felt better. I had no abdominal pain, no urgency to poo, and no headache - which I have literally, constantly had for years. It's remarkable. I also didn't suffer bad dreams, which is so weird, as I have actually become used to my dreams being bad/negative and it became normal for me. It's such a relief to be able to rest without disruption!

Did or do any of you suffer with really bad symptoms down to lactose intolerance? Also, as I am new to this and have had to overhall my diet, does anyone have advice on foods I should avoid, etc?

Thanks! smile

0 likes, 34 replies

34 Replies

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  • homo_dieticus
    homo_dieticus bobbs99

    Posted

    Food should be good for you and it's shocking to find out that something that is part of an everyday diet for most people doesn't agree with you. Thank goodness that you've identified lactose as the problem. You are now entering a dietary minefield and you would be wise to arm yourself with high-quality information. Just be aware that so much of the advice on the internet is marketing in disguise. .The problem occurs when our bodies do not produce enough of the enzyme lactase which breaks down the lactose into simpler digestible sugars. Milk is the only natural source of lactose and even in countries like Japan where the majority of people are lactose intolerant babies can digest lactose. They lose this ability as they grow. Lactose does not occur in meat, fish, fruit, vegetables and cereals despite what some ill-informed people might say. The problem is that lactose is used in many processed foods. Check the labels and look for lactose, whey, dried milk powder for example. Take a look at NHS Choices and similar sites that do not have an axe to grind. By the way, caseins are a group of milk proteins. I think that it is best to be pragmatic about this issue. If you are intolerant of egg protein then things get even more difficult. It's really up to you now to educate yourself about foods that could lead to intolerance. Just checked and the nation's favourite biscuit, KitKat, contains lactose. Looking on the bright side you'll be a lot fitter if you remove all the problem foods from your diet. Sadly, chocolate is on the forbidden list. Good luck.
    • bobbs99
      bobbs99 homo_dieticus

      Posted

      Hi homo dieticus!

      Thanks so much for your advice! Like I told Tiswas, sorry for my ate response - getting used to this diet over the past week or so has been hard given my diet previous to the overhall!

      You've given me a lot to go on. I checked all my supplements and they are okay. I have bought some lactase enzyme supplements, just in case I accidentally eat lactose, though I am being uber careful now. Do you have any thoughts on this supplement? I have yet to take it.

      What you said about being fitter - I am happy about that aspect! And, to be honest, I actually like this new diet, despite it being hard to navigate at times. It's only been a short while though, so I am sure I'll figure things out. smile

      Thanks for the advice on whey and casein too! I was eating a lot of both, hidden within my meals.

      I did worry about the lack of calcium, but I am drinking a lactose-free milk and eating leafy, green veg so I think I am getting adequate amounts. Do you think I should take a supplement just in case? 

      The good thing is I never really ate a lot of butter-type spreads and only had milk in tea, twice a day, but it was the hidden ingredients and my love of cheese products that was my downfall. I read that hard cheeses don't contain lactose, which confused the flip out of me then! I just avoid them entirely though now. My stomach is settling down quite rapidly and energy levels are better.

      I also found a dairy/lactose free chocolate which I bought as I like a little now and then - it's no Cadbury's though lol It reminds me of 'Christmas' chocolate, as I call it - the stuff you get in shiny foil and Advent calendars lol Not much of a fan, but I find the magnesium helps during certain times. If I take magnesium as a supplement, I get side effects, weirdly.

      Any way, thanks again! I am armed with the info I need to proceed through this minefield now and it's getting easier. smile

    • homo_dieticus
      homo_dieticus bobbs99

      Posted

      Slow down Bobbs, you are trying to do too many things at once. You've tracked down your digestive problem to lactose so you've made progress. Why are you worried about phyto-oestogens in soy? Why are you taking Vitamin B10? And what has magnesium got to do with chocolate? What is this business about humans not being able to fully digest red meat? Check out the NHS Choices website for dietary advice and look out for Reference Intake values. You can educate yourself on food and diet.
    • tiswas24537
      tiswas24537 homo_dieticus

      Posted

      if you take magneisum it helps to stop your cravings for chocolate 

      to much soya has negative health issues , dont believe all you read 

      do your own research on sites that not pushing products .

      to much soya in men actuly causes breasts to grow lots of cases in the USA , and theres lots of health issues in women ,one being it can increase the risk of breast cancer. 

       

    • bobbs99
      bobbs99 homo_dieticus

      Posted

      The oestrogen in soy milk, as Tiswas said, can up your risk of breast cancer. Also, too much oestrogen in the body, without the balance of progesterone, can make pain feel worse if you suffer, like I do, with inflammation and pain in my joints.

      Red meats stay in the digestive tract much longer than other foods and have been linked to bowel cancer. Hence, you should keep them to a minimum.

      Chocolate is rich in magnesium, which helps with period pain. I have found that, since I was a teenager, eating a bit of chocolate helps a lot. If you take magnesium as a supplement, it can cause diarrhoea - it's a natural laxative.

      I don't take Vitamin B10, I take B12 as I am deficient and suffer pernicious anaemia if I don't get enough. Basically my body cannot process the B12 and take it as a nutrient, so I have to take higher amounts each day to be able to get enough in my body to avoid the symptoms of pernicious anaemia.

      I read the NHS website articles all the time, but I do prefer to keep up with medicine by reading new studies and going intuitively on what I feel is correct according to my body's reactions.

    • bobbs99
      bobbs99 tiswas24537

      Posted

      I agree with you on that, tiswas. I tend to read unbiased studies and listen to people who won't benefit from my eating their product.

       

    • tiswas24537
      tiswas24537 bobbs99

      Posted

      you do know theres a range of lactose free products not just milk .

      did u find the dairy free chilled range at tesco's

    • tiswas24537
      tiswas24537 bobbs99

      Posted

      i think its only the dark chocolate that has magneisuim in

      did you know you can buy a high does  b12 patch 

      and a sublingual b12 that goes straight in to the blood stream when stuck under the tongue thus avoiding the stomach which reduces your the effectivness so you have to take a large does to get the does that you need, 

  • homo_dieticus
    homo_dieticus bobbs99

    Posted

    Just thought of a couple of things. Whey is the liquid that's left from the manufacture of cheese. Because lactose is soluble in water whey contains a lot of lactose. It depends just how intolerant you are of lactose but bear in mind that lactose is also used as a diluent in many medicines, tablets and capsules An important point that I missed is that milk is a very important source of calcium. If you try soya milk check that has added calcium. I would advise you contact the Vegan Society for information. Personally I would not be a Vegan because you are making a rod for you own back. It's a potential dietary nightmare. To illustrate, capsule shells may be made of gelatin.
  • annie13856
    annie13856 bobbs99

    Posted

    Heyya,

    Just went through your post. I havent diagnosed my LI test but I probably doubt that I'm lactose intolerant. I got the same problems like you shared above .. I had quit taking eggs since last 11 years..but didnt realize that intake of the dairy products were also the cause of stomach cramps.. I wanna quit dairy products but couldn't resist when I see them in front... How is it possible to quit dairy products... Please help..

    • bobbs99
      bobbs99 annie13856

      Posted

      Hi Annie!

      Try going without as many dairy products as possible, but try Lactofree products by Arla. They are essentially dairy, but minus the lactose. Also, if you want to eat something with lactose in - a chocolate bar or something, try taking one or two lactase enzyme capsules. You can get them most places, but try Amazon. That's what I do because I love cheeses and chocolate lol I avoid lactose in my butter and milk, but dairy-free chocolate is pretty gross lol

      By the way - eggs don't contain lactose, they are just classified as dairy, so maybe eggs aren't your problem, but lactose??

      Hope you feel well soon! x

    • annie13856
      annie13856 bobbs99

      Posted

      Thank you for suggestions ☺

      Im grateful to get these tips 😊

      Got few questions .. Will I be tagged as a lactose intolerant for the rest of my life? Won't I be felree from this proble

      Aww , so egg doesn't contain

  • marieelle199
    marieelle199 bobbs99

    Posted

    Same issue but my symptoms weren't as bad 

    I would have horrible abdominal cramps and gasses I would have a huuuuge belly and tension inside caused me to cry and feel like vommiting when I cut on dairy it felt wonderful but still i needed a subsitute for calcium cos I was 18 when I discovered i'm lactose intollerent and my bones were still building so I started taking lactose free products and they suit me well most ppl with this intollerence like in your case which i guess was severe can't even tolerate lactose free products 

    something else that really helped my digestion issues that im still fighting is probiotics they give me a great deal of relief 

    you need to find a good substitute for calcium and magnesium like greens and vegetables and fruits 

  • Karen7104
    Karen7104 bobbs99

    Posted

    I have done process of elimination and figure I have become lactose intolerant as well as hormones out of balance. I get horrible cramps after consuming dairy. What has anyone used to relieve the stomach cramps due to reaction to lactose? Help

    Karen

  • alex55038
    alex55038 bobbs99

    Posted

    I have suffered from lactose intolerance for 10 years...  But most of my symptoms are now managed.. I need to share with all of my fellow sufferers about LactoFreedom.  It's a probiotic basically... I wouldnt' call myself cured, but pretty close to it.

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