lactose intolerance?

[chelleys]

so i'm 24 and for as long as i can remember anytime i've had any milk or ice cream, it has always left a bad taste in my mouth. i have no problems with cheeses and yogurts. at school when given the choice of white milk and chocolate milk i always chose chocolate milk because it masked the bad aftertaste. i hated when my parents made me drink milk with meals. i never had digestive issues - bloating, gas, stomach aches, undigested food, etc - until about 6 or 7 months ago. i can't even have half a cup of 1% milk with cereal. i tried switching to soy milk and there were no problems stomach-wise. it's just hard to find a really tasty soy milk. my sister suggested to try goat's milk because it's easier for human stomachs to digest vs cow's milk. i only started goat's milk 2 days ago. so far it's not so bad. i don't get the bad taste but still have slight gas and slight stomach discomfort. no bad aftertaste, though. is that still lactose intolerance? or could it be some other kind of dairy protein allergy?

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

It could indicate an allergic reaction. More so if repeated episodes have occurred with consumption of goat milk. Allergic reactions are mediated by IgE antibodies, which are released on exposure to a particular allergen. These in turn activate mast cells and lead to a local response or systemic anaphylaxis. Antihistamines may help to relieve the symptoms.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[brandysnap]

Karalianne makes some good points. I too had avoided milk while growing up because I didn't 'like' it, it was 'slimy'. Now as an adult, my mother told me that I couldn't be breastfed but had to go on formula because I was lactose intolerant. That explains a lot. But it does show that a person will naturally avoid foods that are bad for them, even if they don't have a good reason why.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hi,

Your symptoms of stomach bloating and discomfort could be due to lactose allergy. Keep a food dairy to identify the probable allergens that could be causing your symptoms. The other causes for your symptoms could be due to peptic ulcer disease, GERD (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease) or malabsorption. You can consult an allergy specialist, who will do a skin test to rule out an allergic cause for your symptoms. Hope this helped and do keep us posted. Warm regards.

[Colin4May]

My eldest son has lactose intolerance. Took us a while to diagnose it.. to begin with we thought it was IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Then we saw this video and realised what was happening. This may help you too! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V81uwYDa0Q

[ChitChatNine]

Great Advice!

[karalianne]

I'm lactose intolerant and figured it out through an elimination diet, where I didn't have ANY milk or milk products for a while and then slowly started adding things in. But that was primarily to check to see if I had an allergy or if I was just lactose intolerant.

I don't know if lactase enzyme (LactAid is the popular brand name) is available over the counter where you are, but it's not too expensive (unless you actually buy the brand name, which isn't necessary) so if it is it could be worth giving it a try.

We figured out that I might have an intolerance or allergy because we found out that often, people who have food allergies or intolerances - especially to something like milk, which is available in so many different forms - often really like the item in one form and can't stand it in another form. That made sense for me, because I have always hated milk, but I quite like cheese, yogurt, and ice cream (not vanilla so much, but chocolate for sure).

The reason goat's milk is easier than cow's milk for people with lactose intolerance is that the lactose in goat's milk is already mostly broken down. We don't produce enough lactase, which is the enzyme that lets us digest lactose. That's why taking lactase enzyme right before eating something with milk in it works - it gives us the needed enzymes so we can actually digest our food properly.

I have found - and I'm not totally sure which things here are due to lactose intolerance and which are just weird, because to my knowledge they haven't been studied (or at least, no doctor I've ever mentioned this stuff to has had any idea) - that melted cheddar cheese is harder for me to handle than unmelted cheddar cheese; that marble cheddar is easier on my system than regular cheddar (regardless of the presence of dye - white cheddar is just as hard on me as orange cheddar); that mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses are better than cheddar; and that eating milk products without taking lactase enzymes first during the week prior to my period results in much worse cramping, hot flashes, and diarrhea than if I either take the enzymes or avoid milk completely.

If you are lactose intolerant, you will want to examine food labels very carefully. For example, most flavoured potato chips, soy crisps, etc. have lactose in them to bind the flavour to the chip. This includes flavours like dill pickle and salt & vinegar.

[ChitChatNine]

Hi,

WELCOME!  As I understand from my allergist, goat's milk is close to regular milk for many with milk issues .. same with soy, so don't give up .. if all else fails you can try rice or almond milk if ok with your Dr.

Have you been sick recently with a GI virus at all ?   Sometimes after a stomach virus our body doesn't make enough lactose and we can get a temporary lactose intolerance.

If okay with your Dr., maybe he/she will let you take some LactAid type product before you ingest milk if your Dr feels this is an intolerance to lactose and not an allergy.

Oftentimes this will go away in a few weeks/months with no repeated exposure, but do ask your Doc to be sure.

WELCOME!

I'm sure others will have some more to add...

C~