Hi, newbie here. Would love some feedback!

[Gem]

Hi, I just thought I would introduce myself, I was diagnosed with IBS a few years ago, not long after being diagnosed with MS, I was aware that a few people with MS have IBS too, so I just assumed that was me. I was prescribed, Amitrypteline ( an anti-depressant) which did help me on the extreme diarrhoea front anyway (sorry to be graphic!) which was a good thing, as I was beginning to dread leaving the house, anyway, i'm digressing.

For the past month and half, I have had the most awful trapped wind pain and bloating every-day. Nothing would get rid of it, I visited my GP twice, who both times said my pain was none specific and has referred me for a scan. He did say in passing something about lactose intolerance, I thought I'd give cutting it out a ago... I mean it wouldn't do any harm and this pain was getting past a joke.
So from Sunday last week I have cut out all lactose (well the lactose I am aware of!) I am finding more and more products contain lactose, that I never would have thought contained it!
The up shot is the pain has virtually gone, I wasn't expecting a miracle but to me, just to be without this horrible trapped wind is a miracle!
Maybe it's co-incidence but cutting down on the lactose has seemed to do the trick.
As all this is so new to me, I wanted to get in touch with people who know what they're talking about, and would love to hear any feed back to my story! :)
Sorry for the long introduction, I can never stop once I start lol
Gem x

[Copper]

Hi Gem

If cutting out lactose has improved the pain/trapped wind then it sounds like you have lactose intolerance.

I was born with this problem and over the years it has come and gone and now I am totally lactose intolerant.

If you want the simple explanation of what lactose intolerance is this is what I have posted in the past

Lactose intolerance - this is due to the absence of (or very limited amount of ) the enzyme lactase. Lactose is a large molecule and can't be absorbed by the large intestine. The enzyme in the small intestine breaks down this large molecule into two smaller ones. Think of a fine sieve and flour and peas. The sieve is the large intestine, the flour is the two smaller molecules and the peas are lactose. The lactose goes through the system fermenting and so giving me grief ie feel sick for hours, wind. I eventually end up on the toilet.

If you are still not feeling 100% then you need to check for hidden dairy. It is amazing and annoying to see so much dairy in foods. This list here on this site might help when you go shopping and read ingredient lists

http://www.dairyfreeuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=738

If you want help with dairy free alternatives do ask as we are sure to know about them. We specialise in chocolate and ice cream :lol2:

[Gem]

ooooh thank you, I will have a look at that link now :-)

Chocolate I have to confess was my main priority when I took this lactose free diet on lol and I was worried I couldn't eat it anymore! But I found this lovely dark mint choc in Holland and Barrett, dairy free obv, funny cause I didn't think I liked plain chocolate but with mint it's really nice!
I did read on here actually the dispute about Cadbury's Bournville containing milk product or not.
I had a look in Tesco yesterday and all the chocolate they have in the normal aisle says on the back that it may contain or does contain milk, I assume that because I think i'm intolerant and not allergic then a a small quantity won't hurt????? I have no idea lol
It really is un chartered territory for me, all this!
Thanks for the reply :-) xxx

[jill]

Hi Gem. I was very much like you, awful wind, bloating so bad that i looked pregnant, diarrhoea, scared of going out incase I needed the loo, and when I did go out it was only to places I knew and with somebody else in case I was taken ill suddenly. That was all until I realised it was dairy that was causing the problem. I had been diagnosed with IBS, it must have been around 10 years earlier, I think it is just a general term they give for all bowel problems when they don't know the root cause. Anyhow after cutting lactose out, my problems have disappered - unless I have a little slip up.

I didn't use to like dark chocolate but you get used to it. Green & Blacks do a number of dark flavoured varieties and if you have an Aldi nearby it may be worth popping in there and trying some of the Moser Roth chocolate bars.

If you think you can have a little bit of dairy with out being ill then give it a try, only you will know. I think I made the mistake of cutting it out completely and now can't tolerate any.

[Gem]

Hi Jill, thanks for the reply, I'm relieved to know there are people who have similar story to mine and it's not just me... phew lol :)

I did worry about if I cut dairy out completely that I would grow completely intolerant, so I think I'll keep a minimal bit in there and just see how it goes!

I was wondering about Green and Blacks and have been reading a few posts on here about it now having to contain milk in the ingredients.
Some one Emailed them and they say it hasn't changed but they now have to say it contains milk only because it is manufactured on the same line as milk chocolate! PC gone mad I think :unsure:
Anyway I don't think this will concern me too much because, as I have said before I don't think i'm totally intolerant!
I will have a look next time I'm in Aldi for the one you recommended, thank you!
All feedback and hints and tips are gratefully accepted :)
Gem x

[rebecca c]

Hi Gem

I have a IBS diagnosis too. Quite a few intolerences and health problems, I have not managed to get diagnosed for coeliac but think I am as I there is such an improvement without gluten.

I am now having to take a medication with lactose which makes my tummy worse after I had managed to get quite a lot of control but I have found a fibre supplement makes it bearable at the moment. Like Copper I was lactose intolerant at birth, I was told it went away but I have always been poorly and as a child it was ENT stuff which can be a symptom of lactose intolerence too.

My dietician said that rotating in things once every 2 weeks reduces the likelihood of getting more intolerences. I am not brave enough to try with many things but she has been right about other things.

Good luck with it sounds like you are off to a good start

[Gem]

Thank you Rebecca! this is all really weird and wonderful to me at the moment... though not all that wonderful really LOL
I am doing my best, and it seems to be working for me, for now anyway.

[cnc]

Hi Gem:)

Welcome, I'm glad that the lactose free diet seems to be helping you. Lactase enzyme can be helpful if you're out somewhere or there is no option but to have something with lactose in it, as it basically produces the enzyme for you, that people with lactose enzyme lack.
It's handy for medication, which is how I primarily use it, but it's not cheap. I also have problems with milk protein, it affects my asthma, so they think I'm allergic but it's not very straightforward. I've always had problems with milk, but I never realised quite how badly until I was 18- I'd never been able to breathe through my nose!!

It does get easier, and reading labels becomes second nature. It also means most of my meals are freshly prepared rather than ready meals etc...
Good luck and I hope it works out for you.

[Gem]

Thank you for the welcome and the tips CNC! I hade heard of the enyme you're talking about but I don't know much about it... I will look into it as it sounds very handy.

I also have problems breathing through my nose, I have to use a sinus spray a couple times a day... I have done for a number of years now. I had no idea this was somthing related to lactose! :confused:
Wow you learn something new everyday... How long will that take to improve... I have cut out lactose over a week now?

[Copper]

My local health food shop sells lactase capsules. I take these out with me when I eat out. If I am not sure that the food is dairy free I take a couple of capsules before I eat and hope for the best.

I have not been ill after eating out.

[rebecca c]

Cutting out lactose used to make my nose better after 6 weeks. for my nose problems there are many other causes though.

[Gem]

I have bought some lactose enzyme capsules today... boy I hope they work, they cost me £8.99!
I'm sure they will, as so many have advised me about them :)

[jill]

I think I pay something like £6.25 for 30 tablets. They are made by Quest and I get them from a local health food shop, i've never seen them in Holland & Barrett.

[Gem]

I got some of the tablets you told me about and I think they're working... I'm still cutting out dairy as much as I can but if I have had something with lactose/dairy in I have had a couple pills, sometimes I have had the pain sometimes not :-/
Could be something to with the amount of pills to the amount of dairy, I don't know... All I know is, since finding out about lactose and cutting it back the pains have more or less gone! And for that, to me is a miracle! LOL

[Copper]

I have a jar of lactase capsules in my cupboard. I only use these if I make a mistake ( the last time was a few years ago when I used the wrong margarine on a bread roll) and to take with me when I eat out.

I have no idea how many I would need to take if I really wanted to eat some dairy. I really can't cope with the hours of feeling sick and stomach pains after eating dairy, so it is easier for me to stick to the dairy free diet.

[Gem]

I paid £8.99 for the lactase enzyme capsules for 60 in Holland and Barratt . As I don't need to cut out lactose completely (yet!) they seem to be working, but I do only take them when it's unavoidable, as they are expensive so I think cutting back is better than taking the tablets however many times a day and being very skint! LOL

[Copper]

Yes my lactase capsules were expensive too. Another reason not to use them on a daily basis.

[jill]

I only ever take the lactase tablets if I am eating out somewhere and can not guarantee it is completely lactose free. I wouldn't risk eating a creamy pudding or an ice cream even with the tablets. A couple of years back I had 2 or 3 pieces of fudge with 2 tablets and I was still ill within a couple of hours. I would rather go without than be ill.

[Gem]

Yes Jill I found that one out on Saturday night.. I had a tub of my favourite ice cream in the freezer from before I found out about the lactose intolerance, so I thought I'd try it, and in true Gem style I ate half a tub! I took the maximum of 3 tables before hand and I woke up about 6 am with terrible trapped wind pain ( the pain I was getting on a daily basis before)
So no even though you take the tablets they can't possibly break down half a tub of your favourite ice cream! :unsure:
Lesson learned!

I have only just noticed the reply about my blocked nose and had forgotten I had written it ( MS brain!) I was wondering how long it took to go right because I hadn't noticed a change yet... I will see after 6 weeks if it clears up! I hope so as I spend a fortune in decongestant LOL

[clara81]

Hi Gem!

I'm fairly new to this dairy-free thing too. My GP eventually diagnosed IBS and gave me Mebeverine Hydrochloride to take before every meal, and codeine for the times when that doesn't work!

The one really good piece of advice she gave me was that the proteins in cows' milk are different from those in goats' or ewes' milk. If you're still managing small amounts of dairy produce, you might be able to get away with using those. I eat goats' cheese on a regular basis with no ill effects, whereas just a tiny amount of cows' milk can leave me with diarrhoea for days...

Tha bad news is, my consultant (who is lactose intolerant himself) reckons it usually gets worse as you get older...

[Copper]

Welcome to the site Clara81.

There is a chance that somebody with cows milk protein intolerance might develop an intolerance to goats milk protein.

Why is nothing simple, sigh.