Another newbie

[Althea]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading the site for a couple of weeks and now I'm taking the plunge and introducing myself. :)

I'm 23 and I've had stomach problems for as long as I can remember. Inflamatory bowel disease runs in my family so it's always been a bit of a concern and I've had lots of tests. I've mainly been treated as having IBS, which is a frustrating thing to cope with because it's such an individual condition and I always forgot to take my tablets. Mostly I just got used to having constant stomach ache and other nasty things...

A few weeks ago, after much badgering by my mother, I knuckled down and did a proper exclusion diet. As soon as I had dairy I had problems. I've found it hard since then to avoid dairy because I'm not used to it and it seems to be in everything I like! :mad: So I've not a had a good run yet but I'm working on it. I've had fun trying all the special things in Tesco and I love lactofree because I've always been a big fan of cheese.

There are two tubs of ben and jerry's in the freezer from before I started the diet and I'm finding it very hard to resist... But I'll know it's worth it when I've had a good stomach for a while.

What's everyone's experiences of lactase supplements? I'm not sure about them because they don't sell them in boots so I don't if they've had any clinical trials. Anyone got any useful info?

[Copper]

Welcome to the site.

I use the lactase capsules when I eat out if I don't trust them to give me dairy free food.

The problem is working out how many you would need to break down the lactose you are going to eat. The other problem is working out how much lactose you can eat before you get ill, in other words how much you can tolerate. In my case I have become totally lactose intolerant so that even the wrong margarine on a roll is enough to make me feel ill :eek:

I find it easier and less stressful to stick to the dairy free diet and use the lactase capsules if I et out or make a mistake at home.

You should also be careful about replacing dairy with all soya. I and my daughter have developed an intolerance to soya despite being careful.

[Althea]

Thanks for the advice, really useful.

Do you know if it's possible to take to many lactase tablets and what happens if you do?

I'm going to try and go completely dairy free for at least a few months before I start experimenting with what I can tolerate. It seems like a difficult road ahead but I'm sure it'll be worth it in the end.