another newby!!

[dawn]

hello!
another newcomer to the site and im sutiably impressed!!!
thought i was the only one going through the symptoms described by others on this site what relief to know im not abnormal!!!
i ve suffered with excema for a number of years and its got progressively worse to the extremes that i cant go through a day with out reaching for some version of steroid cream. it s got to the point where my occupational health doctor has said i may need to give up nursing as my hands are often open and bleeding.( though sometimes on a very busy night shift that sounds appealing!)
i went to my doctors yet again for another ton load of steroids and had to see a locum dr who suggested milk might be the underlying cause and to omit it from my diet for a week. within 2 days i saw a difference!!! though its so so hard!!!! any tips out there from you experienced milk free ers?? what do u do when eating out and going away on holidays????

[rebecca c]

Hi Dawn,

If you are noticing improvements after just 2 days thats really good, it takes me quite along time to get over even small amounts of dairy or soya.

I am one of the worst on this site to ask about eating out as I am a chicken when it comes to asking or phoning ahead which is what other people do and they generally get a good response. When I stayed at a hotel recently I sent an email to let them know of my main intolerences and they were brilliant and prepared a seperate menu just for me.

On longer holidays I tend to self cater if I can, as the hidden ingredients tend to build up and make me ill so its good to be able to return to my basic diet.

Keep it up and keep posting and asking questions.

Beccy

[cnc]

Hi, welcome to the site :)

Glad to hear you're experiencing such an improvement.

I eat out quite a lot, and will get back to you tomorrow about this and other things,(I need to sleep urgently) just thought I'd welcome you to the site, hope you stay around, and keep us updated!!

[dawn]

hi beccy
thanx for that! i have booked to go to china in june before i realised i had a milk intolerance and dont know how ill manage for 2 weeks! dont want to spend a fortnight being miserable, itchy and bloated but dont know what the alternatives are.
what do you use as a cheese substitute? have used goats cheese but no good for me and i defo need a cheese fix every now and again!
i never realised that milk was in so many different things. shopping takes twice as long as it used to do and end up coming out of the supermarket sulking because i cant have all the things i love. i also have to shop in asda which is a good 20 min drive away because our local supermarket morrisons is rubbish and does nt stock hardly any milk free products.
dont i witter on!!!!!
should just be grateful we ve discovered whats causing my symptoms:)

[dawn]

thanx for the welcome claire!
will look forward to your tips on eating out. its one of my great passions and have had to advoid it for the past couple of weeks, because i just dont really know yet what i can and cant have.... my husband managed to get out of forking out for a expensive valentines meal!

[cnc]

Hi,
I'm a bit more alive this morning, so can probably just about string a coherent sentence together!!

Eating out: Either phone ahead or if you're going out on a whim, make sure you ask at the beginning what is dairy free, (I once had a manager of a restaurant come out to see me!!). Cafes and stuff like that tend to be the hardest to get something safe to eat. But in restaurants that make the stuff by hand then it shouldn't be a problem. Also trust your instincts. I went out for a birthday meal and had phoned and called in in advance, and was happy with the response I got so we booked, but if they had been unsure then I wouldn't have bothered.- Put your health first (I've walked out of cafes and stuff that I didn't trust).

Going abroad, depends on where you are going. If its somewhere that has english speaking staff then its a bit easier. If its not then make sure you take a translation of the phrase 'No Dairy' with you!!
I think I remember reading on your profile that you were going to China (sorry was being nosy!!), places like that you shouldn't have too many problems, as traditional Chinese medicine doesn't support the use of dairy so I'd assume that the culture would reflect this. Not sure that makes much sense, but basically Western countries are those that are most obsessed with dairy products, so going away from those, you should have less of a problem, just make sure you are prepared, and don't be afraid to ask.
Milk intolerances shouldn't stop you travelling- I spent a fortnight in Florida over Summer, and intend to spend six weeks in Madagascar this Summer, and have a week in the Algarve in four weeks.
The other thing I'd suggest you consider is lactase enzyme tablets, they work for a lot of people with milk intolerances, they're not that cheap, but if they work for you, (test them before you go away relying on them), and then if you end up in a situation where you're not sure if things are dairy free, then you can take the tablets before hand, and they should help.
Cheese- I use tofutti melting Mozarella slices (not the best thing, but they melt, so can be used for cheese sauce easily, and they don't go mouldy, unlike other cheeses) and they don't taste too bad either.
Morrisons at home stocks- pure margarine and soya milk, the essentials really!! You can always internet shop....

Hope this information makes some sense. I'm aware that its probably all a bit confusing, so if you need something clarifying just ask!!

Edit: Sorry I didn't realise this post had got quite so long!! I do apologise :) (Now if only I could write an essay as quickly as it took me to write this post!!)

[ellsie]

Hi Dawn:bwelcome:. Luckily chinese don't use milk in their cooking so guess where I go to eat out! They do have some additives in their food but milk is not commonly used.

[Nic]

Welcome Dawn!

I have exactly the same problems with dairy as you (truly nasty eczema) but I worked it out about 15 years ago (actually started acting on it properly ten years ago, slow learning curve!), so I've had a lot of dairy free practice.

Eating out, I suggest:
Japanese (everything is OK except some types of batter, very easy to avoid)
Chinese (similarly, though be careful of lactose in soup stocks eg Wagamama's pork stock, though their vegetarian stock is OK)
Thai (fantastic - they even do puddings made from coconut milk!)
Pub grub (steak and chips is usually safe, and if its a good pub where they cook from scratch you'll be OK. Don't even *try* Wetherspoons, they have no idea what they're reheating)
French (just don't even try - the vegetables will have butter on, all the sauces will have cream...)
Italian (pizza without cheese is fine as long as its not Pizza Hut, pasta with any type of tomato-based sauce is fine)

My favourite is Japanese - I'm a sushi junkie - but there are *lots* of options. I do live in London, which probably helps. Though I spend a fair amount of time in deepest Devon, and find that the pubs here are more helpful, and are prepared to go and check packets / with the cook, which just isn't the case in London.

I hope that's all useful. If you do have any more questions (like specific substitutes or recipes) I'm sure someone here will be able to help.

Nic

[Pam]

Hi Dawn, welcome to the site, I'm glad your new diet is making you feel better. I'm in West Yorkshire so not too far away from you.

I do all my shopping in Morrisons, they have alternative milks, yoghurts and ice cream, ours has a small free from section. I use health food shops for cheese and vanilla provamel desserts but don't get much other special stuff.

I don't care for dairy free cheese and only use Tofutti slices to top pizza or lasagne but don't bother otherwise. Perhaps you could try goat/sheep cheese or buffalo mozzarella might not cause you problems. You need to experiment. You will probably only get it online or in health food shops. (Goodness Foods Direct do chilled products by mail order). Some people use nutritional yeast instead of cheese to get the same (-ish) flavour.

[Fozzybear]

Nic, the Wetherspoons here is quite good and have allergy info for all their meals (which I also get off their website). I've only tried a few of the meals they say are ok but haven't been ill from them yet. The minted lamb burger and battered onion rings are especially good! Maybe you could write to Wetherspoons if your local is not up to scratch?

Dawn, I haven't been on a full holiday since being ill but when I go out for the day I always take some sandwiches. We sometimes go for a meal in Wetherspoons but I haven't eaten out anywhere else - I'm too paranoid about getting ill again. It is really hard when you start but I got a lot of tips of what to look for here and that makes a big difference. Once you get over the initial "oh my god - I can't eat ANYTHING" panic and start being able to pick out some of the good and bad foods then you'll be ok. Hang in there.

[Nic]

Fozzybear - I meant that there's no use asking any of the people in Wetherspoons if the food is all right, because they have no clue. I agree that the website is very good, but unless you've checked beforehand and either written down or memorised what you can have, its no use. Unless you have on of those posh phones that can do the internet, I suppose...

Nic

[cnc]

You can print off the lists from the Weatherspoons website. (unless its not working, which I've had issues with several times)

[Fozzybear]

The Chelmsford wetherspoons always has a recent copy of the allergy list in the kitchen but I always look at the website or print off a copy before I go. Judging from the different wetherspoons pubs I've been in the food is all identical (which is why they can put up a list on their site) so armed with the list you should be ok.