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[honeybun]

My daughter is convinced she is lactose intolerant.

I really don't know very much about it to be honest and wondered if anyone suffered themselves.

Do we need to get her tested....she has private medical insurance although I would need to check to see if it covers that kind of thing.

Her symptoms are, bloating and nausea after eating things such as cheese (which she ate in large quantities) very gurgley tummy. No sickness or the runs. She has cut all dairy out of her diet and is feeling much better.

I'm unsure of her making this change for good if there is no reason to do so.

Any thoughts ladies.


Honeybun
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[CLKD]

lactose is in cows' milk and many people are intolerant, even small babies

lactose intolerant sufferers find goats' milk products more digestible.  A complete cutting out of ALL dairy products then a re-introduction of food stuffs is usually the way to go - check her Insurance and see if she can be referred to a gut specialist [name escapes me  ] : I can remember ENT Surgeon and Orthopaedic Surgeon  …….. a gastro-bod anyway.

[Scampi]

My daughter is mildly lactose intolerant - she has had no tests, but her GP advised against tests as they can show up things that cause no problems but would cause worry if you knew about them.  The GP did say that DD's symptoms point strongly to lactose intolerance (bloating and nausea if she overdoes the lactose, alleivated by avoiding it - just like your daughter).

My daughter knows when she's eaten too much lactose, so then has a couple of dairy-free days to get it out of system again.  So that she can live how she likes (she LOVES cheese!), Penny uses Lactofree milk (available widely in supermarkets in skimmed, semi-skimmed and whole varieties, and tastes no different to 'normal' milk).  She's also looked into the lactose content of cheese and found (to her delight!) that hard cheeses are pretty low in lactose - soft and cream cheeses are quite high, but she doesn't really like those.

If your daughter feels better for limiting lactose, it's not too onerous to limit it (avoiding it altogether is another matter!), and can't do any harm.  We aren't supposed to eat the stuff after all - human milk doesn't contain it!  If you are concerned about your daughter's calcium intake if she is limiting (or avoiding) dairy - as long as she eats plenty of green veg (leafy ones are best) she'll be fine - I couldn't eat dairy when I was pregnant and my midwife wasn't worried as I ate green veg.

[CLKD]

Or add a calcium substitute to the diet as long as it doesn't contain milk products 

[honeybun]

I think it is a mild intolerance too.

She has found a lactose free cheese that she likes and is drinking the milk that your daughter does.
She feels much better and her tummy does not sound like a washing machine anymore.

She has an otherwise really healthy diet....loves her fruit and veggies.

We have been talking about it and have agreed she should cut it out for a month or so then reintroduce and see what happens.

She does love chocolate though 

I don't think she will need a supplement CLKD as the Lactose free milks etc contain calcium and she also eats loads of vegetables usually in smoothies.


Honeybun
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[CLKD]

That's good!  We can become intolerant to food stuffs for apparently no reasons  .

[Scampi]

She certainly shouldn't need supplements - as you say, lactofree milk contains calcium, and if green veg provide enough calcium during pregnancy, I think they would provide enough when not pregnant!

HB - my daugher can eat chocolate because she keeps her intake down by using lactofree alternatives.  If it's just a mild intolerance, being aware of it and making small adjustments should mean your daughter can carry on eating what she likes, and enjoying meals out with friends, etc, without discomfort. 

[Ju Ju]

My daughter and grandson are both dairy intolerant/ allergic, not just lactose.  I believe my daughter has had issues with dairy since birth. Her stools were constantly loose, terrible nappy rash, so her nappy had to be changed very often and projectile vomiting, but was healthy in every other respect, so there were no investigations. As she grew she had asthma, but not too bad, but made her puffed out if walking up hills, running, but was told she couldn't possibly have asthma as she didn't respond to asthma medication. A nutritionist helped her identify dairy products as the problem. Her breathing improved and she responds to reliever inhalers, but now rarely needs them. If she inadvertently digests any dairy product, she now has violent diarrhoea within a short time. And I mean violent and very sudden. Her son had the same symptoms when introduced to dairy products as a baby, but of course he didn't ingest dairy products through her milk, so it was very clear cut what the problem was. She is intolerant of eggs as well, but her son has no problem with them. The trouble with intolerance/ allergies is they are so individual and can change through life as I have found. With dairy and lactose intolerance though you have to be constantly vigilant when being prescribed medication as the majority of medication prescribed or over the counter contain lactose. Sadly doctors are not aware enough and my daughter had to check every time when she had pre eclampsia. On a brighter note, I do make a delicious dairy/egg free lion birthday cake, having put several recipes together. And there are some excellent allergy free recipe books on the market these days.

[honeybun]

Glad your daughter has it got all sorted out Ju Ju, and your little grandson.

My daughter loves my baking, so I'm going to have a look for other recipes and Mary Berry will have to take a back seat.

I'm glad she has identified what the problem is as it was making her miserable.
Fortunately it's just mild, but enough to give her tummy issues.

Together we will get ourselves sorted out.


Honeybun
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[Joyce]

Having lost many posts after my holiday, forgive lateness in replying HB.  I became lactose intolerant over 10 years ago. Discovered it myself. I ended up getting hospital tests etc as history of bowel troubles on my mum's side, so guess they were being ultra cautious. Fortunately found nothing untoward.

Over the years I've adjusted my diet, easier nowadays with ingredients being clearly marked. Lactose free products I can take occasionally, but have to also take Lactase tablets just in case when eating such things. Detest Soya milk, but the yogurts aren't too bad or the desserts. Many supermarkets do Free From ranges these days & eating out isn't the huge problem it used to be.

Baking hasn't been too much of a problem, just substitute the dairy for dairy free marg & fresh coconut milk & nobody can tell the difference. Even started making lasagne again recently & nobody has been able to tell!

[honeybun]

Thanks CG


Her tummy is now fine....no dairy at all at the moment.

Honeybun
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[Joyce]

Mine used to come & go a bit. Would rest it from dairy & gradually reintroduce, but eventually it would set me off again. I do get the runs though, occasionally bloating beforehand. Hope she manages to cope without too much dairy in her diet. The lactofree range are pretty good.

[honeybun]

She is not finding it too hard, but there is a lot of label reading going on at the moment. I'm sure we will get into a routine in time.

Cheese was her big thing but the lactose one tastes really nice so we are all using it.

The main thing is her tummy has settled.

It's not something that happened suddenly, it's been getting progressively worse for months but now she knows what is causing it she feels much better.

Honeybun
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[Ju Ju]

My daughter and grandson love coconut 'cheese'. Worth trying? Tescos stock it.

[Joyce]

The stock  dairy free individual tiramisu too. Love it! Loaded with calories though. So yummy!