Might be lactose intolerant...?

[wildr0se2]

I don't think that testing needs to be done in this case. If there is a bad reaction to a product, then people shouldn't eat it. We learned about my daughter's dairy allergy when a neighbor gave her a glass of milk. Her face swelled up like a soccer ball, and her eyes swelled shut. I didn't need to go to an allergist to know not to repeat the experiment.

Oh, I'm so sorry she had an allergic reaction. I hope she's okay!

 

[wildr0se2]

(I feel the need to say that I'm not a medical professional, so treat this all as anecdotal)
Dairy hit me hard a while back as well. It was a similar situation to yours, @wildr0se2. I was bloated horribly. I could literally feel my bloated intestines by rubbing my torso. It was painful and nothing seemed to help. A doctor thought I had symptoms of something worse so I went through a battery of tests, all of which turned out normal. After that, he told me to "cut dairy." I did and all of my symptoms vanished within a week. It felt miraculous. I have avoided dairy since and the nastiness hasn't returned. I know dairy was an issue because I can get some semblance of the same symptoms if I inadvertently consume dairy (which sadly happens now and again). So I became dairy free against my will, but it seems to have had other benefits. I keep reading that human beings aren't really supposed to consume dairy as adults, but we just keep on consuming it out of habit and taste.

After all of this time, no doctor has recommended that I get tested for lactose intolerance. I've never been tested. I tell them my story and they say that's all they need to hear. A few have suggested that if I wanted to be absolutely sure, I could go back to my old diet for a few weeks and see if the symptoms return. I think I know enough from my occasional accidental incidents, so I haven't tried it. I don't want to even chance experiencing that again.

It's pretty easy to avoid dairy once one gets used to it, but it's a personal choice. It has worked out well for me.

No worries, I don't expect medical advice!

I'm glad to know that testing is not required. I'm sorry about the symptoms at the time, though! It's so funny how we grow up being told that having dairy is normal and "good for you", yet it causes a lot of issues for people too...

I remember when I used to have the caramel frappes from Starbucks multiple times a week. My IBS was angry, and I thought that it would get better. I think now that I have IBS plus I'm vegan again, it's much harder for me to be okay with having dairy, physically and mentally. It's not worth putting my stomach through torture just to soothe an impulse. There's a farm in a town away from me that has cows grazing. I pass by it on the bus (I don't drive) and that does it for me. Knowing that trying to be vegan as possible is worth it if it means someday, cows won't have to be limited to grazing and eating hay on a farm.

 

[LoreD]

Oh, I'm so sorry she had an allergic reaction. I hope she's okay!

This happened as a child. She had never had milk until a neighbour gave her milk and cookies. She is 48 and never had never had another episode because she didn't eat dairy again.

 

[4silva]

I didn't know lactose intolerance could cause any symptoms other than digestive upsets (i.e., diarrhea). (such a beautiful word for such an ugly, nasty condition... I think that was first noted by comedian/musician Tom Lehrer (sp?) )

I hate the word 'diarrhea', to me it sounds just like what it is
I even stopped buying Daiya when I learned it was pronounced "die-yah", and not 'day-yah' like I thought!

 

[4silva]

No worries, I don't expect medical advice!

I'm glad to know that testing is not required. I'm sorry about the symptoms at the time, though! It's so funny how we grow up being told that having dairy is normal and "good for you", yet it causes a lot of issues for people too...

I remember when I used to have the caramel frappes from Starbucks multiple times a week. My IBS was angry, and I thought that it would get better. I think now that I have IBS plus I'm vegan again, it's much harder for me to be okay with having dairy, physically and mentally. It's not worth putting my stomach through torture just to soothe an impulse. There's a farm in a town away from me that has cows grazing. I pass by it on the bus (I don't drive) and that does it for me. Knowing that trying to be vegan as possible is worth it if it means someday, cows won't have to be limited to grazing and eating hay on a farm.

Just to let you--those flavorings you get at coffee places give me stomach pains. I last got a mocha from 7 Brew with oat milk and was twisted up! Other than avocado and very spoiled things I have a solid stomach