Lactose intolerance

[SteveTheSpiderPlant]

I suspect I may be lactose intolerant, I have access to a blood glucose monitor so I am doing the bliid sugar test now. If it comes back ad abnormal i will book in with a doctor for a proper test of course.

Does anyone have an experience of being lactose intolerant? Do i have to give uo all diary? How do you manage without cheese!

Lactose intolerance will not show up on a glucose monitor.

The symptoms are diarhhoea and acidic poorly after eating diary. This can be a permanent condition (if you are born without the general needed to make lactase) or temporary after a bad bout of food poisoning.

Good news is there are plenty of lactose free milk and diary products in supermarket now.

Autocorrect changing all my dairy to diary!

Don't give up all dairy, just give up what triggers your symptoms. I can't have milky coffees/yoghurts/quiches but am OK with butter on bread and cakes/biscuits made with dairy.

You should still be fine with goats cheese. I've never bothered with lactofree products.

Oh and watch out for your Vitamin D levels if you cut back on dairy.

I've never bothered with formal testing, GP seemed happy to take my word for it regarding the symptoms I described.

It seems one if the diagnosis tests is to measure your blood sugar, drink milk/lactose soultion and retest your blood glucose over a period of 2 hours. If your glucose rises less than 1.1 then it indicates you are not breaking down the lactose.

I am fairly sure anyway in terms of symptoms that it is lactose intolerance. Very gassy, bloated, stomach pains, loose frequent stool (I wouldnt say quite diarehhoa), heratburn and apparently my breath smells of milk which can also be an indicator.

Would you suggest cutting out all diary and adding things back in ine at a time to see what is a trigger and what is ok? So maybe start eating yogurt first, then give cheese a try etc?

You cN easily find out which dairy products are high and low in lactose from a bit of research and then trial and error.

Hard cheese and butter are very low in in lsctose and unlikely luck to cause a problem.

That is a relief, I was dreading trying to libe without butter and cheese in my life.

I dont think I have a very low tolerance, I can tolerate milk in my tea althoygh if i have a few during the day i do get very windy by the evening. Is that even a thing? Like its built up?

I notice if I eat cream cakes in work, for someones birthday for example I always feel sick all evening. I just put it down to too much sugar/junk but maybe its the cream.

Ok so i started this morning fasting blood of 4.6, drank a large glass of milk.
After 1 hour blood glucose rose to 5 so a 0.4rise.

After another half hour my blood glucose dropped to 4.9

After another half hour (so 2 hours in total) my blood glucose is 4.2 so less than it started. That definitely inficates I havent broken down or absorbed the sugar from the lactose.

Add that to the fact I feel sick and can feel my guts gurgling I think I better book in with the gp.

Bugger!

You won't have to give up on cheese or butter. There are lactose free options for both, including brie, soft cheese, Cheddar and cottage cheese. I know some hard cheeses are meant to be ok to manage, but any lactose at all brings my symptoms back, so I've now been completely lactose free for 7 years now. But it's entirely manageable.

@milkjetmum What do you mean by acidic poorly?

My son is lactose intolerant. I was told that the NHS don't test for intolerances and it's a case of avoiding what makes you sick by trial and error. He takes lactase tablets if he wants to enjoy whipped cream on his hot chocolate at a restaurant but on a day to day level we cut out the stuff that he's sensitive to and he eats a little of what he's fine with. In his case he drinks Lactofree milk and I cook with it eg pancakes. He has a little cheese on pasta (Parmesan is low in lactose) and he generally avoids cream. In public he opts for ice lollies over milkshakes or icecream (just in case)

Sorry autocorrect fail, acidic poop I meant, dd1 had the worst nappy rash before we figured out it was (temporary) lactose intolerance. Presumably less obvious once out of nappies