New lactose intolerance as an adult

[trumpisaflump]

Does anyone have this and can offer any advice? I've had the worst abdominal bloating for around 6 months. I was worried about ovarian cancer it was so bad but luckily that was ruled out with a blood test. During those blood tests my GP picked up I had an underactive thyroid and I've started on medication for this. My bloating is still bad so I've had an endoscopy and I'm just waiting on the results to check for coeliac. In the last few weeks I've cut out lactose and I think this is helping so I'm wondering if I have a new lactose intolerance.
I've switched to lactose free milk. I had some chicken soup earlier today and my stomach has expanded to the size of a house. I checked the ingredients and it contained fresh cream and milk. I didn't even consider this!
Just wondered if I should bother getting this diagnosed or if I simply cut out lactose. Any advice? Thanks

I’ve now got a dairy problem I never had before. I have developed gut problems with foods I was previously ok on. Most annoying. Bloods fine so no link or reason there.

Oddly my friends are of similar age and they are in the same boat. Diarrhoea is a common and new theme with us, all perimenopausal.

It was worth it for me getting a diagnosis becausw people can be quite sniffy as if you’re being trendy but they soon shut up when you say it’s an actual diagnosis. Lots and lots of random things have lactose in them (salt and vinegar crisps?!?) - just get used to checking the labels. You can also get lactase tablets and take them after the first mouthful of lactose food

Thanks. I'm perimenopausal too so I'm presuming it's all linked. I was eating crisps the other day and my stomach started swelling and I read the label and realised they contained milk! WTH? I would never have realised.
Any obvious triggers for you both? Do I need to give up chocolate? 😭

I had to give up all dairy, including milk choc. I miss cheese sooo much!
I’m lucky that I can tolerate a little milk that’s in cakes (like a tablespoon of it in a whole cake so not much in a slice) so I can still enjoy that.
I’m coming to the conclusion that hormones are linked to everything and we are prisoner to their whims! Men dont suffer as much I dont think, so probably not a medical priority to fix! Much like any ‘womens things’. We just have to put up with it. As if it’s nothing. Sigh. America have more expertise with hormones. We don’t have that in the U.K. My friend is in the medical profession and used to be in America and agrees. They are worse than the U.K. in other things though.

It’s not about triggers - anything that has lactose in will cause your body to have a reaction some worse than others. Chocolate is actually one of the worst things I could eat but as I said I’ve always got lactase tablets with me and I lead a normal life

Try the FODMAP diet. That really helps. I went lactose free last year and also followed this diet for a while. I limited foods which could make my stomach worse, and then after a few months started to reintroduce certain foods to see which ones I reacted to.
I now use lactose free milk and yogurts, can't eat mushrooms or tomatoes [ love both ], and the bloating is much better.

I suddenly becamemilk intolerant after I had my daughter but oddly enough she is also dairy intolerant so I think it was just to stop me passing it to her in my breast milk

Cooked dairy tends to be better as it breaks down the molecular strands

Same as @Elieza X

@ComeOnGordon do you mind me asking which lactase tablets you buy? I should maybe get some.
Does anyone add the drops to milk? @Toomboom I keep reading about the benefits of a low FODMAP diet and I've got the Monash app but I'm resisting as I would need to change my whole diet and I just don't know if I can bear it. I'm already restricting my diet so much as I'm avoiding lactose and gluten (until my coeliac biopsy results come back) However if these measures don't work for my bloating then yes I'll need to think about it.
Thanks for the replies everyone. I think chocolate bloats me-I may need to experiment today 😂 I love dark chocolate which I gather is lower in lactose.

@trumpisaflump I never changed my whole diet. I didn't want to go down the whole gluten free/ dairy free for life. It is so restricting. Initially I just cut out various foods which can trigger problems. It is a lot of trial and error.

Read the low FODMAP book and decide for yourself, there are some really good recipes in there too.

I have a mild lactose intolerance - I find that some foods make me feel rotten; others less so. I can tolerate cheese (but not too much) and butter but anything milky/creamy (unless it’s made with lactose free milk) is a complete no. I either feel horribly nauseous or i have to dash to the loo quickly (tmi sorry). I’m sure I’ll have to give up cheese at some point - I was fine with yoghurt until that started making me ill.

Ice cream is my particular problem. I see the affects instantly. Thankfully the increase in veganism means that there are plenty dairy free alternatives out there and it was an absolute joy to be able to eat ice cream this summer for the first time in 20 years!

Effects, even!

@trumpisaflump I’m not in the UK but I’ve heard you can get them from Holland & Barrett. I take one or two depending on what I eat - one tablet has 6000 units (not sure what units) and would be enough for some feta cheese. 2 would be something creamy or milky

@madnessitellyou thanks for the info. That's great you can eat ice cream again! I'm really reluctant to go completely dairy free as I love cheese and yogurts but also because I need calcium for bone protection due to having an early menopause (43). I'd rather get calcium from diet than taking supplements. I'll try and keep an eye on triggers over the next few months.
My issue is I wake up with a gassy, bloated stomach which gradually increased over the course of the day. I don't eat in my sleep so I don't know why this has started happening! Hence the battery of tests.

@ComeOnGordon thanks for that. I'll definitely get some from H&B and see if they help.

You'd need to work out whether it's lactose or the protein in milk that's causing issues. If it's the protein then lacto-free products won't really help as they still have the protein in

@Bellesavage how would I know the difference? Thanks

I guess you'd still have symptoms on lacto-free products. If you think dairy is an issue it might be worth cutting it for a few weeks and reintroducing it though so you're definite that's the issue. AFAIK a lot of people who think they are lactose intolerant actually are allergic to the proteins

Trump - I have recently found that I am probably lactose intolerant too.
I've had this strange burping air for years and more recently (at least a year) have been suffering from lots of bloating and more air in the throat etc. I have also been tested for ovarian cancer and was due to go for further investigations at hospital when I decided to try cutting our lactose. Instant relief - no more bloating or burping air!

@MollyMope that's brilliant for you! Glad you worked it out. I was so worried the bloating was due to something sinister I paid for a private CT scan of my abdomen and pelvis.
I'm really hoping I have 'just' lactose intolerance. I think it might be a combination of hormones, sluggish digestion due to underactive thyroid and lactose intolerance.
Did you have your lactose intolerance confirmed by your GP?

Thanks. I had been really worrying too - went to the doctor so many times, but nothing was showing up.
I haven't been tested - I only switched to lacto-free and and soya milk a few weeks ago, but instantly felt better.

@MollyMope do you still eat other lactose containing foods?

Yep...Been lactose free 5 years and gluten free 4..Had terrible tummy, bowel etc problems and its helped loads

It is, as my teenage daughter would say, 'a thing'.

It started with me after my mother died, and I had a bad stomach bug, and apparently both of these things can be triggers. A few times it came and went away again, but now it is a permanent feature.

When I went to the dr about it, he said that yes this can develop in later life, and that it probably would be settle in for good. Annoyingly, he is right.

I love cheese and eat lots of goats milk cheese, substitute pecorino for parmesan and so on. And at Christmas or for eating out, I take digestive enzymes and that works.