Lactose intolerance, gallbladder-less or ibs??- about 4 weeks pregnant

[Candycandle]

Hi everyone,
I found out I was pregnant about 2 days ago. However, the last week or more, everytime I have dairy it goes through me. I already have ibs. Do you reckon my ibs is playing up or do you think I may have become lactose intolerant? Is that even possible this early into pregnancy as I know some ladies have said pregnancy can bring on lactose intolerance... But this early? This will be my 3rd child and I had both my boys before I had my gallbladder removed. I was very sick with both of them but I never had any intestinal trouble. I'm so confused what is making my tummy so upset. Any advice would be greatly appreciated- anything I can eat etc.

thanks in advance

Could you have coeliac disease? I think you should have a test. Pregnancy hormones can trigger coeliac disease to begin or to worsen. It is often misdiagnosed as IBS, and lactose intolerance is a common side-effect. No-one should ever be diagnosed as having IBS without excluding coeliac (via a test) first.

You need to be eating plenty of gluten for the six weeks before the blood test, so don't let anyone suggest you cut out gluten before being tested.

Thank you. I will google the symptoms and see if they fit. If they do, shall I just phone the Dr and just plain ask for a test or...?

I used to suffer from ibs quite badly in my teens, though rarely do now. However in my first pregnancy instead of morning sickness I had diarrhoea. Turns out it is quite a common symptom of early pregnancy, but less talked about. It ha not really affected me in my second pregnancy. Is it possible it is just this? It passed after the first trimester or so.

One of my first pregnancy symptoms is always what I affectionally call loose stools! Lasts till about week 8... I also generally suffer from ibs...

You can look at the Coeliac UK website for details on symptoms. They're actually running a campaign right now on 'Could I be Coeliac?' (only 25% of sufferers in the UK have a diagnosis).

If you look at their webpage about diagnosis, it will tell you what to do. But in your situation, I would go armed with the NICE guidelines . These are the guidelines that all NHS doctors must follow when deciding whether to offer a test or not. You are quite clearly entitled to the test from your symptoms and/or the fact you've been told that you have IBS.

I've always found that any GP who meets a polite patient armed with NICE guidelines immediately (and equally politely) orders the relevant test. But if the doctor suggests any other action (e.g. suggests that you cut foods out of your diet and see what happens), then say, politely - no, that's not recommended by NiCE, I would like the blood test.

Also ask for a full blood count (i.e. for anaemia) and B12 / Vit D deficiency, as these are very common in coeliac disease, because the body can't absorb the nutrients. Since you're pregnant, it's particularly important to know about any deficiencies.