Lactose experiences: help me figure out what the f is wrong

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Prak
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Lactose experiences: help me figure out what the f is wrong

Post by Prak »

About two years ago, I came to the conclusion that I'd suddenly become lactose intolerant. As time has gone on, however, it's started to seem like my experience with lactose is drastically more severe than that which people typically refer to as lactose intolerance.

First- so far as I can tell, I can eat a reasonable amount of butter or whipped cream without issue. Reasonable being "the butter on the toast and pancakes in a Dennys grand slam" or "the whipped cream on a fancy Starbucks drink."
However, when I have a few store-bought cookies with whey in them, I experience the following. When I have a scant handful of M&Ms, same.

When I consume lactose, without taking lactase tablets, or not taking sufficient lactase tablets, that night (not right away, it happens at night), I will experience bloating and abdominal pain. Pain is always in my kidney region, and additionally will range between my upper and lower abdomen, and is severe enough that I cannot sleep. I also experience an upset stomach and constipation.

I have no clue what's going on, other than "my body doesn't like something in milk." The overall symptoms sound like lactose intolerance, but most people talk about much milder discomfort than I experience, and the constipation seems to indicate a milk allergy instead.

So... is this consistent with other lactose intolerant peoples' experiences?
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Post by Stahlseele »

My mother has similar issues, and seeing how the lactose tablets do help you as well as her, i'd say yes, it is lactose intollerance and not an actual allergy.
But you should consult a real doctor anyway, not just ask and listen to people on the internet. Have him do an allergy test on you as well as check for lactose intollerance problems.
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Prak
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Post by Prak »

Well, yes, I need to talk to my doctor, but I have to make an appointment for that.
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Post by JonSetanta »

The abdominal pain might be "chronic appendicitis", a debilitating condition I suffered between the ages of 12 and 24 (I was told it was IBS every time in school I would vomit from jogging)

Just a guess. I'm not lactose intolerant, but my sister in law is. She developed it around the same time she began to have trouble with wheat gluten.

Personally, I suspect you're lacking certain bacteria in your stomach or intestine, but get a scan of your appendix just in case. You don't want sudden appendicitis rupture.
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Post by sendaz »

Like Stahlseele said, best to talk to the doc.

While you are seeing the Doc, maybe you should check to see if you are gluten sensitive/ coeliac disease.

Pure whey shouldn't contain any gluten, but some do have peptide bound glutamine derived from wheat protein in them and would irritate someone who was gluten sensitive /coeliac.
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Post by Nachtigallerator »

Just because you experience more pronounced symptoms than other people with (alleged or tested) lactose intolerance does not imply that you must suffer from allergy. The problem usually stems from a reduced activity of the lactose-digesting enzyme lactase in the small intestine, which is progressive as you age. If undigested sugars like lactose stay in your intestine for too long, enterprising bacteria will digest them and produce gas which in turn leads to cramping and discomfort. So your problem is undigested lactose and lactose-eating bacteria.
Now, the important part here is reduced lactase activity, not total lack of lactase activity. Many people can still process some fraction of the lactose they consume, so the intensity of symptoms and amount of milk products tolerable varies from person to person. Your story is completely consistent with you having lactose intolerance, even before we factor in that lactase helps you.


Now, cow milk allergy is a thing that exists, but food allergies as a group are an order of magnitude rarer than lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance is so common that 10-20% of people in europe have it to some degree, as opposed to about 2-3% for food allergies as a group. Cow milk in particular is an allergen that usually occurs in infants and small children, not adults, and usually vanishes before you even reach first grade. You would also probably have other symptoms (like prickling oral sensations and skin reactions). And most notably, lactase does not alleviate cow milk allergy, because allergens are proteins like lactalbumin and casein and lactase just digests the sugar.

You should also not forget that there is widespread confusion about food intolerances and allergies - everyone will get indigestion now and then, but it's become popular to attribute that to gluten or lactose, as is evidenced in this thread. Celiac disease is a serious illness with serious dietary consequences for the rest of your life, and yes, it can cause lactose intolerance. It is also notoriously hard to dismiss when it's been brought up at all, but as long as your GI problems are clearly linked to things that contain milk, garden-variety lactose intolerance is the most reasonable assumption. Definite diagnosis involves entering the small intestine with a gastroscope, so discuss with your doctor if he thinks that's a reasonable course of action.
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Post by Maj »

My mom used to sing a song about how I puked as a baby whenever I drank milk. I don't have severe lactose intolerance, but milk doesn't make me feel great.

Firstly, lactose is a carbohydrate - a natural sugar in milk. Butter is largely the fat from milk, so there's not really much lactose in it (Google says 0.03 grams in a 5 gram serving). Whip cream is the same way (though it does have a little more since the buttermilk hasn't been removed yet). Most cheeses have only minute amounts of lactose because it's been fermented and pressed out.

Pretty much any dairy food you're looking to eat, turn over to the nutrition panel and look at the number of carbs. If it's zero, it doesn't have enough lactose in it to make it on the label. Of course, any added sugar will change the number, but for cheese and such, it makes it really simple.

I can eat fermented dairy products (yogurt, sour cream) without too much of a problem. The cultures added to it make it easier on my digestive system. Some people can't.

Whey protein isn't the same as plain whey. Whey is made of water, protein, other stuff, and lactose. Whey protein is when they take the lactose, the water, and the other stuff out. Whey protein isolate is what you want if you're avoiding lactose. All others may not be lactose free.

Hope that helped. As the other peeps in this thread have mentioned, you probably should get a professional opinion.
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