Lactose intollerance gets worse anyone?

fortysixpounds
fortysixpounds Posts: 419 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Anyone find lactose intollerance gets worse over time? The last two times I've accidentally had dairy it's been severe, lock myself in the bathroom for hours bad and write off the next 36 hours to exhaustion, nausea and general sicky feeling. The reaction is 100 times worse than it used to be. Seems totally crazy that this happens over the tiniest amount of dairy, anyone else going through this?

Replies

  • Nikiki
    Nikiki Posts: 993
    yup! there's been studies that show that most adults develop at least a mild form of lactose intolerance as they age and many allergies can get worse with time. My theory (entirely unprofessional of course, I have no medical expertise just my own experiences) is that the less you eat it the more likely you are to have a bad reaction. I was never lactose intolerant but my husband is so I started using milk less and now I can't drink it at all!
  • LisaKC
    LisaKC Posts: 328 Member
    You might want to get tested for food allergies. I was lactose intolerant for years and years, and then suddenly found myself getting ill often. I learned that I was still lactose intolerant, but also allergic to some dairy products that didn't cause me any grief in the past. Sorry to hear you've been ill. Been there, done that, and I've very sympathetic. Hang in there!
  • olliekat3
    olliekat3 Posts: 1,803 Member
    I had surgery about three years ago and ever since then I have had lactose intolerence. It has gotten to were I have to be careful and not eat dairy. Although sometimes I forget and have a little cheese and it doesn't bother me, other times it does. Your sounds very severe, you might want to check with your Doctor and see what is going on and if you can get any help with the problem. Take care.

    Lynn
  • dovek11
    dovek11 Posts: 94 Member
    Yes! And I also have intolerance to any form of corn... reacting like you! Since avoiding it, my body became super sensitive, and a minuscule amount nearly kills me. Makes me super careful in food choices. It truly sucks!!!!
  • seajasna
    seajasna Posts: 19 Member
    My teenage son and I are Lactose intollerant and it gets worse over time for us too. My son gets sick for over a week with nausea. He has lost so much weight this year ( close to 50lbs). We are so careful to read ingredients, but he gets delayed reaction not instantly like I do and then it's too late. I have also become allergic to chocolate,coconuts ,certain nuts and even certain fruits. Just plain crazy!! Definately learning new alternatives. Earth Balance carries some great products to cook and bake with. So grateful for alternatives!!
  • stines72
    stines72 Posts: 853 Member
    Everyone is lactose intolerant naturally. We are not supposed to drink cow milk it is not natural. That especially makes sense if you consider you need a tolerance to it in order to drink it lol

    And yes it will get worse the longer you go without lactose containing products... Hence the word "tolerance"
  • fortysixpounds
    fortysixpounds Posts: 419 Member
    Everyone is lactose intolerant naturally. We are not supposed to drink cow milk it is not natural. That especially makes sense if you consider you need a tolerance to it in order to drink it lol

    And yes it will get worse the longer you go without lactose containing products... Hence the word "tolerance"

    Yes I do know all that. There's no need to get up on a high horse about it. I have been lactose intollerant for a while and I am good at managing it. However mistakes happen, usually at the hands of family members cooking things in alternatives that contain buttermilk and not realising. But a little slip up in the past would have made me a bit ill now causes a very severe reaction that goes on for days. Hence my question if others have experienced the same.
  • wtfusernameisnttaken
    wtfusernameisnttaken Posts: 192
    Everyone is lactose intolerant naturally. We are not supposed to drink cow milk it is not natural. That especially makes sense if you consider you need a tolerance to it in order to drink it lol

    And yes it will get worse the longer you go without lactose containing products... Hence the word "tolerance"

    Yes I do know all that. There's no need to get up on a high horse about it. I have been lactose intollerant for a while and I am good at managing it. However mistakes happen, usually at the hands of family members cooking things in alternatives that contain buttermilk and not realising. But a little slip up in the past would have made me a bit ill now causes a very severe reaction that goes on for days. Hence my question if others have experienced the same.

    My dad has bad reactions like that as well. He's a trucker, so you can imagine the headache it causes him. I've never really liked milk, it always made me a little queasy ... but as I've gotten older, it makes me have similar reactions to what you're talking about, though not quite as severe.... I've very quickly switched to Silk/Almond milk and am without problems. But like you say, unknowing family members.... Good Luck.
  • MemphisKitten
    MemphisKitten Posts: 878 Member
    My daughter has it. It scared me when it started getting worse. Now she drinks Vanilla Almond Milk and LOVES it!! Just a suggestion. :wink:
  • fortysixpounds
    fortysixpounds Posts: 419 Member
    My teenage son and I are Lactose intollerant and it gets worse over time for us too. My son gets sick for over a week with nausea. He has lost so much weight this year ( close to 50lbs). We are so careful to read ingredients, but he gets delayed reaction not instantly like I do and then it's too late. I have also become allergic to chocolate,coconuts ,certain nuts and even certain fruits. Just plain crazy!! Definately learning new alternatives. Earth Balance carries some great products to cook and bake with. So grateful for alternatives!!

    Oh my gosh that is severe!!! I hope that this gets more manageable for him!

    It depends what you mean by allergic reaction but I notice that the foods that you mention above are all Ibs triggers. Ibs and lactose intolerance go hand in hand a lot of the time. You may know all this already but I thought I'd mention it just in case because it could be important. I also can't eat any of the foods you listed.
  • fortysixpounds
    fortysixpounds Posts: 419 Member

    My dad has bad reactions like that as well. He's a trucker, so you can imagine the headache it causes him. I've never really liked milk, it always made me a little queasy ... but as I've gotten older, it makes me have similar reactions to what you're talking about, though not quite as severe.... I've very quickly switched to Silk/Almond milk and am without problems. But like you say, unknowing family members.... Good Luck.

    God, I can't imagine how hard that must be out on the road with it! yikes. Yea mostly replacements with soya/almond help a lot but yea you do get the occassional family dinner where somebody just thinks you're being overly picky and lies about whats in the dinner....never ends well lol.
  • LaLouve_RK
    LaLouve_RK Posts: 899 Member
    I am lactose intolerant since born... It was bad... but I was stubborn. 30 plus years later, it almost disappeared. It can take a week of major diary intake before I get a crisis, if I get one. And it's a minor crisis: my tummy hurt and diarrhea.
    Probiotics as help a lot, I will prefer Activia to a normal yogurt for exemple.
    It depends on the person, it's like allergies, some disappears some appears, some are mild some severe....
  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
    I've had lactose intolerance since my late teens, and my children have it, too. In my case, this extends to butter but not cheese. We've switched to nondairy milks. I use soy milk and my son uses almond milk. I've become very wary of other people's cooking and have had to skip baked treats brought to work by friends. My motto is when in doubt, don't. There is a product that helps. Lactaid will reduce the gas and bloating if taken promptly, before or right after consuming the dairy. It will also help after you notice you're miserable, but not as much as if you'd taken it sooner. I have a weakness for ice-cream and handle it much better with a couple of Lactaid pills.
  • LaLouve_RK
    LaLouve_RK Posts: 899 Member
    Everyone is lactose intolerant naturally. We are not supposed to drink cow milk it is not natural. That especially makes sense if you consider you need a tolerance to it in order to drink it lol

    And yes it will get worse the longer you go without lactose containing products... Hence the word "tolerance"

    FYI: there is lactose in mother's milk.... Intolerance is not because we are not supposed to drink or eat it. Some are Gluten intolerant, some are bran intolerant... intolerance is like a form of allergy. Better check your infos....
  • LaLouve_RK
    LaLouve_RK Posts: 899 Member
    Also FYI: Lactaid pills are very effective unless the intolerance becomes an allergy.

    http://www.lactaid.com/

    FYI2: Lactose is the sugar in the milk....
  • stines72
    stines72 Posts: 853 Member
    Everyone is lactose intolerant naturally. We are not supposed to drink cow milk it is not natural. That especially makes sense if you consider you need a tolerance to it in order to drink it lol

    And yes it will get worse the longer you go without lactose containing products... Hence the word "tolerance"

    Yes I do know all that. There's no need to get up on a high horse about it. I have been lactose intollerant for a while and I am good at managing it. However mistakes happen, usually at the hands of family members cooking things in alternatives that contain buttermilk and not realising. But a little slip up in the past would have made me a bit ill now causes a very severe reaction that goes on for days. Hence my question if others have experienced the same.

    oh i wasnt getting antsy or anything sorry if it came off that way
  • stines72
    stines72 Posts: 853 Member
    Everyone is lactose intolerant naturally. We are not supposed to drink cow milk it is not natural. That especially makes sense if you consider you need a tolerance to it in order to drink it lol

    And yes it will get worse the longer you go without lactose containing products... Hence the word "tolerance"

    FYI: there is lactose in mother's milk.... Intolerance is not because we are not supposed to drink or eat it. Some are Gluten intolerant, some are bran intolerant... intolerance is like a form of allergy. Better check your infos....

    yes but we dont drink breast milk after infancy
  • LaLouve_RK
    LaLouve_RK Posts: 899 Member
    Everyone is lactose intolerant naturally. We are not supposed to drink cow milk it is not natural. That especially makes sense if you consider you need a tolerance to it in order to drink it lol

    And yes it will get worse the longer you go without lactose containing products... Hence the word "tolerance"

    FYI: there is lactose in mother's milk.... Intolerance is not because we are not supposed to drink or eat it. Some are Gluten intolerant, some are bran intolerant... intolerance is like a form of allergy. Better check your infos....

    yes but we dont drink breast milk after infancy

    Newborn's get lactose intolerant (Like I did day 1).... lactose is the sugar in the milk.... nothing to do with cows, goats or humans.
  • kmadki4
    kmadki4 Posts: 20 Member
    @ RavenKellie

    Actually, we are born with the enzyme lactase so that we can break down and utilize our mother's milk which contains lactose. As we age, this enzyme decreases in number and efficiency. Some people make no more lactase, hence the intolerance. Milk is not something that our bodies were made to drink past infancy. Do I still eat and drink dairy? Yes, but that doesn't mean our bodies are engineered to continue with it.
  • LaLouve_RK
    LaLouve_RK Posts: 899 Member
    @ RavenKellie

    Actually, we are born with the enzyme lactase so that we can break down and utilize our mother's milk which contains lactose. As we age, this enzyme decreases in number and efficiency. Some people make no more lactase, hence the intolerance. Milk is not something that our bodies were made to drink past infancy. Do I still eat and drink dairy? Yes, but that doesn't mean our bodies are engineered to continue with it.
    Ah! Facts! Finally!
    But the number doesnt decrease in everyone. And yes, I admit that if you follow logic, mammals, like dogs for example, will stop mother's milk at about 1 month 1/2... Theres a reason for that.
    Still... I will never say "we werent made to" ... with all the intolerance and allergies in this world ... what are we made for? And we are evolving. Even though some other intolerance and allergies are taking over.

    Here is a interesting article on the fact you are telling me: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/2009-08-30-lactose-intolerance_N.htm

    The question remains, why some are totally tolerant... as one said... continue to take diaries.... your body will evolve... if you are up to the challenge that is.
    I was stubborn, suffered horrible cramps, but I am ok now. Still, if I know I will ingest enormous amount of cheese or ice cream for exemple, I pop a Lactaid pill.

    Diary is everywhere.... I would laugh to see a prescription on them: Do not ingest after 5 years old.

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