swellmomma Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Give me all the reasons the following is not related to dairy so I can continue having it happily. Background: I have had IBS symptoms for most of my life. I underwent some testing as a teen(xray with barium swallow etc) but refused to have a barium enema or colonoscopy done, testing was being done to rule out crohn's/colitis as my nana had and a cousin has this. Dr said they couldn't rule it out without the testing I was refusing, but given my symptoms he was more inclined to think it was IBS instead anyway. Also, we discovered that one of the main triggers for ds9s encopresis, and dd5s constipation was dairy, and dd13 had a bad allergy to it as a baby but can now have it as long as she doesn't over do it. So the current situation. I have been having a major major flare of IBS symptoms, it is not fun at all. The biggest thing I have realized is that they have been the same day I have consumed dairy. I had not consumed it in a while, with 2 kids off dairy, 1 who only can handle small amounts and just th general price of it I have not been buying cheese, yogurt, sour cream etc. I was only buying 2L cartons of milk but ds14 was inhaling them, and dd having a bit before I ever had any. The only dairy I have been having up until a few days ago was the splash of creamer in my coffee. I usually had to run for the washroom about 20 minutes after my morning coffee, but I assumed it was the caffiene triggering the need (and it likely was, caffiene is horrible for IBS but great for waking up). Anyway recently I have been craving milk and since it is just ds and I home I have been able to get a few glasses from each carton. I noticed that the days I drank milk I spent several hours needing to run for the bathroom. And tonight same issue when I had some ice cream, I very very rarely have any, I have never been a big fan. But tonight I had an ice cream sandwich and within 20-30 minutes I had IBS symptoms. I am starting to think the dairy consumption is tied to the symptoms but would rather remain in denial. I am not eating/drinking huge amounts of it like I did when I was younger, but I do go through cravings for a cold glass of milk, or for a grilled cheese sandwich, or cheddar scalloped potatoes, or an ice cream etc. I don't want to give up all dairy like my 2 youngest had to, but the level of symptoms I have been having are something I want to avoid going through again. So give me every explaination of what is triggering the IBS symptoms other than the dairy. Help me stay in denial please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Sorry sweetie. I denied it for a year, and it did not help the problem. Sounds like a dairy problem. I like almond milk. I miss ice cream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 It sounds like Lactose Intolerance to me. If I were you, I would test out organic yogurt and some of the aged cheeses (Cheddar, Parmesan, etc.). I have LI but I can eat those without any trouble. The reason being, the live cultures in yogurt eat the lactose, which is a sugar. Same goes for aged cheese. The more aged, the less lactose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I get to deal with all that too every time I dare to consume store bought dairy. Sorry, it's probably the dairy. That's one of the reasons I got a cow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 Ugh! This is not helping me stay in denial...I have tried my kids almond milk, it is disgusting, not sure how they think it is great. Although they like soy cheese and yogurt too and just the smell of those makes me want to yak. I will have to try the aged cheese and see. I don't eat yogurt, never liked it even as a baby so can't test with that. I can't get a cow, town bylaw won't even allow backyard chickens, though I would love to see the look on the bylaw officers face when they see a backyard cow lol. Man, no fair. so the choices are accept the symptoms and plan for them if I must consume dairy, or stay away from it, bah humbug, I don't wanna. Funny I have no problem making dietary changes to keep the kids healthy, but for myself it is way harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Sorry. Deny the denial! There are tasty non-dairy milks. I don't know if you can have nuts but we like almond milk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countrygal Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Dairy can be a big factor, but some people can tolerate cheese (the proteins are broken down by enzymes) and not fluid milk. I love almond milk, good for coffee, too. You may want to switch that to decaf as caffeine is a stimulant! Maybe just do a trial of no dairy, then add in just cheese occasionally if you really like it. I think I could live without most dairy if I could just have the cheese (pizza.....) Also, sugar is a huge aggravator of IBS. I thought I could never live without sweets, but I actually find that I don't desire them like I use to, and don't enjoy them as much when I have something. It's just the withdrawal that stinks. Here is an article from a nutritionist that explains a lot, and what you can do about it. http://karenhurd.com/pages/healthtopics/specifichealthconcerns/ht-shc-inflammatoryboweldisease.html She has a lot of good articles actually, if you have time to read them. Alternative medicine has answers that conventional medicine does not (usually) have. I know a girl (12) that was in the hospital because her colitis was so bad and nobody knew what they could do for her. Her mother saw this lady and they follow her diet and she has been doing so well (it's been 6-7 years.) She can't tolerate any sweets (even honey) but she does eat some fruit. She eats cheese and has goat's milk instead of cow's. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 There are lots of different kinds of milk. I would systematically try them to see what you like. Have you checked out Vitamin D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 My doctor thought my IBS was dairy related, but in my case it turned out to be grains. I've heard from others who said they thought they were lactose intolerant, but once they gave up grains then they found that they could tolerate dairy. So, it might be worth an experiment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I will say though that I've recently discovered that my IBS is triggered by nightshades. Then I discovered that they thicken skim milk with potato starch (a nightshade)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 I will say though that I've recently discovered that my IBS is triggered by nightshades. Then I discovered that they thicken skim milk with potato starch (a nightshade)! that is interesting to find out. It is skim milk I have been drinking. Something more to check out. That would suck if it was that because I have been following your progress cutting those out and it seems hard. I will not be switching to decaf coffee though, even though it is a stimulant and can make IBS worse I need it to function. My adrenals are still healing and without the coffee I can't function properly(nothing like having trouble staying awake when you have to drive highways everyday, without the coffee I am a danger on the road and can't get through the day without extreme pain by the end from the sheer force of trying to get through. The coffee is a must, and I hope I don't have to give up my favorite flavoured creamer, but I would rather give up dairy than the coffee itself. Doing a trial of no dairy would be easy. Other than my creamer I was off of dairy for almost 3 months. Then these last few days had milk and ice cream and have had so much gas, and pain and enough bloat that buttoning my pants is painful not to mention the TMI nonsense of having to run for the bathroom. The pain last night woke me up several times in the night (had a glass of milk and a sandwich for a bedtime snack) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I hate to tell you that caffeine is bad for your adrenals. Yes, they pump them up initially but then you crash. A better choice would be supplements that heal your adrenals called adaptogens. Licorice is one adaptogen. You can get licorice tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Ugh! This is not helping me stay in denial...I have tried my kids almond milk, it is disgusting, not sure how they think it is great. Although they like soy cheese and yogurt too and just the smell of those makes me want to yak. I will have to try the aged cheese and see. I don't eat yogurt, never liked it even as a baby so can't test with that. I can't get a cow, town bylaw won't even allow backyard chickens, though I would love to see the look on the bylaw officers face when they see a backyard cow lol. Man, no fair. so the choices are accept the symptoms and plan for them if I must consume dairy, or stay away from it, bah humbug, I don't wanna. Funny I have no problem making dietary changes to keep the kids healthy, but for myself it is way harder. Hey, you can't have dairy, I can't have sugar. We can get aboard the whine bus together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 Hey, you can't have dairy, I can't have sugar. We can get aboard the whine bus together. Sounds good to me lol. I shouldn't be such a whiner about it, but I hate realizing I can't have something. It makes me want it all the more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 :grouphug: There are multiple nondairy milk options now. Have you tried goat milk? It would be the closest to cow milk. I find coconut milk very yummy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/products The ice cream is so good..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 If you want to be absolutely certain you could always get tested. I am allergic to dairy and have found there are a lot more options now than when I was first diagnosed. This creamer is very good http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/products/coconut-milk-creamers There are a lot of choices. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Home made cashew milk and cream are tastyyyyyy. Though probably not in coffee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Let's see, you don't like almond milk. No problem, there's also hemp milk, oat milk, rice milk, soy milk, flax milk, almond + soy milk, coconut + almond milk, and probably a few others I've missed. Within each sort there is also a number of different brands and each one tastes slightly different so just because you don't like almond milk from one brand doesn't necessarily mean you'll dislike it from all brands. And yes, you can always make your own. My kids like 8th Continent Light Chocolate Soymilk, but I prefer the Light Chocolate from Silk. I also really like Silk's Unsweetened Organic Soymilk which seems creamy. So Delicious also makes a wonderful unsweetened coconut milk, but my kids hated it and the chocolate one. I also disliked the flax milk, but again, YMMV. I know you want to stay in denial, but count me among those that says it's probably the milk. You basically did a dairy trial and got a reaction when you added it back in. Yes, it could be another confounding issue, but you'll never find out if that's the case if you keep consuming the dairy. Could you possibly be able to add it back in some quantity somewhere down the road? It's certainly possible. ...but not if you keep drinking it. Back slowly away from the dairy. You can do it! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Ugh! This is not helping me stay in denial...I have tried my kids almond milk, it is disgusting, not sure how they think it is great. Although they like soy cheese and yogurt too and just the smell of those makes me want to yak. I will have to try the aged cheese and see. I don't eat yogurt, never liked it even as a baby so can't test with that. I can't get a cow, town bylaw won't even allow backyard chickens, though I would love to see the look on the bylaw officers face when they see a backyard cow lol. Man, no fair. so the choices are accept the symptoms and plan for them if I must consume dairy, or stay away from it, bah humbug, I don't wanna. Funny I have no problem making dietary changes to keep the kids healthy, but for myself it is way harder. Can you buy a share in a cow or buy raw milk? I know a few people who couldn't have a cow either, but can get access to raw milk. It's so delicious. Maybe you can have a sample of it to make sure you don't get any symptoms from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waa510 Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Why don't you try taking some Lactaid pills while eating dairy and see how you feel? I've had these issues before ( have now cut out dairy completely) and Lactaid pills saved the day for me, when I was younger and had a really hard time not eating pizza or sweets. I have lactose intolerance though, with IBS, so I'm not sure that the pills will help you but I guess it's worth a shot if you really want to have the occasional dairy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countrygal Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I was going to suggested the Lactaid pills, too, because it may not be a true allergy, just lactose intolerance. I have to second, though, that caffeine is very bad for your adrenals. It would be wise to slowly (don't do it abruptly!!!) back down on the caffeine. My dh said he could never live without caffeine but he was drinking soooooo much. He got food poisoning and was unable to drink any caffeine because he was scared of it making him run to the bathroom (this was for 4 days!) and by the end of the 4 days he was weaned from caffeine and decided just to go without it to see how he'd feel. Now he hardly drinks it and says he hasn't felt this great in years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Yep, it happens to me too. I am not officially allergic to it according to testing, but it does affect me if I eat too much. Soy is a bigger issue for me, and I am allergic to that. It is in everything, so check that out if dairy does not totally explain the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I would go get tested. I wouldn't cut out something I liked without being 100% sure it was the problem. My GI doc tested me for lactose intolerance about 6 months ago. The test was easy. The only prep was fasting a few hours before the test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 It took me awhile to figure it out (and it was not fun!) but I finally figured out that I am Lactose Intolerant. If that's your problem, you can always take a lactaid pill sometimes. For me, they work. Also, hard cheeses and yogurt I can tolerate okay. What is absolutely the worst for me is skim milk! I have been told, that for true lactose intolerance skim milk is the worst. 1% is a little easier to tolerate, and so on. Also, having milk WITH something else helps too. As in, a glass of skim milk alone will be a nightmare, but if you were to have just enough whole milk on cereal you might be able to tolerate it. Good luck figuring it out, I know it took me a lot of trial and error. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Give me all the reasons the following is not related to dairy so I can continue having it happily. Background: I have had IBS symptoms for most of my life. I underwent some testing as a teen(xray with barium swallow etc) but refused to have a barium enema or colonoscopy done, testing was being done to rule out crohn's/colitis as my nana had and a cousin has this. Dr said they couldn't rule it out without the testing I was refusing, but given my symptoms he was more inclined to think it was IBS instead anyway. Also, we discovered that one of the main triggers for ds9s encopresis, and dd5s constipation was dairy, and dd13 had a bad allergy to it as a baby but can now have it as long as she doesn't over do it. So the current situation. I have been having a major major flare of IBS symptoms, it is not fun at all. The biggest thing I have realized is that they have been the same day I have consumed dairy. I had not consumed it in a while, with 2 kids off dairy, 1 who only can handle small amounts and just th general price of it I have not been buying cheese, yogurt, sour cream etc. I was only buying 2L cartons of milk but ds14 was inhaling them, and dd having a bit before I ever had any. The only dairy I have been having up until a few days ago was the splash of creamer in my coffee. I usually had to run for the washroom about 20 minutes after my morning coffee, but I assumed it was the caffiene triggering the need (and it likely was, caffiene is horrible for IBS but great for waking up). Anyway recently I have been craving milk and since it is just ds and I home I have been able to get a few glasses from each carton. I noticed that the days I drank milk I spent several hours needing to run for the bathroom. And tonight same issue when I had some ice cream, I very very rarely have any, I have never been a big fan. But tonight I had an ice cream sandwich and within 20-30 minutes I had IBS symptoms. I am starting to think the dairy consumption is tied to the symptoms but would rather remain in denial. I am not eating/drinking huge amounts of it like I did when I was younger, but I do go through cravings for a cold glass of milk, or for a grilled cheese sandwich, or cheddar scalloped potatoes, or an ice cream etc. I don't want to give up all dairy like my 2 youngest had to, but the level of symptoms I have been having are something I want to avoid going through again. So give me every explaination of what is triggering the IBS symptoms other than the dairy. Help me stay in denial please. I'm sorry, but it seems like it would be worth giving up dairy not to have that major problem, Try some dairy substitutes like almond milk. You can even get substitutes for cheese, ice cream, almost everything at a health food store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbbulliv Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 My cow free kids eat a sliced goat cheese from TJs called "Dutch cheese" that is good for grilled cheese sandwiches. They also have a shredded soy blend that is good there. We recently found a goat Brie at WF that is very mild. The kids like soy yogurt. I love coconut yogurt and coconut ice cream. Amy's soy pizza is ok when you want pizza. There are options! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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