possible lactose issue and questions

When I had the test done, the tech gave me the results while she was doing it, but I don't know if that is standard.

I am only sensitive to milk products when I am having a bad flare. It is that way with many foods.

Cindy

i was told by my first GI that with crohn's you have like a 99% chance of becoming lactose intolerant. of course he never told me - i had to self diagnose myself the hard way after many uncomfortable and painful months. granted is rather common to lose the ability to digest lactose as we get older.

digestive enzymes, betain HCL with pepsin and probiotics, specifically acidophilous, should help with gas and bloating and digestion.

try using alternative forms of dairy - like goat and sheeps milk. they are smaller molecules and easier to digest than cows milk. if you use cow milk dairy derived food, try to get it raw. dont do soy anything. if you want an alternative form of milk, i can only suggest almond milk. kefir and yogurt and cheese has lower levels of lactose as the probiotics digest it for you, which should make them more tolerable to you, especially in smaller quantities. they now make ice cream from coconut milk and goat milk. they taste super good - you cannot tell the difference.

I wish I could follow one of the strick CD Diets however with all of them I would be in trouble since I suffer from food allergies and oral allergy syndrome which really limits the fruits and veggies I can have even if cooked.. .

Today I was craving a pumpkin pie milk shake which I had about 5 hours ago...I wasnt in pain however after eating dinner (skinless chicken breast baked with ranch shake and bake and a baked potato with teaspoon of melted velveeta on it I am suffering) I dont get it and cant figure out if not lactose intolerant why milk and ice cream cause me so much distress...normally after ice cream etc within 30 min I am best friends with my heating pad and sitting on the toilet passing lots of gas fearing if it will be a fart or a shart

Dragonfly, if you are getting gassy after a milk shake, guess what, that's lactose intolerance.

Everyone's different, and every day may be different for you in terms of how much lactose you can eat before you get gassy, or get diarrhea or even vomit.  Definitely taking a lot of lactose on an empty stomach is asking for trouble.

I'm not sure why you're focused on a lab test when you already know that ice cream makes your stomach hurt.  Here's a simple way to test the theory that you're not making enough lactase: buy some lactase at the drug store (Lactaid brand or other), take a couple of those tiny pills and then eat some ice cream.  If you feel ok, there's your answer.

Somewhere a long time ago I read that lactase is primarily made in the ileum.  So Crohn's sufferers, who frequently have inflammation in the ileum, are going to have trouble making lactase when they're inflamed.  Thus, some lactose intolerance is likely if not a given.

Surgery can lead to problems with absorption of B12 and also lactose intolerance. Your body does sound like it's sending some strong anti-lactose signals.

Or it might be lactose and/or the stuff in your shake and bake, which has milk, MSG (a neurotoxin):

"Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Wheat Flour, Monosodium Glutamate, Salt, Garlic*, Sugar, Buttermilk*, Onions*, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean And Cottonseed Oil, Contains Less Than 2% Of Parsley*, Natural Flavor, Milk, Dextrose, Yeast, Caramel Color, Maltodextrin, Spice, Cream, Silicon Dioxide (Anticaking Agent), Modified Food Starch, Lactic Acid, Vinegar Solids, Butter, Whey Protein Concentrate *Dried"

If you have allergies, you might also be sensitive to the additives in processed foods like Velveeta and Shake & Bake.

I know that one poster above mentioned not being able to consume soy products. But for many of us, soy milk is OK. At least, it hasn't affected me in any negative way, even in the middle of a flare.

Of course, I realize we're all different.

Anyway, I wanted to suggest to the original poster to at least try soy milk to see how that works. Soy milk has no lactose, and of course it's not real milk at all. On the other hand, if you DO have a soy allergy, then this is a non-starter. It could also be that you simply don't like the taste of soy.

As for myself, I am lactose intolerant. I make my own yogurt using the SCD method (ie 24 hours of fermentation to eliminate lactose), and that works pretty well. But there are people who can't tolerate the β-casein protein found in milk - the only real dairy choice for them is to use goat milk, which doesn't contain this protein. Again, it's not found in soy milk.

When I was a baby I had milk allergies and had to use soy products but then grew out of it...then a few yrs later Dx with CD when I was 8. I go for the test Wed so I will know then