Possible Lactose Intolerance?!
Question:
Possible Lactose Intolerance?
I'm 15, right? I was told about 5 years ago that I'm sensitive to dairy already which basically equals nausea and headaches.
But the week school ended I started having such sharp stomach pains that I went to the doctor. Eventually they decided I had severe acid reflux but aren't entirely sure. I took Zantac for the pains and they gradually went away.
Then at camp, after not having ice cream or milk or any dairy for quite some time, I started getting sharp pains in my stomach. I was constantly nauseous after drinking milk during dinner or breakfast and would constantly be running to the bathroom or holding my stomach to supress the pains. Ice cream wasn't as bad but now ANYTHING with cheese will make me so queasy and my stomach SO upset which never really happened before.
I'm pretty sure the intolerance runs in my family -my aunt has it- but does it sound like I might have it?
Answers:
It's entirely possible that you are lactose-intolerant. I think you proved that by taking an unintentional lactose challenge when you ate dairy products at camps after not having any for some time. The symptoms appear when you eat dairy and resolve when you don't. The most obvious solution is to avoid all dairy products. You may not be completely intolerant. You may be able to tolerate small amounts of specific forms of dairy but I wouldn't advocate you test this out. It could involve a lot of pain and suffering.
If you are lactose-intolerant, the problem is this: Dairy products contain a milk sugar, lactose. The body produces an enzyme, lactase, that breaks down lactose into a more digestible form. When the body no longer produces lactase or is unable to produce sufficient amounts, lactose isn't broken down and...well, you already know the result of that.
You can try OTC lactase enzyme tablets. If they work, great. They don't always work for those who have a complete intolerance but the symptoms will be lessened even if they don't work 100%. Therefore, you can try them without total suffering even if they fail. But again, the most obvious solution is to avoid dairy products - that's the only 100% effective means.