Dairy Free Thread

[Ice Cream]

I saw some lactose free yogurt the other day in the grocery store...  I thought all yogurt was lactose free.  but maybe I was wrong. 

[redkitty]

Jamers, I may have missed this, but the doc you are going to, is it a GI?  If it is just a PCP, I suggest going to a specialist. I only say this because my sister is having GI issues and refuses to see a GI.  So she has gone gluten free and is still GF even though all of her symptoms have not disappeared (to me that indicates that gluten isn't the issue.)  My concern is that there is some underlying issue that is NOT getting taken care of because she refuses to see someone who can/will order the proper tests. (I am not saying her PCP hasn't ordered tests, but she is stumped, so to me that means a specialist is the next step.) 

[Magic Microbe]

Jamers, I may have missed this, but the doc you are going to, is it a GI?  If it is just a PCP, I suggest going to a specialist. I only say this because my sister is having GI issues and refuses to see a GI.  So she has gone gluten free and is still GF even though all of her symptoms have not disappeared (to me that indicates that gluten isn't the issue.)  My concern is that there is some underlying issue that is NOT getting taken care of because she refuses to see someone who can/will order the proper tests. (I am not saying her PCP hasn't ordered tests, but she is stumped, so to me that means a specialist is the next step.) 

I was told in the  class I took because they see so many patients with ibs that they do a group class that gi docs generally will not work super hard and run all kinds of tests on someone with ibs symptoms because it isn't life threatening or even dangerous at all and is really just highly uncomfortable and the tests always come up negative. Bit that it is really common and you have to just play around with dietary changes until you find something that works. But maybe that is just my insurer.

[nadra24]

I saw some lactose free yogurt the other day in the grocery store...  I thought all yogurt was lactose free.  but maybe I was wrong. 

The bacteria in regular yogurt breaks down a lot of the lactose in milk, but not all of it.  Same with hard cheeses.  Some people can handle yogurt, some who are more severely lactose intolerant can't.  The lactose-free yogurt is made with lactose-free milk, which I suspect is aimed at the more intolerant people but also likely to people who don't know that yogurt is lower in lactose than milk.

[redkitty]

I was told in the  class I took because they see so many patients with ibs that they do a group class that gi docs generally will not work super hard and run all kinds of tests on someone with ibs symptoms because it isn't life threatening or even dangerous at all and is really just highly uncomfortable and the tests always come up negative. Bit that it is really common and you have to just play around with dietary changes until you find something that works. But maybe that is just my insurer.

I have seen a GI for  a few things. I initially went to her for GERD issues, but ended up having IBS issues. I talked to her about what my sister was going through and my GI told me she would run specific tests (she would do an endoscopy to start) if my sister was her patient (my sister does not live  near me or I would make her see my doc.)  So maybe it depends on the GI doctor.  I am not saying that they wouldn't tell you to cut things eventually, but I feel a good doc could run SOME tests first.  But I would say if after you cut out different food groups, if you can't find something that helps, you need to see the specialist...and you will obviously be armed with the knowledge of what did and did not work.

[Magic Microbe]

My pcp wouldn't refer me to a gi doc....just the class so maybe she has kaiser too?

[rocketgirl]

They also pointed out that depression and anxiety are highly correlated with IBS...which I didnt know.

It's also correlated with fibromyalgia (which incidentally is correlated with IBS).  Well, of course, if you hurt all the time or have unpredictable and/or uncomfortable tummy/bathroom issues, you're likely to get frustrated, anxious and depressed.  Like, DUH!  Although anxiety makes both "flare", so that one is liable to be on both ends of the equation.

[TwistedFlax]

I was told in the  class I took because they see so many patients with ibs that they do a group class that gi docs generally will not work super hard and run all kinds of tests on someone with ibs symptoms because it isn't life threatening or even dangerous at all and is really just highly uncomfortable and the tests always come up negative. Bit that it is really common and you have to just play around with dietary changes until you find something that works. But maybe that is just my insurer.

Exactly this.

About 2 years ago during a bad flare-up, my PCP was dismissive, so I went above her head. I spent $4500 trying to get to the bottom of the situation.  TV ultrasound, abdominal ultrasound, MRIs, every blood test under the sun.... all negative.  So they deduced that it's "just"  IBS.  They also didn't think think that pooping just once a week was a problem.

Basically, I was told not to come back until I've gone a month each without dairy, wheat, and sugar to rule out sensitivities.  At the time, I tried but kept having honest "oopses" that discouraged me so badly that I didn't even want to keep trying.  Now, I'm sure if I came back they'd tell me it's PCOS all over again, and I'll have to go through the whole expensive nonsense all over again.

I'm not optimal, but I'm also not dying.  I'm not going to drop the $$$ just to be dismissed again.  So I'm going to do as much damn homework as I can on my own.

[Run Amok]

I was told in the  class I took because they see so many patients with ibs

I wonder why this is such a problem these days. Was it always a problem and just part of life, not something we went to the dr for, in previous generations? Or, is there a huge surge in the number of people with ibs, I wonder?

I have seen a GI for  a few things. I initially went to her for GERD issues, but ended up having IBS issues. I talked to her about what my sister was going through and my GI told me she would run specific tests (she would do an endoscopy to start) if my sister was her patient (my sister does not live  near me or I would make her see my doc.)  So maybe it depends on the GI doctor.  I am not saying that they wouldn't tell you to cut things eventually, but I feel a good doc could run SOME tests first.  But I would say if after you cut out different food groups, if you can't find something that helps, you need to see the specialist...and you will obviously be armed with the knowledge of what did and did not work.

... honestly,I think this is part of why our system is so broken and why we all now suffer with high deductible insurance plans. If one suspects ibs, it's much cheaper to try to treat it as ibs and see if that can be resolved. I think these days they have a pretty good handle on the differences between ibs and other, dangerous stuff, and spending thousands of dollars in tests to confirm a diagnosis that can be confirmed for free, seems ludicrous. I'll use another example here, when I sprained my ankle- they performed the test that involves touching two spots on your ankle that will confirm it's not broken almost 100% of the time, but they wanted (unecessary) x-rays to confirm.

[Magic Microbe]

I wonder why this is such a problem these days. Was it always a problem and just part of life, not something we went to the dr for, in previous generations? Or, is there a huge surge in the number of people with ibs, I wonder?

I don't really know.

But you hear people referring to dyspepsia in old movies and books all the time so I suspect it isn't a new issue at all.

[redkitty]

Jamers...that is ridiculous and sucks.  I am very glad I have the insurance I have. 

IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion, there are not definitive tests for it.  I have IBS.  I have found eating lots of soluble fiber really helps and avoiding insoluble fiber also helps. Of if I am having a lot of insoluble fiber, that I also eat a decent amount of soluble or some sort of acidic food (think balsamic vinegar or a vinegar based dressing.)  I am fortunate that my issues are not made worse by dairy or any "whole" food group (there are certain veggies I cannot eat, but not ALL veggies.)  As I said, my sister has similar issues and personally I do not think she has a gluten intolerance since her symptoms have not completely disappeared and she has been GF since August (neither of us think it is celiac.) 

Good luck on your food journey. Hope you find some answers.