Just popping in to ask...

When those of you who are intolerant or allergic to dairy products eat either some cheese or some cream or whatever - how long does it take for you to feel better?

I've never had any tests done, but I know I'm intolerant to some form of dairy. If I had something like cream, the 'reaction' would be gone in a day or so...but um, I had some cheese quite awhile back, and I'm *still* not feeling better.

It's like there's a beach ball in my stomach, and I'm tired of waiting for it to get better.

Any suggestions?

I suppose it depends on what you're reacting to. If it is lactose, it should clear pretty fast. If it is the protein, then it probably sets off a longer lasting immune response. Those are called "delayed onset allergies" or IgA allergies and they can last at least a few days, the antibodies to proteins that offend can be detected for two years after exposure (at least the gluten ones can). Which makes you wonder, what is happening after the symptoms are gone?

I don't have the symptoms you describe, but I do know that if I abstain from dairy just one day, I can begin to breath through both nostrils. I probably have other symptoms, but just don't recognize them as such.

Hmm..last time this happened to me, was in April - and I ate a cheese quesadilla at a fast food restaurant. Took weeks and weeks to feel better.

The thing that finally worked was to go on some kind of elimination diet, in conjuction with low-carb. That required ditching eggs, dairy, soy and a bunch of other stuff.

Hmm...remind me to never, ever eat cheese again.

I ordered a bunless sandwich in a restaurant awhile back, and forgot to ask for 'no cheese' on it...I was really hungry when it arrived and the restaurant was super busy, so I just ate it. I'm still suffering from it. From just a wee bit of 'orange restaurant cheese'.

I don't know if it'll work, but starting right now after this meal I'm having (tuna salad), I'm going back to the elimination diet for a few days to see if that'll help.

I'm surprised that cheese could have such an effect for so long...but then again, I didn't have any cheese at all since April, so I guess I forgot that I really, really can't eat it. Or maybe there's something else going on...I've also been having this Annie's Goddess dressing a lot ....we'll see.

Thanks for the feedback.

I'd be more inclined to believe it was the flour (gluten) in the quesadilla. Have you ever considered that?

No, I've always blamed the dairy. Maybe it is gluten...or both.

Hmm...maybe I need to do some more research. Like read the links in your signature.

Thanks for the nudge. I'll start reading up.

Sara
PS - editing to add: I just went looking for that thing you used to have, called 'the gluten files' ...I don't see it. I'll go looking around the forums and see if I can find info.

editing again: never mind, I found it

Let me reply here and not uncheck the signature box!

Here's another link to check out: http://enterolab.com

If I indulge it takes me up to two weeks before I feel better. I very rarely indulge.

Thank you ....this is what I was wondering - if it was normal for it to take so long to recover from eating something one's clearly intolerant or allergic to.

That's it for cheese for me. Never again.

Trust me when I say that after a while without it, you won't miss it.
I don't.

It varies.

About a month ago, I had some pizza (after being halfheartedly wheat free and eating a few specific dairy products) and I felt sick for about 2 weeks- GI distress, horrible nasal congestion, and a flare-up of my fibromyalgia.

When I felt better, I had a little heavy cream in my coffee at my cousins' house during the family Hanukkah celebration (while still avoiding all gluten)- I felt congested the next day but there were no other symptoms and I felt better after about 2 days. It's enough to know that my body really can't handle cow's milk cream right now.

Maybe try taking extra vitamin C and/or magnesium to help you get over the reaction. Both can loosen up your stools in high quantities, helping your body "clean out" any residues that may still be in your GI system. But if the cheese caused gut damage, it will take some time for that to heal, no matter what you're eating.

There might be something else in your diet that normally you handle fine, but is too much for you with the gut damage from the cheese. That could be slowing down your healing.

You guys are great! Thank you so much for this feedback - it really does help to know that sometimes, certain foods *can* cause your body to take awhile to heal. For some silly reason, cheese is the worst for me.

I've been dairy-free for five months now, and it was just a case of forgetting to ask for no cheese at a restaurant, me being really hungry - the place being really busy, and me thinking, "Oh, just this little bit won't hurt".

Hmmph! Not true.

The peppermint tea has been helping a lot. I still need to get to the store to pick up some peppermint oil supplements, as mentioned in another thread. There's only so much peppermint tea a person can drink, but I *am* amazed at what a difference two giant mugfuls of strongly brewed peppermint tea can make. I feel a lot better.

I've also cleaned up my eating - back to sort of an 'elimination' kind of WOE along with low-carbing. No eggs, no dairy, no wheat, no sugar, no soy, no corn, no peanuts or peanut butter. It's helping already. I mean, half that stuff is out of my diet anyway - but I'm being religious now about avoiding soy and things like 'corn oil' or whatever in prepared salad dressings and so on.

Thanks again everyone.