Lactose Intolerance Returning?

[josh052980]

Beware, there's some TMI to come. That said, I'm wondering if anyone here had an issue where they could seemingly do dairy again, and then had their lactose intolerance return? I've been gluten free for 3 years now. For the first year of that, I was taking Lactaid pills to control the intolerance, and eating greek yogurt frequently to build up good gut bacteria again, without having to take probiotics. One day I forgot to take a Lactaid pill with a meal, felt fine, did it again for a few days and was fine, so I just stopped taking them.

 

Fast forward to about a year ago, and I started having sporadic, random issues. Once or twice it was an accidental glutening, so I went through the motions, felt better and shrugged it off. The problem is, I noticed that symptoms would linger a bit. I couldn't explain why, but the bloating, cramping and (here's the TMI) yellow stools. These were all signs originally that I was having a lactose problem (which in turn led me to cut gluten, and discovering my gluten intolerance).

 

So what gives? Could my lactose intolerance really have came back? Am I imagining things? Or was it just never gone in the first place and just managable?

[kareng]

Many adult humans develop lactose intolerance. It could have nothing to do with Celiac. I think there are tests a doctor can do to see if that is the issue. You might look into that.

[Mr. GF in Indiana]

Based on the information you provide, it is unclear that you are either lactose or gluten sensitive, to a degree of medical certainty. Thus the problems you describe could be many other issues based on all sorts of facts. If you have definite, proven lactose intolerance,

then it rarely abates enough (as you age) to let you eat milk products in volume; enough volume of lactose in a 24-hour period may cause you to have symptoms (although it could be also, that what you think is lactose intolerance showing itself, is really something else!) None of this is simple, and only through repeated, rigorous experimentation and research, can you tie a particular food to a particular symptom. Best wishes.

[tarnalberry]

As was mentioned, many people develop lactose intolerance as they age. In fact, that is the more common state - lactose intolerance after the age of weaning. Well fermented milk products help for some people (and Greek yogurt may or may not have all the lactose digested by the healthy bacteria), but not all.

[quincy]

I am going through something similar.  I started getting into making espresso and frothing milk. Seems my dairy intake is more

than my body can tolerate, and I have been gluten-free for 3 years now.

[dilettantesteph]

I found that I got sensitive to lower levels of gluten as I went along.  Lactose intolerance was the most obvious indication of that.  You could see if tightening up your diet a bit makes a difference.