I am lactose intolerant. The Dr. told me this was what triggered my first UC/CD attack.

With lactose intolerance you will know it yourself, nobody will have to test although there probably are tests out there. When you drink a glass of milk or eat ice cream (or anything with lactose in it) you will develop indigestion, heartburn, noises in tummy, bloating, and lots of gas. Oh yeah, there's also occasional diahrea. You may suffer a few or all of these. It will occur "shortly" after ingesting dairy products or anything with lactose in it. By shortly I mean anywhere from 1hr to 6hrs after eating. It hits me about 2hours after I eat.

Lactose is found in a lot of places. I cannot eat buttermilk bread, that one's obvious, but it is also used as a filler in medications. I have found that it is in a lot of things you wouldn't suspect it such as in the breading for fish and chicken. I have even discovered it in "non-dairy" creamers. (I just ferretted that one out a couple of months ago after weeks of agonizing heartburn.) You have to check content listings carefully.

If you suspect you are lactose intolerant your doctor needs to know so meds can be screened before being prescribed. My current NP is very good about that. There seems to be a number of them I can't take because of the lactose content.

Just keep an eye on yourself after drinking/eating dairy and note any symptoms that crop up consistently. It will be pretty clear.

By the way, it is common for people to lose the ability to process milk as they get older. My Mother hasn't been able to drink milk or eat ice cream for years but small amounts found in other products don't bother her so the level of tolerance is different from person to person.

Mine snuck up on me gradually. I drink tea with milk throughout the day. I started being gassy every day. Then it got worse and worse over the course of a few months until I was horribly and painfully bloated most of the time. I saw an ad on TV for Lactaid tablets that suggested trying them if you thought you had a problem with milk. I did and they worked. Now I avoid milk, drink lastose free milk, or take a lactaid tablet before eating/drinking anything with milk in it. There is also a distingtive, bad smell to lactose intolerance.

I am lactose intolerant and if eat dairy at all, bad things will happen shortly thereafter as described so well above. The discomfort is one that you don't want to repeat any time soon.

I never had a MD diagnosis but they accept my self-report maybe because it is a common intolerance or allergy, not sure which. Mine has also worsened with age. I used to be able to tolerate some in small doses but now I can't.

Lactose intolerance is the body's inability to break down the SUGAR (lactose) in milk. It is found in all dairy products, and derivitives are added to many things to flavor and fill. Be aware of ingredients like "lactose" "lactase" "lactate" and so on.

One sneaky place I found it? All kinds of medication tablets.

If you are ONLY lactose intolerant, taking something like Lactaid, which contains the enzymes that your body needs to break down the sugar, can help and may solve the problem.

HOWEVER, being lactose intolerant is NOT the same as being allergic to milk. Being allergic is an allergy to the protein and can produce the same symptoms. You can be allergic to milk and lactose intolerant, only allergic, or only lactose intolerant. I happen to be both.

Really, the only way to be absolutely sure of either is through testing. If dairy gives you symptoms and you have a negative allergy test, plus Lactaid tablets easy symptoms, you can reasonably assume you are intolerant, and so on.

If you ARE allergic, or Lactaid supplements do not help and you suspect you may be, you must eliminate all dairy from the diet, including ingredients mentioning whey, casein, whey or milk protein, whey curds, and so on.

Unless the package says "Dairy Free" don't count on it.

Replying to above. Inability to break down sugars. I have lactose intolerance in my family, and only had it mildly till I got a bad bout of food poisoning 2013. I am now full lactose intolerance, borderline intolerance and have difficulty with bread. I had a breath test done at my local hospital which was done by a referral by my doctor, and in England takes forever as yes I surpose its expensive. They told me at the test my results, and now under a Dietician as my diet is very restrictive. But hey, once you master what you can eat, and start slowly reintroducing foods (not milk products in my case), its a matter of keeping a diary which I do, so easier to handle. You will find you are not alone, as alot of people suffer from a wide variety of stomach problems etc. Good luck and I hope the forum helps you with suggestions.