Dairy?

[DallasMomofTwins 31]

So, I am 25 days post op and for the last couple of days, had a bad reaction to dairy...does this mean i am lactose intolerant or do i just need to take a break from dairy? What to do about Protein now?

[RickM 1,753]

It does happen sometimes, though it doesn't seem to be as common with the sleeve as with the intestinal rerouting procedures. It often resolves itself over time or may only partially resolve itself. My wife ran into that problem after her DS a few years ago, and it is better than it was initially, but the sensitivity is still there.

Lactaid milk works fine for her. Others may use some of the other milk alternatives like almond or soy milk. On the Protein supplement front, whey isolate is lactose free - it is more expensive than standard whey Protein drinks so check the ingredients label - the more whey isolate the better. Some are 100% isolate (and they will usually brag about it on the front label, and usually also say that they are lactose free; others may state that they contain whey isolate, but only as part of their mix. Some of the blends that are mostly isolate with other whey mixed in may suit you fine depending upon how sensitive you are - my wife can tolerate small amounts of lactose, like when using standard milk in cooking if it's not the primary ingredient, so that's something to experiment with.

Also, yogurt usually doesn't have lactose in it (or not very much) so is usually well tolerated.

Good luck, and may it be temporary,

[Mr.Mike 3]

i am about 25 days out and consume tons of dary ( haha not tons but you know what i mean) i have 2 big 10 oz Protein Shakes with skim every day, cheeses, yogurt etc.... no issues so far, i hope that i don't have issues.

[lsereno 2,525]

I'd take a break and test it out again if I were you. I'm not sure but I think if you were lactose intolerant post-surgery, it would show up right away not 25 days later. I can't drink milk or have unfermented milk products since surgery. I had a problem with the first glass of skim milk and the first serving of cottage cheese I had.

If it is indeed lactose-intolerance, you may be able to tolerate yogurt and hard cheeses no problem - I can. At the beginning, I used powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury Protein powder, which is whey isolate. I can now use Gold Standard Whey Protein, which is a blend.

Lynda

[clk 3,519]

Take a break and slowly reintroduce after a few days with one item and see how it goes. I developed serious lactose intolerance post op. For me, dairy is an absolute no-no, so I had to turn elsewhere for Protein. I cannot tolerate any animal milk, not even Lactaid or goat milk. Sour cream, cream (heavy, light or whipped), yogurt, cottage cheese and most soft cheeses cause me immense discomfort. Ice cream is an absolute forbidden food for me - even the tiniest amount has me sick for the entire day. Whipped cream does the same. Now, some of those foods I'm happy to avoid, but others were very tough to give up. I do okay with hard cheeses like parmesan or aged cheddars, in small doses - but those are hard to find where I'm currently living, so I just do without for the most part.

I relied heavily on cottage cheese and yogurt for Protein in the beginning so I was lost without them. I finally had to switch my Protein shake to a lactose free one and start mixing with coffee, almond milk or soy milk. I make my own soy milk and from it, yogurt and tofu. I eat these or make seitan when I'm not in the mood for a meat-based meal but I still need protein.

I'm not in America, but in the states this isn't as hard to overcome as you might think. There are SO many options to keep you able to eat these foods that you love, provided you don't have an allergy to soy, too! Stateside I can sub out coffee creamer with coconut milk, eat coconut ice cream, enjoy non-dairy sour cream and cream cheese replacements and even order non-dairy cheeses online or find them at my local store. Many of these options are nutritionally similar and will also boost your protein intake a little.

The hardest part for me was finding a lactose free Protein Shake that I enjoyed but I've since found several that I can tolerate. Order samples online if it turns out you do need to change things up. I can tell you that as much as I miss dairy my life is improved very much now that I'm not suffering from discomfort.

Good luck. Hopefully you won't have an issue, but even if you do it's not the end of the world.

~Cheri

[SKCUNNINGHAM 298]

I found out this weekend I am lactose intolerant to milk. I haven't been consuming milk since my surgery 8 months ago.. My Protein powder is whey-isolate so no dairy there. I have eaten yogurt, cottage cheese and cheese with no problem. But last weekend I mixed my Breakfast Protein Powder into sugar free cocoa mix, with warm Water and some canned milk (was out of fresh). Boy, did that tear up my stomach! I thought I came down with a stomach virus - bad diarrea. Didn't dawn on me until I did the cocoa/milk/protein mix a second day and had the same reaction that it was the milk, not a stomach bug. (sometimes I'm slow, I guess).

So I will either be buying Lactaid milk, or those tables/capsules you take with regular milk, if I want to indulge in milk.

Even at eight months, my sleeve still can surprise me.