Warning: This may be TMI

Ever since I had surgery, I have had diarrhea . However, this last week has taken a turn for the worst. It has evolved from painless to extremely painful!

Often, it will sneak up on me in the form of gut-ripping pain, where I can feel my intestines churning and bubbling. And this goes in intervals throughout the entire day, making it very difficult to carry on with life. It makes me paranoid to go for a walk...because what if I start getting those warning pains while I am away from home, with no bathroom in sight? I usually only get a few minutes to find a restroom once the cramping starts.

I am friends with a Registered Dietitian with a specialization in bariatrics, and after a long discussion of what I've been eating....it appears I may have an extreme intollerance to dairy products in any form - even the whey-based Proteins. I have been attempting to consume a variety of whey-based Protein since 3 days post op, and always with the same effect: I can consume 3 or 4 swallows and then my stomach starts to painfully churn. What I did consume sits in my stomach like a brick for a couple of hours and increases in discomfort if I attempt to drink Water or anything else before it clears. And then without fail...the gut-wrenching diarrhea. I did attempt to ingest soy protein on one occassion....similar results, in that I had a TON of gas that walking and Gas-X couldn't control. Probably will not attempt it again any time soon.

Since I hit mushies, I have branched out into things like ricotta, cottage cheese, yogurt...with similar results. Dietitian says I should cut out everything even vaguely dairy related for a week and see if my symptoms improve....needless to say, I am bummed! But willing to try anything at this point to not be held hostage by my intestines!

Any other recommendations are welcome

OMG, you have having the roughest time EVER! I am so sorry you're suffering so much with so many complications and difficulties! Hopefully the dairy sensitivity will pass in a few months and you'll be able to get back to all the diary goodness out there.

Good luck and keep us posted. I'm following you closely and praying for a smoother ride for you very very soon!

Yes I agree, stay away from all diary for awhile, it sounds like you are extremely allergic to it. You can try lactose free milk which has helped me a lot, I also drink carnation milk powered which dosen't seem to bother me. However stay away from all milk, cheese products and see how you feel after a few days then slowly introduce maybe a small piece of cheese to see if you can consume it with no issues. Good luck to you.

You aren't the first person that I've heard develop a dairy intolerance after surgery. (Although this is far more commonly associated with RNY patients.) Things might get better once you are on solid foods. Have the runs is pretty common when you are on a pure liquid diet - I know I experienced that to some degree (not as severely as you, though.)

Sounds like you have a good plan to avoid dairy. You'll have to be really careful in choosing your Protein sources. Until you are on solid foods, dairy is a pretty popular source of protein. Are you OK with soy?

I hope things get better for you soon! Hang in there!

I had to start the lactose free milk...

Hey CrazyCatLady! I too am completely lactose intolerant after surgery. I found out the hard way early on! But I have some suggestions. I use unjury Protein powder. I don't have know if you have tried this brand. It is made from whey..but it doesn't seem to bother me. I mix my Protein shake with 8oz of light soy milk with one scoop of the chocolate unjury with a teaspoon or two of Peanut Butter and half of a banana. Once I stopped all dairy products...even yogurt and aged cheeses..my diarrhea subsided. There are times when I dared not pass gas without being on the toilet..but it has gotten better once I eliminated all..and I mean all diary except for the Unjury. I can tolerate Unjury but not other protein powders. If you haven't tried Unjury, you can order a sample pack from their website. I think it has a good variety decently priced as well. Even drinking EAS protein shake gives me diarrhea and gas..so Unjury is it for me. I hope this helped and you are feeling better soon.

Sent from my DROIDX using VST

Oh i forgot to mention..I couldn't even tolerate Lactose free milk either..

Sent from my DROIDX using VST

As far as getting you protein in have you tried isopure drinks, they're not milk or dairy based. I was drinking the blue one and I watered it down with a bunch of ice. Hope this helps. As far as non dairy snacks during mushie stage try beans, eggs, soups, and sf popsicles.

Actually, Isopure is whey Protein...whey is extracted from milk.

I started the day with some blended chili. I haven't tried eggs yet, based off so many here saying they had problems with them, but I may be daring later in the day and see if I can poach one up.

I just want this whole surgery thing to start getting easier - I'm tired of complications! I've never regretted something so much in my entire life.

I'm really hoping that your last statement of regretting your surgery is something you can look back on in a year and say "yes, at the time that was true, but no more"!

Once all these crazy complications and hurdles are passed (!), I'm hopeful this will be a good decision for the rest of your life. You just have to find a way to make it through each challenging day right now, so you can get to that happy place.

As someone who has suffered from extreme lactose intolerance for many years . . . I FEEL YOUR PAIN!! You are handling it exactly the right way. Go completely off dairy for a few weeks, then try to reintroduce tiny amounts of lactose free dairy one at a time and see how you do.

20+ years out from my diagnosis, I can have yogurt and cheese occasionally. Since the VSG process began however, I discovered that the whey Protein drinks break me out in hives on my face, neck and chest. The yogurt and cheese does not give me hives. Go figure. You'll have to find out exactly what your body will and will not tolerate.

Oh, and as to eggs - I had a terrible reaction to a scrambled egg a few weeks ago, but soft poached eggs have been no problem at all. I found a tiny "one egg" poaching pan at WalMart that has worked well for me.

Good luck to you!

Actually' date=' Isopure is whey Protein...whey is extracted from milk.

I started the day with some blended chili. I haven't tried eggs yet, based off so many here saying they had problems with them, but I may be daring later in the day and see if I can poach one up.

I just want this whole surgery thing to start getting easier - I'm tired of complications! I've never regretted something so much in my entire life.[/quote']

I have felt this same way - I was lactose intolerant before surgery but could manage intake with lactate pills - now not even the lactaid pills are helping me. For now I have stopped all Protein shakes and have been eating mostly Beans, 1 egg and fish. Eating these foods I haven't been sick but I know my protein count is low so I am hoping to find a shake that doesn't make me sick. can't do they whey isolate shakes either

I felt the exact same way. eggs were not easy for me or chili. lunch meat went down the easiest. How far are you out from surgery..The first 48 hours after surgery..I literally wanted to die...the nausea was unholy...but slow..I have gotten better...I am 5 weeks out and have had the complication of the intolerance of milk and any milk products except for powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury. Have you tried it? I was afraid too to try anything..but..I assure you..it gets better..I am already down 30# and I am eating regular foods in very small amounts now without too much probably. Tuna has been the easiest for me to tolerate. I very much enjoy the Starkist Kreations marinated tuna. I like the lemon pepper one..and Bubblebee makes a 2 oz portion with crackers..I omit the crackers and eat the tuna..the Bubblebee one has a small amount of oil in the marinade and the Starkist doesn't. Beef and chicken were the hardest for me. If it is awful..I blended ice cubes, light soy milk, and 2 tbspoons of Peanut Butter to be a 22 grams of pb when I was at my worst. Remember too..some of the sugar free sweetners can cause diarrhea as well..

Sent from my DROIDX using VST

22 grams of Protein rather!!

Sent from my DROIDX using VST

I did a quick look online and found a product that might help you get more Protein in without dairy!

It's a hemp-based product from a company called Nutiva. You can read more here: https://store.nutiva.com/hemp-protein/

and apparently it's even cheaper if you buy it from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Nutiva-Organic-Hemp-Protein-gram/dp/B001JU81ZG/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1336582480&sr=1-1

I haven't tried it myself (but I might need to after surgery......lactose intolerance could be in the cards for me too!).

Just an idea that might work for you!

Okay, I went through this, too.

Even lactose-free milk gave me problems, so be wary of it until you're sure you can tolerate it! For a while, the only dairy I could tolerate at all was hard cheese and only in very small amounts. I switched to soy milk and coconut milk and now that I'm overseas I make my own soymilk (nothing available at the stores here and I like the taste of mine better anyway).

I was able to shop around with samples to find a lactose-free shake I could tolerate, too. It took a long time but was worth the trouble. You need to find a shake that works for you so please keep at it.

I remember feeling horribly discouraged and frustrated but once I could branch out and eat more foods (instead of just eggs!) I felt a lot better.

And the good news is that I've been able to slowly incorporate dairy back into my life. I still have problems with milk but I can eat small portions or yogurt, ice cream, soft cheeses, etc. now. I'm know other folks that developed lactose intolerance were able to reincorporate some dairy after one year, too.

Chin up! It's very challenging in the beginning and yes, it definitely leads to a feeling of deprivation when you have to change your entire diet. But there are options out there for you and it is still possible to succeed.

Good luck!

~Cheri