Rachel Gregory , Wakefield
6th June 2008
I was often ill when I was younger, having contracted tuberculosis at the age of 3, followed by epiglottitis [inflammation of the epiglottis] – so it was pretty stressful time for my parents.
Following a period on medication I started suffering from stomach aches and, initially I was informed that I had IBS. We experimented with my diet and removed foods, but nothing stopped the cramps and constant toilet trips, which were followed by bloating and tiredness.
It wasn’t until I talked to a friend who said she was unable to eat diary as it made her ill that the penny started to drop. I had watched programmes over the years about people who suffered with LI but didn’t realise what it was, so I visited my doctor and told him my thoughts. From there on I was referred to a dietician who told me which foods contained dairy products and I cut out as much as I could and I became most careful when eating out.
This was hard at first as I struggled with cutting out cheese and hidden dairy. I felt so alone as I was always reading labels on things and spent hours shopping.
I even tried taking some tablets from a healthstore that are supposed to help the condition, initially they seemed to be doing the job but then I ate a pizza and the symptoms came rushing back. In fact I was in so much pain I cried for hours.
The day after the pizza incident, still wiped out, I searched the web for answers and discovered that I was not alone. I discovered that there were lactose free alternatives like Lactofree, including them in my diet made me miss dairy less, and less likely to succumb to a craving.
So far I have been successful with this new plan. I have had small mishaps but apart from that I have never felt better. I have loads of energy and I don’t spend hours and hours sleeping, fretting about my stomach or worrying about waking in the morning and spending hours in pain.
Regards,
Rachel Gregory
Rachel Gregory, Admin Officer
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