[fillesetjumeaux]

I had a severe bout of gastro on Easter Sunday (evening/overnight), to the point where I was passing bits of damaged intestinal lining, blood and mucus.

I was in hospital on a drip overnight, had a couple of doses of anti-nausea meds, and came home on Monday morning holding down clear fluids.

My appetite returned, and I've been eating vegemite toast, porridge made with water, bland chicken meals with rice (no sauces), and tea with a small splash of milk.

But the minute I try and increase my dairy intake, I feel sick again. I try once a day, when I'm feeling at my best, and it's obvious that my nausea returns the minute I ingest dairy in anything other than tiny amounts.

I know in children gastro can cause a temporary lactose intolerance, but has anyone heard of it in adults? DH thinks it's psychosomatic. Given my diet consists usually of 50% dairy (okay, maybe an exaggeration, but certainly a LOT of dairy), I'm losing weight I can ill afford to lose (I was 48kg prior to my gastro!) because my current non-dairy diet is limited.

I just want a nice bowl of muesli with ice cold milk, and my morning latte!

[Sinister Bonnet]

I'm sorry but yes it is possible to develop lactose intolerance as an adult after gastro. It is IIRC usually time limited and not a permanent feature for most people and I hope that is true for yuo.

Are you taking probiotics? They might be worth a trial.

[Xander2]

I'm no medical professional but I've been told by my GP (same happened with my DS and also myself with a stomach bug) that your stomach can be damaged by the virus and be unable to 'process' dairy until it's repaired itself. That's a very simple way of saying it but i can't for the life of me remember the whole complicated version that the doctor told me so that's all I've got!

But seriously, it can happen. Sometimes (according to my GP) it can take over a month for your stomach to return to normal.

Maybe just steer clear of dairy and try again in another week or so?

[ally0812]

it can happen. both my son and i have varying degrees of lactose intolerance. in the tea coffee isle of coles but liddels lactose free milk- real milk but treated too remove lactose. you should come ok within a week of this milk and start dairy again

[What'sNext??]

Sorry to hear you have been so ill! I have no medical backing but I do think it possible, especially with a severe gastro bout.

That said after my last gastro bout almost anything made me nauseous for about 10 days afterward. I was 30 weeks pregnant and worried about when I would ever be able to stomach food again. Even cooking the kids dinner made me feel unwell. But taking inner health twice a day (instead of the recommended 1) as recommended by pharmacist I think did help and by 2 weeks later I was back to eating. Unfortunately I did lose 6 kilos as a result and came down with a nasty respitory infection because I was so run down.

It sucks.

Hope you are feeling better soon and can get the weight back!

[Paddlepop]

Yes, temporary lactose intolerance can occur in adults after gastro. It will probably take a few weeks to return to normal.

In the meantime try some lactose free products like Zymil milk (fresh and UHT) or Liddells (UHT). They are both cow milk with the lactose broken down so they will taste sweeter than normal cow milk. Alternatively try some soy, almond, rice or oat milk (usually UHT). Personally I prefer Sanitarium So Good Lite soy milk in the normal cold milk part of the supermarket (fresh). I've been lactose intolerant for about 20 years.

There are also some great soy yoghurts (Soy Life) and lactose free cow milk yoghurts in the supermarkets. So Good make 2 fantastic lactose free soy ice creams in vanilla and chocolate. There are also chocolate and vanilla flavoured UHT soy milks. The chocolate is very nice. Recently Zymil brought out a lactose free cream in the fresh cream section. It's great with fresh strawberries.

Some acidophilus supplements might help your tummy to get back to normal a bit quicker. Just make sure that it is lactose free.

I hope that these will help to satisfy some of your dairy cravings while your tummy and bowel recovers!

ETA Check the health food aisle of your supermarket for dairy free chocolate. Sweet William and Eskal make some great ones.

This post has been edited by Paddlepop: 13/04/2012, 01:57 PM

[Alacritous~Andy]

I was lactose intolerant following extended gastro problems. After six months being lactose free, it seemed to (almost) resolve. There are still some things high in lactose (eg icecream) that upset my stomach, but otherwise I am fine.

If you need the calories, try some fruit smoothies. One of my favs when I was recovering from the gastro was tinned pears (in juice) with cinnamon and a splash of maple sryup. Puree. It is high fibre too.

[Camster]

Definitely try the lactose free milk. We have had DS using the skim version this week after his similar experience to you over Easter. He has been able to tolerate it very well as the low fat content and lactose free was a lot less irritating to his tummy. Hope you get through it soon!

[fillesetjumeaux]

Thanks for the responses!

Glad to hear it is not unheard of, and to have some great ideas for interim alternatives.

Much appreciated!