Celiac & Lactose Intolerance

[tonalynn]

Can it be possible that more than 20 years of being lactose intolerant could be cured by being gluten-free for less than 4 months??

 

I've been taking Lactaid enzymes for as long as I can remember. My father couldn't digest milk either, and I figured out it was milk that gave me the big D. So anytime I drank milk, ate ice cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, cream based sauces and dressings, I took a Lactaid and my digestive distress resolved. Yogurt and cheese never bothered me.

 

I will be gluten-free for 4 months next week. I started experimenting with regular milk in my coffee instead of the lactose-free kind. Felt fine. Tried a bowl of ice cream with fruit with no Lactaid. Nothing happened. Drank a glass of milk with a few cookies, no problems!!

 

Can it happen this fast? I've heard celiacs can tolerate dairy after being gluten-free for awhile, but this soon? Hey, I'm not complaining - I'll be thrilled if the lactose intolerance is gone - I'm just skeptical at how fast it happened!

[nvsmom]

Awesome! You're a quick healer.  LOL  Most celiacs lose their lactose intolerance after 6 months gluten-free; that's great you beat the average.  

[tonalynn]

That's great news! Actually, I tried dairy without Lactaid since it always caused the big D, and since going gluten-free I've had terrible issues with the opposite problem! I figured lactose might help "move things along." It hasn't, but I'm  happy to not have to worry about taking Lactaid anymore!

[Gemini]

Awesome! You're a quick healer.  LOL  Most celiacs lose their lactose intolerance after 6 months gluten-free; that's great you beat the average.  

I'm a quick healer also but I am still dairy lite.  I'm not so sure that most Celiac's gain dairy back all that well.  I would take it easy, tonalynn, and not splurge and eat a lot of dairy at first.  Go slowly because you don't want it hitting you in the back of the head because of overindulgence.  Many Celiac's I know, including myself, have a limit to what they can eat. Sometimes, you don't know the exact tipping point either.

 

Don't get me wrong...this is very good news and shows healing is in progress but beware overindulgence! 

[tonalynn]

I'm a quick healer also but I am still dairy lite.  I'm not so sure that most Celiac's gain dairy back all that well.  I would take it easy, tonalynn, and not splurge and eat a lot of dairy at first.  Go slowly because you don't want it hitting you in the back of the head because of overindulgence.  Many Celiac's I know, including myself, have a limit to what they can eat. Sometimes, you don't know the exact tipping point either.

 

Don't get me wrong...this is very good news and shows healing is in progress but beware overindulgence! 

Oh don't worry Gemini, I won't overdo it! Actually, the entire bowl of ice cream was what I was most worried about, but nothing happened. That's about as much as I want to test it, no more than that amount of dairy per day. I still think I'll keep some Lactaid handy, in case I have a dairy heavy day. ;-)

[luvs2eat]

I was never lactose intolerant and was diagnosed with celiac very quickly (as opposed to those who suffer for years before definitive diagnosis). I became lactose intolerant about 8 years into being gluten free!! Giving up dairy for me was harder than gluten... cause there is NO substitute for delicious cheese and butter. The lactose intolerance seemed to disappear after about 6 months of being mostly DF and now I'm dairy light... and take an occasional Lactaid.