Lactose and fructose intolerance: unsolved mystery

I have been lactose and fructose intolerant for as long as I can remember (3 or 4). No-one in my family has any digestive problems. I was fed with formula milk, whereas everyone else was breastfed.

If I drink even a small glass of milk I immediately bloat up, feel bad and vomit. I have never been able to eat an apple or pear. I have never liked processed jam, sweets, orange squash - but I can eat chocolate.

As a child I was often very tired and vomited quite regularly. I often had colds. I found sport made me extremely tired and I was often sick afterwards.

I have solved my IBS, but this is a remaining challenge. I have healed my gut (I had Candida) and I can even eat brussels sprouts, onions and peppers, which I never could before, so I don't think it's SIBO.

Would anyone have any similar experiences or ideas?

[Jane2510]

Hi there,

I was breast fed until my mum went back to work - once on formula I've heard tales of how I used to throw up at childminders all the time.

There is unfortunately a lot of " stomach" issues in my family. My grand father my mother my father!! Even now my kids suffer with bouts of ibs but not on a daily basis like me! My son was breastfed for about 6 weeks my daughter til she was 6 months old. My son comes out in a real sweat eating cheese and I tell him it's not good he is reacting like that!!

I'm just about to try the fodmap elimination to find out how comes I'm still ill. I was diagnosed gluten intolerant but I feel she missed it was dairy!! I appear to eat bread okay and suffer no more or less eating it. I only ate gluten free for 5 years and as I say it made pretty much little difference . Dairy however is another matter!!

I do not eat fruit hardly ever for the same reason - it's more immediate effect is enough to have stopped me eating plain apples as a kid!! Even fruit on the low fodmap are ones I would avoid!

But I can have the odd glass of pineapple juice or a bit of canned pears and a spoon of home made apple sauce !!

Believe it or not I once had a great week just eating meat carrots and potatoes!! But no one can live like that the rest of their lives!!

So my journey continues!!

I hope you find your answers soon x

[Hidden in reply to Jane2510]

Thanks for your reply, Jane. I do well on carrots and potatoes too

Yours could be Hereditary Fructose Intolerance (HFI), as you have other members of your family also affected.

It's interesting to know that you were breast fed with no problem, but the formula milk gave you problems. I have read that formula milk often has fructose added to the ingredients, which would make sense.

Just a thought, but have you been checked out for SIBO and Candida (hydrogen and methane breath tests). You may find that being fructose intolerant has messed up your gut bacteria, making you intolerant to other stuff. You may also find this article that I posted of interest: sickofibs.com/ibs-triggers/...

Alison

[Jane2510 in reply to Hidden]

Hi again Alison,

It was one of your web pages that got me looking at fodmap foods!! 😊

Being brought up in the mid 60's there were tons of additives in our food- stuff that isn't so much now for babies!! And I do wonder if that's what's caused so many issues for people!!

I've never asked for these tests that you mention but am due a meds review soon so will ask! I do try and talk to my gp and bring information to her to see if " this idea" will help me- but the specialist I saw couple years ago told me don't believe all you read on the internet!! He was also the one who said go eat everything unless it makes you ill, take no notice of other people !! Cheers thanks for that advice!! Though he did give me back coffee ( even though decaf) and told me to stop drinking fizzy drinks and chamomile !! 😊

[Jane2510 in reply to Jane2510]

Goodness me - just read about sibo you mentioned!! Was on antibiotics tons as a kid!! Am allergic to penicillin and steer clear if I can now of any antibiotic if I possibly can!! I get extreme runs and horrendous stomach cramps if I take them!! So thank you for pointing me in that direction too!! X

[Hidden]

Glad some of those pointers may be of use to you Jane

[Hidden]

Hi Jane2510 and AlisonfromSickofIBS - I have read your exchanges with each other with much interest. I am going to go dairy free and see what happens. Not sure if I have a problem with Fructose but that is one I will try - I will cut out the fruit and see what happens. Funnily enough I had another Colonoscopy last year as my IBS was changing i.e. it was getting worse and although nothing was found, thank goodness, I found that the diet 2 days beforehand made me feel so much better and that diet included tinned fruit. Maybe then I could eat tinned fruit rather than fresh - it's certainly worth a try.

I have found some foods that I know I cannot eat and they are sweetcorn, raw carrots and raw onions - I have excruciating pain when eating those and I'm not good at eating broccoli or cauliflower - I love both of those vegetables.

The guidelines say we should now be eating 10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day - what happens when you have IBS? It's certainly not easy to eat that amount of fruit and vegetables. I used to eat loads but cannot anymore. Luckily I can eat as many cooked carrots as I like as I am fine with those.

Best of luck to you Jane and well done Alison for all the amount of work you have put in to making your life better and your blogs are brilliant - I have created a folder in my inbox where I keep them all for future reference and reading.

[Hidden]

So, Alex, if you know why I have this intolerance although I have beaten IBS, maybe you could shed light on this matter for me?

That would be great!

Alison