Is It Possible ...

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 1:37 pm

...that the severe reaction I have suffered comes exclusively from my dairy challenge??? You might have read elsewhere that I have been working up to do a dairy test. Well, Sunday I finally did - I had some of my left-over Thanksgiving potato/rutabaga/cheddar bake, which was made with milk and butter. I did not have a large portion, but large enough to have an impact, or so it seems.

Other "dumb" things I did on Sunday was have a glass of Champagne, eat more than normal, and eat more variety than normal - yikes - talk about asking for it.

Well, the first sign of trouble was extreme gas - starting about 5 hours after the meal. Then about 9 hours after the meal all hell broke lose!!! It was like having a severe stomach flu, complete with heartburn, nausea, stomach pain, liquid diarrhea, vomiting, joint aches, muscle aches and tremors. I was up all night without getting any relief. Finally, around 4 AM, I was feeling well enough to pass out.

I was still feeling plenty sick when I woke up a couple of hours later, and all day yesterday I was in bed (it takes an enormous amount of discomfort for me to hole up in bed), and running to the bathroom. I ate close to nothing, but still had D.

Last night I had a good night's sleep and woke up feeling better. However, I am far from back on track, with slight nausea, no appetite, and D., despite taking imodium.

The meal I ate was shared with 6 others, and no one had a reaction, so it could not have been food poisoning. Could all of that really have been a reaction to dairy????? If that is the case, I can say with confidence that any hope of getting dairy back into my diet has to be abandoned :(.

I'm very curious to hear from any of you who know you have a dairy intolerance and might have experienced something similar???

Love,
Kari

P.S. Other than a small piece of cheese and some butter, I had not had dairy for about 15 months prior to the "challenge".

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 2:40 pm

Kari,

WOW, that was some reaction! Still, I think it was too close to your challenge to be a coincidence. That was awful--hope you're feeling better soon!

Post by **tex** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 2:47 pm

Hi Kari,

Yep, it sounds as though milk and butter might not agree with you. I'm sorry that it was such an intense reaction, but at least that pretty well eliminates all doubts, I suppose.

I hope you're good as new, by tomorrow.

Love,
Tex

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 3:06 pm

Kari,

Yikes. I'm so sorry. It's possible that you react differently to cheese, vs. butter, vs. milk. I can't imagine wanting to figure that out, however, given what you've just been through.

I ate more variety than normal over the Thanksgiving weekend, and though I had a very slight sense that my gut was a little confused/surprised, and softer stools, I had none of the symptoms you describe, which (for me) would clearly indicate a ferocious food reaction.

I'm sorry.

Love,
Sara

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 3:17 pm

What an intense reaction you've had, Kari! I hope you begin feeling better.

Gloria

nancyl · Post by **nancyl** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 4:03 pm

Wow Kari, what a reaction. I certainly hope you are feeling better today.

:bouqueofpinkroses:

Hugs,
Nancy

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 4:48 pm

Kari,
sorry you had that when you were doing so well. But I guess that's what you were challenging. Hopefully, without the dairy, you will get back to where you were QUICKLY, and continue to improve.

Martha · Post by **Martha** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 5:38 pm

Oh, Kari, I'm sorry you got so sick. I hope you quickly get back to normal. Who would have expected such a dramatic reaction to the dairy?!

Love,
Martha

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 7:17 pm

Thank you so much for all your responses and well wishes. I was feeling better this afternoon and even had an appetite, but the gurgling never went away. I suppose it will take a while for my system to stabilize. I'm at the stage where if I eat or drink anything the nausea comes back, even when I drink water, or have some home-made chicken soup (which fortunately I had in the freezer).

Hoping that tomorrow will bring more relief.

Love,
Kari

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 7:53 pm

Hope so too. A good night's sleep will help.

hoosier1 · Post by **hoosier1** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:35 pm

Kari,

I feel almost toxic when I eat dairy. My palms get hot and my GI falls apart. To me, dairy seems to be more caustic to me than gluten.

Feel better. Rich

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 10:08 pm

Rich, I have had the same experience. My reaction to gluten is slower and less overt, but stays around longer. Dairy is almost immediate, and violent. I was kinda hoping at first that if I got the gluten under control, I might eventually get dairy back, but if anything, the dairy reaction has gotten worse. And Kari, after your experience, I think I'll stay far, far away!!

MaggieRedwings · Post by **MaggieRedwings** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 6:30 am

Sorry to hear you were hit so bad Kari and hope feeling better stays with you longer.

Love, Maggie

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:07 am

Rich and Cynthia - you are confirming for me what a dairy reaction is like - thanks. Words that come to mind for me are "toxic, violent, ferocious" - it felt like my whole body was vomiting and purging the "poison". An image that came to mind during the final "purge" (it was coming out at both ends) was that of a washcloth being wrung out:). It was actually a unique experience for me, and one that I never want to have again, so you better believe I'm staying far away from dairy. Like you, Cynthia, it seems that my dairy sensitivity has intensified since I dropped it completely from my diet over a year ago :(.

The left over mystery now is why I didn't react to the tiny piece of cheese I had on a couple of occasions, or the butter I recently had on my baked potato??? Is it possible that it is portion sensitive, or could it be that MILK is the big culprit, or could my extreme reaction be due to having all 3 at the same time??? Well, I'm not going to travel down that road of experimentation for a loooong time, if ever!!!

Love,
Kari

P.S. I got another good night's sleep, and am feeling much better this morning, and the gurgling and nausea seem to be fading. Thanks again for your support everyone - you're awesome!!!

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:36 am

Kari, I have wondered the same thing. I can handle a little butter (enough to saute' vegetables in, for instance), but a few GF pancakes made with milk will turn me inside out. The latest reaction I had (when I decided to challenge with a piece of swiss on my burger) was of the "GET IT OUT!!!" variety, which makes me think it's the casein that gives me the terrible cramps and explosive D, while the lactose makes me bloated and nauseous.

Glad your morning is starting off better, and hope you're back on track soon!