Lactose Intolerant after C-Diff ... is it permanent?

[sks001]

Hi All -

Sooooooooo many of you have stated you became Lactose Intolerant after C-Diff. Did it become permanent for you? Did you try any aids like Lactaid tablets or anything else that worked?

I look like a skeleton and getting weaker each day and desperately need to put back on the 40 lbs. I lost exactly a year ago, but haven't been able to because of still having constant nausea which makes it very difficult to force yourself to eat.

I want to be able to drink whole milk, shakes, malts, ice cream, cheese, etc. for the calories and the fat. I tried that Lactaid milk and that Soy Silk to at least try to eat cereal and both were terrible, made me gag.

Before C-Diff, I never had any digestive problems in my 63 years. Ate anything I wanted, especially fatteing southern cooking, and pizza, tacos, burgers, fries, etc., etc., etc. What's ironic is that I weighed the same since I was 18. Could eat and eat and eat and never got heavy. Stayed a solid 5'8" size 8 my whole life.

So just wondering what experience others have had with this frigging lactose intolerance.

[klt03301]

Hi Sandy. Have you tried Ensure? It says it's lactose and gluten-free, but on the list of ingredients it does contain "milk protein concentrate". I can tolerate this well and they're pretty good (all I drink is vanilla), but for some reason can't handle ice cream, etc. I can't handle the Ensure Plus, which has much more fat in it, along with fiber. I drink one or two each day to try to put on weight (250 calories each 8 ounce bottle). The nausea for a year sounds terrible...have you looked for other sources that might be causing it, or are you sure it's a residual thing from C Diff? I'm wishing you the best. Nausea was and is my worst symptom, but it has eased up since I first got sick Feb of this year. Wishing you the best...Karen.

[klt03301]

Oh, and have you tried rice milk, such as "Rice Dream"? It's very easy on the tummy. I think it's delicious with cereal, but can't drink it straight. I didn't like the soy milk, either :(

[Bobbie]

sks,

Many people develop milk intolerance after C. diff. & other GI infections. Evidently (& I am not a doc.), sometimes our bodies lose the ability to digest lactose.

See FAQ-Nutrition for some tips on gaining weight & eating while having C. diff. & afterwards.

I was similar to you -- wore a size 6 or 8 all my life altho. since I've gotten older, the "sands of time have shifted" & I've gotten "thicker" in the waist (used to have a 22 inch. waist). When I was younger, I was painfully thin & couldn't gain weight. Gradually, through the years I gained weight & always weighed around ll5 lbs.

When I had C. diff. the lst time in l993, I weighed a little over a l00 lbs. when I left the hospital. It took me years to gain weight back. I ate 3 mieals a day plus drank two Ensure Plus a day (vanilla). As Kit said, some can't tolerate the extra fat in the Plus variety. I was fortunate to not have nausea. I had little interest in food, however, & had to make myself eat.

Last year, for the first time, I gained 10 unwanted lbs. I started gaining when we went to the UK to visit & I babysat my 2 & 4 year old grand kids from 6:30 AM until about 2:00 PM while their parents & grandfather "rehabbed" their new/old house. About noon, I got desperate & started eating cheese -- prevously something I couldn't tolerate well. (It was that or wine & I figured they didn't want a tipsy "nanny.") When we returned, we had a terrible winter here, & I "stress ate" -- something I've never done. (Usually, when stressed, I can't eat.) For the first time in my life, I couldn't fit into some clothes & weighed more than when I was pregnant. It took me months to lose the weight - a welcome change.

Sometimes, I still have problems with cheese. (Except for my UK experience. Maybe I was too busy to have time to get sick.) One thing I can always tolerate is goat cheese. You might try it. The only "true" goat cheese I can find is at Costco. (Many say "feta" but aren't goat cheese.)

Have you seen a dietician? He/she might be able to give you some help. Be sure he/she is registered. If a doc. refers you to one, sometimes your insurance will pay for the visit/visits. Some grocery stores (such as Hy-Vee & Hen House) hav registered dieticians on their staff that will give you individual aid for a low fee.

As you feel better, I'll bet you will gradually gain weight. Good luck to you.

[sks001]

Hi Bobbie -

I can relate to what you said about "sands of time have shifted & I've gotten 'thicker' in the waist." Same thing happened to me just before I had my gallbladder removed and then the 2 really bad cases of C-Diff a few months later (hospitalized for 9 days each time I was so sick). Even though I stayed the same weight, all of a sudden the weight shifted and couldn't button my jeans. Behind got flatter and it went to stomach and waist. Had to get one size larger jeans to fit waist, but with lots of spandex and stretch to make them tight enough for hips on down and (groan) thought I was going to have to start exercising to lose the tummy pouch and waist. To think that was my biggest worry, along with starting to get short of breath. Now what I wouldn't do to be able to go back to that time.

Ensure, Boost, Carnation Instant Breakfast, etc. all make me more nauseous. Only thing I've found that doesn't make me as nauseous is Resource Breeze by Boost, which is more like a juice, comes in Orange, Peach or Berry. It's not sold at retail stores. Only place you can get it is at Walgreen's via internet. They will send it directly to your home via UPS with free shipping. Can also special order at CVS pharmacy. It only has 250 calories and vitamins.

Strange that I can only tolerate sweets like Entenmann's Plain Cake Doughnuts or their Walnut or Pecan Coffee Cake, fresh bakery Angel Food Cake, and fresh strawberries and pineapple, and the better Dole peaches that come in a jar, and, of course, baked or mashed potatoes and a little plain pasta with a few fresh veggies. Plus decaf coffee and tea with tons of sugar and Lactose Free dry powdered coffee creamer.

Sorry but never liked goat or feta cheese before being sick. Tried to have a grilled cheese last night made with the more expensive Kraft Deli Deluxe American Cheese slices and that didn't sit very well. I was better on Vanco last year - several times had NY Strip Steak w/A1 steak sauce, spaghetti and BLT's.

A year of nausea has completely worn me out. In fact, a nurse last week told me that I'm so run down that is why the last few months I've had to take a 2 or 3 hour nap every afternoon that I've never done before in my life. It's sucks because I feel even worse after the naps.

Still wondering if anyone on board got over being lactose intolerant, or what your eperience was with it. Thanks to anyone that responds!

[maryinflorida]

I was severely lactose intolerant before CDiff but since I started eating more yogurt and taking probiotics I can tolerate cheese (one of my favorite foods) better. So in my case the extra bacteria in my gut seems to have helped with my lactose intolerance, but I still play it safe and avoid heavier dairy foods like milk, butter, ice cream, cheesecake, and even mash potatoes.

About soy milk: I eat a lot of cereal with vanilla flavored soy milk--plain soy milk taste horrible, but vanilla soy milk is delicious!

About nausea: when I had CDiff the best thing I found to make the nausea and other bad stomach feelings go away for a while was mint tea (regular, decaf, or green). I still drink it mostly for the taste or anytime I go back to having problems. Munching on a few saltine crackers also helped, both during pregnancy and during CDiff.

[junbug1029]

Hi All,
I fortunately haven't had problems with nausea and weight loss, but can't eat certain foods because they go right through me.
About the soy milk....check with you doctor if you have had any female hormone related cancers and are eating soy products. Soy produces estrogen in the human body and can be a problem for anyone who has had breast, uterine or ovarian cancer.
I just wanted to let everyone know!
Take care.

[sks001]

Hi Mary - Wish I still lived in FL - loved it for 7 years!

Thanks for your response. I didn't know butter was considered lactose - I put real butter on toast every day and on baked potatoes. I use the newer one that came out a year or 2 ago that comes in a 1/2 lb. rectangular container - Land O'Lakes Spreadable Butter with Canola Oil. I've jokingly said it's the best thing since sliced bread - ha ha.

Guess we all have different tastes in food. I tried the Vanilla Soy Milk and didn't like it at all. I haven't tried mint tea yet, but will buy some and give it a try. I use regular Lipton decaf and Lipton Herbal Ginger Twist and sprinkle a little extra ginger spice in it. Just bought some green tea but haven't tried it yet, but will do so soon.