Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Common Sense Approach Is Best!

If you have been diagnosed with IBS, then you might be able to save yourself the bother and misery of having a lactose intolerance test. That's because milk is a major trigger for many IBS people (although not all) so it goes without saying you should stay away from it, if it bothers you. You don't need a lactose test to determine that.

As well, it's important to note that lactose is only one problem IBS people may have with milk. The main problem, as I understand it, is the fat content and that milk in any form is difficult to digest -- especially for IBS people.

I was lucky to be spared the lactose intolerance test when I was younger because my doctor simply asked me if I had tried lactose-free milk. He told me that if I was drinking lactose-free milk and I was still getting sick from it (which I was), it was highly likely I was lactose intolerant and even possibly milk protein intolerant. As it turns, I was "everything milk intolerant" because I had IBS!

I think some medical tests are unnecessary if one simply uses their common sense. For example, I suffer from allergic asthma (to pets and mould). When I told my allergist this, he said I needed to be tested for asthma. When I asked what this involved, he said I would be given something that would provoke an asthma attack if I had asthma. I thought this was hysterical and I refused the test! I said to the doctor: "Why would I need to be tested to see if I have asthma when I already know I have it!" He saw my point and prescribed a puffer which I use on rare occasion when I come in contact with pets and mould.

In simple terms, what I am trying to say to you is why put yourself through grief to have this test when milk is already known to be a major IBS trigger? Even if the test proves you are not lactose intolerant, it doesn't mean you will be able have milk. And if the test finds you are lactose intolerant, it doesn't mean you will be able to have lactose-free milk either. Your problem with milk may be more likely related to your IBS than simply to possible lactose intolerance.

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