<p>Lactose intolerance can be a funny thing.</p>
<p>I was very lactose-intolerant. My doctor diagnosed a gluten sensitivity, and I went gluten-free for about two years. Sometime during that two year period, my lactose intolerance was magically cured. It’s so nice to be able to eat ice cream again. :)</p>
<p>nre, I have heard that lactose intolerance can be a mask for gluten intolerance. The lining of the intestines is where lactase (the enzyme that digests milk) is produced. If your intestinal tract is irritated / injured due to something else, the lining stops producing the digestive enzyme. Hence you become lactose intolerant. If you determine what caused the irritation and allow the intestine to heal, you will no longer be lactose intolerant. Make sense?</p>
<p>OP, while her tummy is healing, your D should avoid any artificial sweeteners (especially sucralose, sorbitol and such). Because they are not absorbed like glucose or fructose, these sugar-like compounds travel down the GI tract and can promote bacterial growth in its lower sections, which, in turn, can lead to gas, cramps and other digestive problems.</p>
<p>Hugcheck, what you are saying about Celiac makes perfect sense.</p>
<p>Quick update…my daughter was feeling better yesterday but came home from school around 4th hour. Today she feels worse. The primary symptom is nausea but she is lethargic and has a headache with some dizziness. </p>
<p>I suppose it could still be the flu…but this started last Saturday. I’m starting to get more concerned. We will take her back to the doctor tomorrow if she is not feeling better…but aside from the flu, what else could be causing ongoing nausea? (She is not pregnant.)</p>
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<p>Probably not the flu. The flu is short for “influenza” and is a respiratory illness that usually doesn’t have a GI component (sometimes does with young children). Its hallmark signs are high fever, sore throat, and body aches.</p>
<p>“Stomach flu” is a misnomer as there is no influenza virus at work, though it is often used to refer to a stomach virus, gastroenteritis, or other GI upset. If this is a stomach virus, hopefully it will resolve soon.</p>
<p>Other possibilities are food allergies, food poisoning, new medications (has she recently started on birth control?), and any number of other illnesses. Sometimes it’s hard to find a cause for nausea/diarrhea as so many different illnesses can be the culprit.</p>
<p>I hope she feels better soon. Can’t think of many more miserable states than ongoing nausea and diarrhea.</p>
<p>Get her tested for things like listeria and C diff. Be persistent and do not let the doctor to dismiss the latter as “hospital acquired infection for old people”. I think it is time to see a specialist if this has been going for so long. I hope you will figure out what is causing her condition and get it under control soon.</p>
<p>I have Ulcerative Colitis, the headache/dizziness could be from lack of food–it’s happened to me when I’ve been really sick…but really this sounds like something different.<br>
Until you get a firm diagnosis, remember to watch for dehydration. Do not give her apple juice, it could make things a lot worse for her. I drink Gatorade, diluted with water (about half and half). Chicken soup with orso (homemade is my preference). Mini plain bagels with a little cream cheese–but I can tolerate that amount of dairy. If she’s having dairy issues, don’t risk it. No caffine, nothing with too much sugar. As previously stated avoid sugar supplements. Small, frequent meals, not so much bland as low fat, low sugar.<br>
A hot water bottle seems to help…not just a heating pad, but an old fashioned hot water bottle. Something about the combination of slight weight and warmth makes my GI system feel better. For all I know it’s all in my head, but heck, if I feel better, I feel better.<br>
I hope you get answers soon, and she’s feeling a lot better asap!</p>
<p>Gatorade is a good electolyte replenishing and hydrating drink, but please do not give her Gatorade G2 low cal. It contains sweeteners that can irritate her GI tract even furher (speaking from personal experience). Get the one with real sugars - she will need the calories anyway.</p>
<p>There is a stomach bug called norovirus. This is the bug that sometimes infects the entire population of cruise ships, leading to extremely bad moods and massive demands for refunds. It can also spread like wildfire through a college dorm.</p>
<p>It usually lasts only a short time, but it can linger for longer in some people than in others. My son got it during finals week at college one year, ended up in the health center twice having to have IVs to treat dehydration, and didn’t feel quite right (although he was not overtly ill anymore) for the first part of Winter Break after the semester was over.</p>
<p>If your daughter finds it necessary to go back to the doctor, you might want to ask whether something of this sort is going around in your community. If it is, chances are that it’s what she has.</p>
<p>BunsenBurner thanks for the information on G2…I’ve always stuck with the original, I’m fussy about my “go to” foods, but DD had bought it. Now I know to avoid it like the plague. Sugar subsitutes are not my friend.</p>
<p>Hugcheck–I’m looking for a good melt in your mouth multi-vitamin. Do you mind sharing what you are taking? I can’t swallow big pills.</p>
<p>Hi Bethie, I actually only take OTC chromium picolinate (helps me regulate blood sugar) every day and CVS changed the formulation to a melt in the mouth type. I was very unhappy with this at first, but got used to it and now think my tummy is a bit better. Perhaps CVS has a vitamin formulation that you can chew or let melt in the mouth? They have a website with more than what’s available on the shelves.</p>
<p>I tried a liquid Vitamin D (came in a small plastic squeeze bottle) but did not feel well at all with that one so stopped taking it.</p>
<p>The other vitamins I take are pills but I only take them every once in a while. Perhaps if we all start to ask the pharmacists for melt in the mouth vitamins they’ll become available.</p>
<p>I have heard some folks claim they take spray into the mouth vitamins but don’t know where they buy them; but those kind definitely are available somewhere out there. Might be worth checking your local health food stores.</p>
<p>Anyone know?</p>
<p>Thanks, hugcheck. I’ll keep looking. i have a niece with diabetes. Is it well-known that chromium picolinate helps regulate blood sugar? She swears that Vit D helps her and I’ve read that kudzu helps.</p>
<p>bethie, I hate large pills, too. I like chewable multivitamin by Vitafusion (yum, has all natural inactive ingredients and tastes like candy!) and also use EmergenC drink packets (I add them to my unsweetened tea).</p>
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<p>Mom2M, you are welcome. If anyone is simply looking for electrolytes without any sugar or calories, Hammer Nutrition makes them in capsule form.</p>
<p>I hope our OP’s daughter gets better soon.</p>
<p>I learned about chromium picolinate from my Uncle whose doc advised him to try it for prediabetes. My uncle did later become diabetic. I tried it (he gave me a few to try at home) and found relief from the intense hungries and cold sweats if I forgot to eat. I have been taking it every morning for years (over a decade) and do notice if I forget it. It’s a common ingredient in weight loss preparations, I’ve noticed. I’d make sure to ask the doc about it before trying it…never heard about kudzu or Vit.D for “sugar.” Anyone tried the kudzu?</p>
<p>Thanks to both of you!</p>
<p>Liquid Vit D is awful. I tried, but nothing was going to make it possible for me to take on a regular basis. Sprouts has a capsule that is tiny that I can handle, and it’s working (I had REALLY low vit D levels). THe liquid stuff was impossible for my system to handle.</p>
<p>Thanks for the Hammer Nutrition info, might be helpful when we travel. UC can be a bit of a hassle if you get a flare while out of town, dehydration makes it worse (for me, anyway).</p>