Lactose Intolerance

Hi Y'all.  I am 2 weeks post op and I'm thinking that I am lactose intolerant.  I pretty much avoided all milk and milk products over the last few weeks til yesterday and I mixed my protein powder with milk.  I am paying for it today.  I'm looking at all the stool softeners and laxatives I bought in preparation for constipation......  [Shakes head sadly]  I definitely dont need them.... Quite the opposite....Some kind of cork would be nice at this point ;-)

Anyway.  I've always been a big milk drinker so I am looking for substitutes.  Any ideas?

Unsweetened Almond Milk. I'm pre op and I've used it in my smoothies and cereal for almost a year now.

Yep.  Unsweetened Almond Milk is your answer. I'm 6 months out and that's all I mix my shakes with.

Same thing happened to me at about 2 weeks out. I switched to soy milk (Almond milk is a good choice too, I just like soy better). I had a hard time with cheese, milk, you name it. Lactaid tablets became my best friend for about the first 2 months. I'm almost at 3 months and don't have. Problem with cheese now, but I'll be honest, I'm scared to try straight milk again any time soon! 

My surgeon suggested taking a probiotic when I told him my milk woes. He said that in the hospital, we are given antibiotics that kill good gut flora and probiotics help them bounce back quicker. I just got gummies I found at walgreens. No need for fancy bariatric meds. That helped the tummy trouble a LOT. I also had to make sure my protein powder was lactose free. Luckily, Syntrax Nectars are all LF! That meant I had to give up my Matrix Mint Cookie though :(

I am lactose intolerant as well.

You could just buy the lactose free milk.  It is usually the lactose that causes the intolerance, not the actual milk.  I use coconut milk, but there isn't much protein in it and I use it sparingly.  I mix my protein with water.  

I also can have cheeses and yogurts as long as I eat a yogurt a day.  Not sure why, but that helps my system, may or may not help yours.

It does get better once you have more solid foods and fiber.  I had diarrhea for the first couple of weeks, but then it went the opposite direction and fast.  So hold on to those laxatives.  Ha!

It might get better with time.  You could also try the chewable (or swallowable) Lactaid pills right before you drink milk, etc.  That is what I do and ... ah, so much better.