Every day, people get a diagnosis of lactose intolerance. As a result, they may feel discomfort after drinking milk, and they seek doctors’ help for it.
Lactose intolerance: What is it?
Lactose intolerance is a highly uncomfortable condition for people. It is like allergies, but you are allergic to dairy. How awful, right?
The reason is the absence of the enzyme lactase.
People cannot digest the lactose, and it persists in their stomachs. The lactose accumulates here, and bacterias act on it. They convert it to gas which swells up your belly.
Overall, this condition puts you up for challenges. A lactose intolerant person cannot enjoy his life like an average person when it comes to dairy.
Can you diagnose yourself?
Lactose intolerance presents in the clinic with almost similar cases. A person can diagnose it himself, however. You just need to be aware of the symptoms.
You can diagnose your condition if you feel any of the following problems.
Here is what you need to look for,
Eating the dairy
The first sign to diagnose is the appearance of the symptoms after taking milk products. Remember, the time difference varies for some people. For example, symptoms might appear after half an hour to two hours of eating.
Borborgymi
It is the growling and gurgling noise of the stomach. We can also feel it whenever we are hungry. But, it is more prominent in lactose intolerance. The reason is the constant gas production. In addition, it is our body’s way of telling us that something is wrong.
Loose stools
Loose stools or diarrhoea are also frequent. The patient might pass 6 to 7 loose stools back to back. It can make a person frail and feeble.
We need to put a full stop to this at once. Or else your body goes into dehydration. It may become an emergency because dehydration is life-threatening. So the doctors infuse normal saline the first chance they get.
Bloating
Boating is the swelling of the abdomen. Lactose builds up in your stomach, and this is an all-you-can-eat buffet for bacteria. Bacterias use up lactose for respiration; hence, the gases collect in your stomach. Borborgymi and bloating are interrelated. They present themselves because of a common cause of gas built up.
Nausea and discomfort
The person would feel cranky and irritated with all the problems going on in the stomach. In addition, there is persistent nausea, and the person can also vomit a lot.
The symptoms above are enough to assume lactose intolerance. However, get a lactose tolerance test to be sure.
Confirmation of the diagnosis
Once you have suspected your disease, you need confirmation through tests. In medical science, we do not proceed without confirmation. Therefore, there are some tests you can take to authenticate your suspected diagnosis. We collectively call it the lactose tolerance test.
It includes,
- Hydrogen breath test
- Stool test
- Blood sugar test
If any of these tests come out positive, you have your diagnosis. Unfortunately, you will have to stop eating dairy at once.
