To live with lactose intolerance
(Originally Posted: http://serenacornwall.medium.com)
I came across questions regarding lactose intolerance, and that made me think of my own experience with this condition.
I recall one incident at primary school, where we were presented with a dish that involved milk. And I knew that it would not end up good. I had been eating the same dish at home and the fear of what would happen if I ate it, got overhand of me and I threw up all over the table. Right in front of my classmates.
The teachers weren't happy about what I had done, and I ended up being punished for my bad behavior.
It was clear, that something was wrong with me. But it was not until after I had a playful argument with my brother over butter and ended up refusing to use butter on my sandwich, that made me connect the dots. I was just a kid, but I realized that that was the first time, in a long time that I didn't t have to rush to the toilet after eating a sandwich.
After that day I stopped using butter completely, with a noticeable result of feeling better. Eventually, I stopped using other milk products as well. For each product I took away, I felt so much better.
As I grow up I moved out and started a family of my own. That gave me the freedom to choose what kind of products to use, and since then there is hardly been any products with lactose used in my family.
Do I cheat? Yes I do and as an adult, I know the consequences of the cheating: * The swollen stomach that reminds me of being 9 months pregnant. * The overall feeling of being sick. * The extreme cramps as if I am feeling every inch the food is taking, to move forward to its destination and with that: out of my body. * The painful moment when it is time to empty the stomach. It is a prolonged process and brings a lot of discomforts * The tired feeling afterward, as if I have been sick for weeks.
I did talk about this with my mother a couple of years after I had moved out. And she confessed to me that she had understood that I had problems with milk. But she did not know how to handle it.
During those days: no one knew what lactose intolerance was. And for those who did try to avoid milk products, there were not many if any options for them.
Not like today. With the growing knowledge regarding this condition, more products without lactose have come out on the market. Making my shopping for groceries so much easier.
It has been a slow process to accept my body, as it is. And there are still moments when I am in a restaurant or visit someone and "forget" to tell them that I can not eat a lot or anything of what they have to offer.
You would think that I have learned my lesson by now. But the need of being "normal" can sometimes be stronger than accepting my condition the way it is.
Greetings Serena