Any suggestions for going lactose free?

I'm going through the array of the non dairy milks/drinks. The one I'm trying now Coconut (original) by Silk. I'm not going to be able to push through its taste. I don't have a lot of choices (brands) as I live in a small town. I'll keep checking with the ones we have.

There is much wisdom in this line: "do not let lactose control your life/decision making".

Many of us burdened with severe stomach issues need to make mature, deliberate, sober decisions about what we should be putting in our body vs. what we think we need based on our relationship with food and societal expectations.

That said, on the topic of this line:
"My gut gives me grief with sour cream, yogurt and cream cheese. So I can't eat yogurt for the good probiotics!! (I loved my greek)"

Does normal milk from Lactaid or other lactose-free milk give you issues? What about a hard cheese like boring old cheddar? Since you didn't mention these specifically, I wonder if your issue isn't the lactose, but perhaps additives in sour cream, yogurt, and cream cheese. (I think my local Whole Foods also sells a lactose-free sour cream if you want to run that experiment).

As someone else mentioned, thickeners found in yogurt, cream cheese, and pretty much ALL milk alternatives (guar/xanthum/carob bean GUM) are undigested by you and digested by your gut flora instead.

My instinct is that you may need to do some more experimentation to figure out exactly what the culprit is.

Also, I use the A2 milk to make yogurt, with a small 1/2 cup per gallon of regular plain good yogurt with as many probiotics I can find. I use the lazy slow cooker method to make yogurt.

I have dealt with IBS for a very long time. Am lactose intolerant and have had problems post gallbladder surgery. A few years ago diagnosised with gastroparesis and have been on a variation of FADMAP.
I recently have landed on Soymilk tasting better than the others and is higher in protein.
I tolerate the almond yogurt in small amounts. What I have found is that it is a slow process of elimination - what works and what does not. Wishing you the best in this journey.

I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk but I only use 2 oz mixed with 2 oz of decaf coffee and 4-6 oz filtered water. My stomach/gut problems have cleared up mostly— turns out I was allergic to dairy. I have about an ounce or two of organic greek yogurt a few times a week. Sometimes I’ll have goat cheese or once in a blue moon a very thin pat of white cheddar. I can’t tolerate soy at all. I do use plant based butter sometimes or even Kerry butter but it’s an extremely small amount just for taste. I mostly use collagen and protein powder in my decaf drink 3x a day and multivitamin and Viactive calcium chew for calcium and Vitamin D. It’s all worked great for my calcium at 1200mg plus protein in between meals. I found out cashew milk is in the poison ivy family and oatmeal milk turns to sugar fast. So I limit my almond milk daily to 6-8 oz to get 450mg calcium along with the powder and chew for 1200 mg, the RDA at my age. Hope this helps

I've always loved milk but within the past six years have become lactose intolerant.
I can eat ice cream and cheese but very small portions. My gut gives me grief with sour cream, yogurt and cream cheese. So I can't eat yogurt for the good probiotics!! (I loved my greek)

Recently I bought some almond milk with less sugar. (Tried to find organic but couldn't)
It was great, I had a small cup with breakfast two mornings in a row. Then my stomach turned on me.

Don't know if I'll ever be able to stomach even milk alternatives. Used to drink soy a long time ago but that eventually got to me.
Haven't tried others but I know a few are high in Fodmaps.
Has anybody had luck with any milk alternative, specifically?
I deal with ibs, gerd and motility issues.

No, cashews are not in the poison ivy family.
Cashews belong to the Anacardiaceae family, which also includes mango, pistachio, and poison ivy. However, cashews do not contain the same urushiol oil that causes allergic reactions in poison ivy.
Therefore, while cashews are related to poison ivy in a botanical sense, they do not pose the same allergic risk