Lactose intolerance. I am 70 and have had long covid for 19 months

Posted by rowboat2 @rowboat2, Feb 9 6:36pm

I started having digestive problems after about 9 months i started having diarrhea ,cramping and feeding bloated. After about 4 months I asked to be tested for food allergies and found I was now allergic to any milk products.
For the last month I have cut out all milk products and it has relieved the digestive problems

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raspy | @raspy | Feb 10 5:26pm

I have dealt with lactose intolerance most of my life. When diagnosed, my doctor told me it can occur after an illness, with your body losing the ability to manufacture the enzyme, lactase, which digests the lactose. So you no longer can digest it, with all the accompanying miseries. However, if that is your problem, and NOT an allergy, there are products on the market that can help. I buy lactose free milk. And I buy Lactaid tablets to take whenever I want to indulge in dairy. Not all products work equally well, so you may need to experiment. However, you should be able to find something that works for you if the ability to digest the lactose is your problem Good luck with it.

rowboat2 | @rowboat2 | Feb 10 8:04pm

Thank you for sharing and helping.
At this point I am happy not having the problem but I do miss ice cream

domenico | @domenico | 3 days ago

I had lactose intolerance when younger and used to take Lactaid pills and buy special milk and ice cream, etc. But over the years, the symptoms seem to have resolved and I was able to eat ice cream pretty much every day!

Recently, I had a return bout of Covid, this time much different than the initial bout that I had had five years ago. Symptoms have persisted, even after Covid test turned negative with blood pressure variability, dizziness when standing, diarrhea, cough, and now lactose intolerance has returned!

I am again using Lactaid pills and can tolerate lactose with them on deck.

I assume that the Covid infection has altered the gut lining and T cells to such a degree that the symptoms of lactose intolerance have reappeared. Incidentally, I also have vitiligo which I've never had before (I'm in my 80s) and that apparently is also connected with long Covid.

I need to get an x-ray for a chornic cough and wheezing to see if I have any pneumonia in the lungs. I've never had a fever, but these symptoms are pretty severe and uncomfortable. From my reading it appears that Covid , esp[ecially long Covid, acan be related to cause some of these effects.