Question:
question on milk

one thing i'm confused about is after the surgery do you become lactose intolerant? I've been reading that milk has alot of sugar in it, so it's good to avoid, but is it the same if its used to be cooked in food?    — kelli L. (posted on July 25, 2002)

July 25, 2002
It is true that some people become lactose intolerant after surgery, not everyone does. The sugar in Milk is Lactose and my surgeon and dietician both recommend drinking milk as it also has significant protien in it. I usually drink 20-30 oz of Milk per day and there is one gram of protien in every ounce of milk. It was really helpful in the beginning when I didn't feel like eating but could force myself to drink milk. Good luck to you!
   — Shona M.

July 25, 2002
Hi there...I used to be a big milk drinker before surgery, and now I cant tolerate it at all. So I tried Lactaid milk (a little more expensive, but worth it) and that seems to be freindly with the tummy. Now any other dairy product, such as cheese and yogurt, I have absolutly no problem with. Figure that one out, hehe.
   — hrussinko

July 25, 2002
I am not lactose intolerant but I never was much of a milk drinker and still am not. I don't seem to have any problems with the sugars in milk UNLESS I combine them with other simple sugars (I can drink milk and I can eat cereal but cereal WITH milk = YUCK!) I don't think there is anything wrong with milk/milk products in moderation. The good news is that for that bit of sugar and carbs you open up a whole range of protein rich foods to choose from. I did't have this surgery to eat chicken breasts 3 x day every day. =) I have started ordering iced nonfat lattes cuz I know I am going to drink the coffee and I might as well get some protein and liquid along with it. And I LOVE cottage cheese!
   — ctyst

July 25, 2002
I became lactose intolerant after my RNY. It doesn't take much milk to make my whole system clean out. I can eat cheese and cottage cheese. I cannot eat ice cream or yogurt. I believe that each person is different and at 1 year out I still have this issue and have learned to deal with it by drinking Lactaid milk if I decide I need milk.
   — Denise S.

July 25, 2002
At first after I had my surgery I became lactose intolerant but I found a lactose free milk that I was able to drink with no problem you can get the Lactose free milk at Kroger & Food Lion. Hope this helps
   — Jennifer F.

July 25, 2002
Our surgeon states that approximately 30% of RNY patients develop some degree of lactose intolerance post-op. It happened to my daughter at 3 weeks post-op. Her intolerance to all dairy was fairly severe in the beginning, but she is now 32 months post-op and does just fine with everything except plain milk. She buys Lactaid....a little more expensive, but has a much longer shelf-life than regular milk....and life is good. The rest of us in our family who have had RNY never had any problems at all with lactose-intolerance. Milk has some "natural" sugar which has never caused us to experience "dumping", although we "dump" with refined sugars, and it is an excellent source of protein. The rule of thumb seems to be "some do, some don't". Go slowly with dairy in the beginning, and if you develop symptoms like nausea,vomiting, diarrhea, severe abdominal cramping, or blood in your stools, stop your dairy intake immediately and notify your MD. Those symptoms could certainly relate to some other post-op complication, but it doesn't hurt to rule out the "simple stuff" like lactose-intolerance first. Good luck!
   — Diana T.

July 25, 2002
There are quite a number of people who become lactose intolerant after surgery. I am NOT one of them. I can drink milk and I make it a point to have 1 cup of milk everyday (fat free of course). I just drink it very slowly. I also make fat free/sugar free pudding with it. I think that there is not that much sugar and it helps me get in more protein and calcium. My surgeon says thats fine.
   — emilyfink

July 25, 2002
Kelli, My surgeon says to take a lactase enzyme tablet with dairy if you become intolerant. I find that it is more versatile that buying the lactose free dairy products that my family won't touch and I have to throw out when it spoils. Either route is great depending on your situation.
   — Tina B.

July 25, 2002
Read the label and that will answer your question on how much what milk has. 8 oz has about 12g sugar. My doc forbids milk for life. I thought he was nuts, but then I got to thinking when you use milk, to fatten up baby people & baby cows, and people who have been sick or the elderly. That said, I decided to take the risk and go milkless. NO ONE loved milk more than I did. It's been 8 yrs. I have held my goal wt since I reached it. I cook with milk subs (I use a dry one so it doesn't go bad on me), and my normie family & friends have NO idea they are getting a powdered substitute. It's not worth it to me to gamble, but every person makes their decision on their own. Since the Lactaid contains the same amount of sugar, I didn't even go there. My doc's preference is that we never even go into the milk portion of the dairy dept! So, well, he got me thin & healthy, so I don't go there. The sugar is still there if it's cooked, yes.
   — vitalady

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