I was stubborn as can be but finally gave in to my dairy allergy. Every since I was a kid around 12 years old, I would get chronic sinus infections and had issues I couldn't figure out. I started by switching to lactose free milk. Then I switched to almond/coconut/cashew/oat milk as an alternative. I am an absolute dairy lover and this has pained me so. I switched to just dry aged cheeses, still no relief. After that, pure goat cheese from Greece but still bothered me. At this point, I can't have anything dairy related or dairy byproducts like lactose. On top of that, if it says processed in a facility that does dairy, it's about a 75% chance its going to wreck me. I had no idea my movements were unusual but after totally dropping dairy, I learned they were not. Now, if I have a slight contamination, it wrecks me for days. Also, I always had back pain I attributed to working out, which turned out to be a reaction to dairy and inflammation. Sorry for the rambling, but hopefully this helps somebody else out suffering the same things. I haven't had a sinus infection since I quite completely. I still get contaminated once a week or so, it's extremely annoying. The latest one was breakfast sausage which should have no dairy in it.

Has anybody else gone on this journey?

That is tough. what were your symptoms. Any other issues such as rash or psoriasis.

Weird, I was allergic to milk when I was a kid, but I can drink it now and cheese w/o issue...we used to use some kind of soy milk for our food...

I seem to always have some sinus issues. Maybe I need to give up on all cheese etc myself. Thanks for passing this along.

I narrowed mine down to milk (casein) or gluten. Turns out, it was gluten. No headaches, no more joint pain, other than normal for my age.

Just to be clear. Dairy Allergy and Lactose Intolerance are different things.

With lactose intolerance, your body lacks the enzyme (lactase) which digests lactose, the sugar in milk. When undigested lactose hits your intestines, bacteria there digest it instead, and throw off their gaseous waste products = flatulence, diarrhea, cramps, etc.

In dairy allergy, you are allergic to the proteins in milk (not the sugar). This is true allergy, with your immune system identifying milk proteins as foreign invaders, and mounting an immune response.

From your symptoms it sounds like you have actual allergy. Drinking lactose-free milk (or taking lactase tablets) wouldn't help you. Maybe consult with an allergist, see if they have any ideas, although it sounds like you have a pretty severe case.

Lactose Intolerance vs. Dairy Allergy

(I btw have moderate lactose intolerance, but am not actually allergic to dairy.)

quote:

Originally posted by Mr.9mm:
I narrowed mine down to milk (casein) or gluten. Turns out, it was gluten. No headaches, no more joint pain, other than normal for my age.

mine was gluten, which is common to also cause sensitivities to dairy, so be aware of that relationship.
Once removed, no headaches, body aches, rashes, anxiety, and the list goes on and on. I will never touch wheat again.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
That is tough. what were your symptoms. Any other issues such as rash or psoriasis.

Being stuffy to chronic sinus infections, stomach pain, and back pain in the center of my spine.

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
Just to be clear. Dairy Allergy and Lactose Intolerance are different things.

With lactose intolerance, your body lacks the enzyme (lactase) which digests lactose, the sugar in milk. When undigested lactose hits your intestines, bacteria there digest it instead, and throw off their gaseous waste products = flatulence, diarrhea, cramps, etc.

In dairy allergy, you are allergic to the proteins in milk (not the sugar). This is true allergy, with your immune system identifying milk proteins as foreign invaders, and mounting an immune response.

From your symptoms it sounds like you have actual allergy. Drinking lactose-free milk (or taking lactase tablets) wouldn't help you. Maybe consult with an allergist, see if they have any ideas, although it sounds like you have a pretty severe case.

Lactose Intolerance vs. Dairy Allergy

(I btw have moderate lactose intolerance, but am not actually allergic to dairy.)

You've got that right. I wish I was only lactose intolerant. Any milk protein affects me severely, since I quite dairy completely. If I have any dairy contamination, I can start feeling phlegm in the back of my throat. Funny, I was cleared my throat all the time, assuming it was just how it was. That stopped once I quit.