Possible gluten or lactose intolerance?

[umiushi]

Very recently, (within the last year or so) I believe I might have developed either lactose intolerance or a wheat/gluten sensitivity. I can eat slices of cheese and feel fine, along with bread, but it seems when there is a lot of cheese combined with wheat (such as macaroni and cheese or cheese pizza) I get horrible cramps, bloating and a feeling like there is a giant rock in my stomach. Sometimes I will get diarrhea that comes with severe cramping after a meal, but that seems to be really random and I cant find any pattern for it. I've had that symptom for many years now, it used to happen quite often to me but now it's uncommon that happens. I guess my question is, is it even possible to suddenly develop gluten or lactose intolerance? Is there any way to tell a key difference between the two (such as what part of the abdomen feels pain)? I get the cramps always in my lower abdomen.  Also, does eating less wheat for a while and then suddenly eating it again cause higher sensitivity? I was trying a wheat free diet for a little bit last year, and then suddenly went back to including it in my diet again.

Thanks for reading!

[mattsai]

Hello,

The only way to make sure of this, is to take an intolerance test. It might be possible that you just became allergic to specific foods regardless of lactose/wheat/gluten. In some cases, allergies do perform later in age. I became allergic to my glasses this year, for the first time in 18 years.

Lactose intolerance does perform those annoying symptoms. Commonly, those symptoms can be accompanied by Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

There are other possible causes that could lead to the symptoms you have provided. These include:-

• Duodenum/gastric ulcer
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Gastritis
• Celiac disease
• Crohn's disease

For convenience, it is best to consult your GP if you wish to have endoscopic/ computerized tomography scans to rule out the following:-

• Pancreatitis
• Gallstone bladder disease
• Perforated ulcer
• Appendicitis
• Bowel cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Esophegatis
• Esophegeal cancer

[anderson8505]

Yes, you can develop allergies and intolerances later in life. I'm not a health professional, but I have heard that gluten builds up in your system and can take 6 months on a gluten free diet to completely clean out all gluten. I read a pretty good book called "The G Free Diet" that you might like. There are tests or a test to determine if you are gluten intolerant, or have food allergies. I'm actually allergic to wheat, not gluten intolerant.