Adventures to a Milk-free world

I'm sure I've mentioned it somewhere before, whether here or at my LJ, that I'm allergic to milk....

No...NOT lactose intolerant.

Allergic.

There is a difference.

I can't take a pill and then eat the offending food that will make me sick otherwise. I still get sick! The effects of the offending milk proteins causes anything from GI symptoms to a full-flegded sinus infection...which has led to bronchitis on a couple of occasions. Last fall, it settled in my chest. I had respiratory problems due to the infection for which they had to give me an inhaler.

Thank God I've never had all out respiratory problems, or *horrors!* anaphalactic shock, due to digesting a milk protein...but the feeling of my sinuses, eyes, throat, tongue, or mouth swelling, itching, or tingling...yeah...not so nice!! O.O

*sigh* I must say...I love milk and milk products, but alas, they do not love me. I realized in my early twenties that I could no longer drink milk or eat ice cream...major GI probs there! ack!!

So, I gradually stopped using milk & ice cream. Although, sometimes I just broke down and had to have a bowl of my fave cereal or ice cream at the A&W!! ugh.
I used to work there as a teen...I even have my personalized mug I received from the boss to this day! What's a girl to do?

I continued to have problems with my sinuses throughout my twenties, and eventually asked my doctor in my lil' town-in-the-middle-of-nowhere, Wyoming to check me for allergies because I kept getting sinus infections and they seemed seasonal. She said I had only a mild allergy to Timothy Grass...wha?

So I continued on...thinkin' there were whacked...but hey, who am I to tell a doc they got it wrong??!!

Fast forward to a few years ago, now in my mid-thirties and living in California, I went to my MD again. After so many sinus problems, he sent me to an ENT and an Allergist...God bless him!!

Still...nothing on my radar but a mild allergy to some grass again...but the allergist checked some food allergies this time!!
Double Blessings to Dr. S!!!

MILK!!! ...and yes, I asked the same thing as you may have.

"What? You mean I'm lactose intolerant? Well, I kinda knew that...I don't drink milk or eat ice cream anymore...well, rarely..."

He explained to me the difference.....I have since been in mourning of cheese. *sniffle*

Honestly, I didn't believe him at first. He had me on that diet where I couldn't eat anything but for a few things...and lots of veggies, no bread...blah! But, I did feel better!

After the milk allergy diagnosis, I went back to eating all my foods but tried to cut out milk products. Daaayyum...but it's hard!! See, a year or two before this...I was diagnosed as a diabetic. I was using cottage cheese, cheeses, yogurt, etc, to help control my diet. *facepalm*

And...I LOVELOVELOVE cheese.



I had such a hard time cutting out cheese from my diet. I was still struggling 6 months after I found out about my allergy, and ended up really sick again...sinus infection, bronchitis, antibiotics, lots of missed work days...it was out of control. So, I realized I had to make a real effort to stop eating the cheeses. *deepdeep sigh*

Nowadays, my struggle is with eating out and reading all of the labels to the food I buy. Oh...and coffee creamers!! I love coffee, but I don't always have soy based cream around, so I use the powdered creamers...they have casein in them...even though they say they're "non-dairy"...they so aren't!!!

So I still have flare ups now and then...and I kick myself for it because I can usually pinpoint the cause. (don't ask me about the pumpkin pie filling) O.O And y'know, there seems to be a buildup effect to it as well...like small doses here and there, but too close together causes more severe reactions.

Oh...and worse...since I stopped taking in milk proteins...my reactions seem worse as well. It's like before there was always something in my body...so my body always had elevated inflammatory response, or something, going on. Now that milk proteins in my diet are to a minimum...if I do eat something...OMG!!!

I get soooo sick...and it's multiple reactions...GI right away, with inflammatory responses to my sinus, etc, to linger on afterwards!

GAH!!! That's just so wrong!

Ok...I'm now babbling, and ranting. So, I'm going to end with the fact that I'm still learning and trying to figure my way around foods that are healthier for me....like vegan and gluten-free foods seems to fall into my "no milk" lifestyle.

Except I eat meat, eggs, dislike most veggies, eat some breads...and...yeah.

Anyway...what started this whole post is that I'm planning to post some of the things I find to eat...bought or made. I'll be posting a couple of them later today hopefully...as for now...I need to get some sleep!