Jane Kerrison

People keep asking me if I can eat goat’s cheese and other products. My answer was consistently, “I don’t know, maybe”. Well turns out the answer is a big fat NO. I had some on Monday and my system is still upset today! Not a ton of fun. It was interesting because it was not an allergic reaction so much as what one would expect from an intolerance. Either way, no more goat’s cheese for me.

To confirm my dairy allergy, my doctor is sending me for two tests. I am getting an allergy test done, which makes sense. What makes less sense to me is the other test: Hydrogen Breath Test. I avoid certain foods for two weeks, I fast before the test, and then I get to spend four hours sitting in a hospital. In the beginning they give me some special formula then feed me dairy products (!!! I’m sorry, what?! This seems like an awful idea!) I then sit around (feeling awful) and breath into some bag/machine every half hour. The test measures the level of hydrogen in your breathe, which apparently tells them if I am lactose intolerant. Seeing as my doctor is pretty sure it’s an allergy, the test seems like a ridiculously bad idea to me, but there you go. I’ll let you know how that works out…

On the plus side, I haven’t been craving dairy lately. The thought of it actually kind of makes me cringe (especially after the goat cheese incident). Also I’m just feeling so much better all the time since I stopped eating it! It is definitely a worthwhile trade-off in my opinion.