No root beer float for me :(

I think I have a milk allergy, which is actually different from lactose intolerance, which I've also had in the past. I think my lactose intolerance went away when I went years without having any dairy products (99.5% of the time), and now it seems to be under control. I've been sick more frequently since I had the lap band than any other time in my life.

It doesn't make any sense. With gastric bypass, patients run the risk of malabsorption, but that doesn't happen with the lap band. Also, I have tracked my food intake religiously since day one, and I have *never* eaten healthier, more well balanced meals in my life. In fact, one major change for me was re-introducing milk into my diet.

I didn't have it for years because of the lactose intolerance, but it was a must for the lap band diet, as calcium intake was a biggy, so I thought I'd give it a try. That's when I realized my lactose intolerance symptoms weren't bothering me. I started having dairy all the time, and I was proud of myself for making the change!

I know Lanie is reading this, shaking her head and waiving her finger at me because she's gently cautioned me many times that perhaps, at least while I'm suffering all these respiratory problems, I should remove dairy from my diet. I knew she was right, but I also thought it was because dairy was a mucus forming food, which exacerbated the respiratory problem. What I'm beginning to believe, due to new research, is that a milk allergy actually causes respiratory problems, including asthma, colds, bronchitis, sinus infections, etc...basically everything I've had almost monthly since I've been consuming milk/dairy regularly.

My milk allergy probably made me susceptible to my allergies in general, which now include every change of the season, pets, dust, you name it. I'm sure I'm just making it worse by consuming more and more dairy.

Back to earth - I know I'm not a doctor...but I'm right about medical things (as they pertain to me) a LOT. Or maybe I just think that. :) Either way, I have an MD appointment today to nip my current illness in the bud before I travel to CA on Monday to speak at a national conference (I better get well!!), and I'm going to request a blood test to test for milk allergies.

In the mean time, I've decided to cut all dairy out until I find out my test results, and either way, until I get well. This is no easy task for me. I have dairy all the time now. I ended up having soup for breakfast. I'm not sure what I'll have for lunch... it was so easy having a grilled cheese with soup or cereal as filler meals. I think I may have pita with hummus and tabouli for lunch. Depending on how I feel, I may have soup again for dinner.

I'm going to ask Darcy to pick up some soy alternatives from the store today. I'll give you a full report of how they taste. I know - very exciting! :)

I did an hour of yoga and 30 mins of cardio (7 miles on the bike) yesterday. I went in the hot tub twice - boy is that nice to have for aching muscles! I did 30 mins of yoga this morning from a new DVD I bought last night. It was for beginners, but it was challenging...mainly because I was still sore from last night, I think.

As the day goes on, I'm feeling weaker and I'm thinking of taking the day off. I am booked back to back today, but I really need to get better, so I may just have to put in longer days the rest of the week. We'll see how it goes.