> Subject: Re: Dairy/egg connection

> Jon Lewis asked about the dairy/egg connection.
Firstly the egg/milk thing -
I have been on a milk/egg free diet for 36 years.  This was never diagnosed in any formal sense,
but I had serious intestinal problems all during my chilhood, and by the time I was 15 I was very ill
 with what then was descibed as Ulcerative Colitis.  A milk/egg free diet was reluctantly tried by
my surgeon (under pressure from my mother) as a last resort before removing the offending colon.
It is an interesting comment on the state of understanding in Britain back in the early 60's that I
was placed in the care of a surgon (=man with knife) do deal with the problem.  I have never had a
test and it seems that, from what I have read in other messages, my particular 'allergy' may not
have shown up; but my memory of the explanation at the time is that an initial sensitivity to
lactose set up an allergy to a specific protein that occurs in cow's milk and hen's eggs (but only
the yolk thus I can eat meringue, but not lemon meringue pie).  Experimentally I also appear to be
sensitive to all other eggs and buffalo milk, as in mozzarella cheese on pizza :-(
but sheep and goat's milk and products seem OK :-)

The 'they will grow out of it' thing -
In my twenties and thirties I was not absolutly 100% careful about avoidance, and did not have too
many problems but gradually began to get worse. I had a colonoscopy when I was about 40 and
areas of inflamation were detected.  I have since then tightened up on my diet and I am now 51,
healthy and 99.8% milk and egg free.  But I anticipate that I will eventually have to become more
and more careful (I shall miss the red wine but not the Pop-tarts!) as I seem to be becoming more
sensitive.  But of course I may just be becoming less tolerant!