Hello to you all
    I have been reading your posts for the last few months and reading a good
bit on the internet.  I've been in and out of Dr's offices (6) for many years
with little success.  Thanks to you all and the internet, I'm beginning to
get a grip on my problem.  It's at least a milk related problem, maybe a few
other foods too.  Before I go back to the allergist, I'd like to get some
input from those of you on the list.
Background:
    I am now 51.  I started my problems when I married at 20,  as I started
taking birth control pills (I assume from the lactose).  I've been sick ever
since. I went to the Dr. many years ago who told me it was NOT the milk
because I would have had diarrhea, not the opposite. I was chronically
constipated.  I went through all the upper and lower GI tests to find
nothing.  Years passed with constipation and migraine attacks to the point of
three a week. I was sick all the time.
    On my own about 1990, I started a diary of all foods and symptoms
beginning a culprit food diet, to determine yes, it was the milk.  I stopped
all obvious milk, after which my life was so much better, with only 4-5
"crashes" a month. The same Dr. had also told me that DQ Blizzards contained
no milk, and they were made from sea weed.  So, I increased my M& M blizzards
(with 1/4 the M&M's) to at least one a week, as my treat, since I could no
longer have ice cream.  They did not bother my stomach-bloating-constipation
, etc.,  so I continued them.  However, I began an ear ache and chronic
rhinitis for a period of 3 years. Dr's had no clue as to the cause, even the
ear specialist. The Dr's never referred me to an allergist.  I then found
your mail list as well as the internet/ kosher symbols on food products. I
stopped ALL milk, even milk proteins.  Also,  I finally read the blizzard
ingredients!  You know the story-it's mainly milk.  After leaving off the
blizzards and milk proteins, I no longer have an ear ache or rhinitis and
have "crashed"  only 3 times since Nov. 1st!!   I finally took myself to the a
llergist last fall.  He said that if I'd already figured out that it was the
milk, he could do nothing for me really.  He said he could do tests, but it
was really a waste of my money, as food testing is inaccurate except for
broad categories, and I had already done that much myself.
        I'm seeking help from you in narrowing down my problem further.
    Discussion/Questions:
1.  Should I just stop here because I do know my problem is milk?  Or will I
be able to figure out if it's the lactose or proteins or both?   I've read
that all milk contains lactose, although it can be tampered with to reduce
the lactose.  Lactose reduced milks give me a headache. I do now notice on
the Kosher symbols, they do contain dairy, as does Cool whip which makes me
sick.  So from those two foods, I assume it's the proteins, not the lactose
that bothers me, yet I can't take the medications either which contain
lactose. So, I'm assuming it's both.  Do all milk products contain milk
proteins?
So, is this called a Milk allergy, since I don't seem to be able to handle
either?
2. A few other foods still bother me which are supposed to be parve, so am
considering going back to the allergist for testing anyway.  Can the milk
problem be narrowed down further?  What tests do I ask for?  Have you found
the IGg testing to be accurate? It's been so frustrating to have to tell my
Dr's what's wrong after I figure it out.
3.  Since it's so difficult to eat out, what do you do if you ever have to go
to the hospital?  Do you give your Dr. a list of foods you can and cannot eat
to put in your medical record?  My problems have not been life threatening,
but if I ate what they served, I'd be so sick, they wouldn't know if I was
sick from the food or the illness.
In this case should I wear a medical ID?  Not that I'm planning on having a
heart attack!!!
But, I notice that nitroglycerin tablets contain lactose.

THANK YOU to all who have posted information to the internet on milk related
problems.  I would never have figured out my problem without your
information.

 Any advise or input you have would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Judith