further medical

[rm]

I'm not sure why I keep cutting these entries. It's not gross anymore. But it is still boring, and I'm in some mental chaos about it all.

I've spoken with the doctor, and IBS seems very likely right now. Allergies, on their own or in combination, also have to be considerd though, especially since my mother's side of the family has a track record with sudden, late developing allergies, and my plant allergies did come upon me suddenly in my late-20s. My mother became violently allergic to shellfish at my age -- shrimp tempura anyone? The other late blooming family allergy? Dairy.

My head's in a pretty intense scramble about this whole thing, in large part because it feels like one of those "vague women's diseases" adventures, which is the type of thing that just ENRAGES me -- from medical research to medical care to biological fact to the utterly galling notion that something I'm not that attached to (my physical gender) might be why I can't fucking eat anything but rice!

I'm feeling very ranty.

Comments

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

I am glad you're getting closer to a diagnosis at least. Gah. Today's word is "gah."

I don't know enough about your heritage to say, but there are lots of allergies and intolerances specific to certain ethnicities rather than gender, and it would make sense that a maturing body would grow more into some of these after the willy-nilly acceptance of childhood and the 20s. I am currently blaming my dairy thing on my father's Spanish blood - it turns out neither of us tolerate it well, mosquitos eat us alive while ignoring the rest of the family, etc. etc. Not very scientific but it makes me feel better (and distances me conveniently from my mother's frighteningly limiting microscopic colitis).

I mean, I'm down with the gendered thing, but there's no reason you should be.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Well, at least they don't think it's Crohn's which is a possibility from an ethnic heritage point of view.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

Crohn's: way, WAY worse than IBS.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I know, I auditioned for a commercial about it!

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

IT's actually fairly common for weird food allergies to appear in the 30s. Unfortunately.

Another source for lactose intolerance is is you're born premature. (Which is also connected to having a poor immune system and other health crap.) I have no genetic source for lactose intolerance whatsoever, but I was a bit preemie - and apparently the lactose digestion enzyme is one of the last to form in the stomach, and is one of the most sensitive. (A friend of mine dropped dead of a heart attack, and was revived - but the lactose enzyme died.)

I'm fortunate enough that the OTC lactose pills enable me to lead a pretty okay lifestyle (with a lifetime of conditioned milk avoidance, too).