As someone who loves ice cream, Gary Finch was disappointed when he was diagnosed with lactose intolerance.
The retired banker from Warrington, Cheshire, developed the symptoms in 1998. He'd had a tummy bug on holiday in Thailand, but it kept flaring up, especially when he ate anything creamy.
'Whenever I had ice cream or cheesecake I'd have terrible cramps and need to rush to the loo all night,' says Gary, 53.
One in five people have had lactose intolerance at some time
His GP ran blood tests and diagnosed lactose intolerance - when the body is unable to digest lactose, the sugar found in milk.
One in five people have had this condition at some time - it can be permanent or occur temporarily after a gut infection or surgery.
Gary's GP thought it was due to the holiday gastroenteritis. It had apparently damaged the lining of the bowel, meaning it could no longer break down lactose.
The advice was to build up his tolerance by eating only small portions of dairy products until he got used to them again, which could take three months.
But it didn't work. Every month Gary would have another flare-up. And they were getting worse - by 2008, he was rushing to the loo up to eight times a day.
It got so bad that on some days he simply wouldn't eat so his body had nothing to get rid of. Over six months, he lost a stone in weight.
Colitis and lactose intolerance have many crossover symptoms, such as abdominal pain and tiredness
It was more than ten years after his symptoms had first appeared that he finally discovered the real cause of his troubles.
Gary had spotted blood and mucus in his stools and his GP referred him to the Spire Cheshire Hospital, where he had an endoscopy - a telescopic examination of his bowel.
The result showed that he had ulcerative colitis - an inflammatory condition of the large bowel that's linked to an over-active immune system and can be serious.
Up to 120,000 Britons are thought to have this condition, yet experts warn the true number may be far higher, because symptoms can often be mistaken for food allergies, stress or lactose intolerance.
It's easy to misdiagnose colitis as lactose intolerance because eating dairy can exacerbate both conditions.
It's easy to misdiagnose colitis as lactose intolerance because eating dairy can exacerbate both conditions.
1 in 4
The number of people with ulcerative colitis who will ultimately need surgery
'It's not uncommon for treatment to be delayed if symptoms are blamed on more common conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome or lactose intolerance,' says Dr Ian Shaw, consultant gastroenterologist and medical adviser to Crohn's and Colitis UK.
Colitis and lactose intolerance have many crossover symptoms, such as diarrhoea, abdominal pain and tiredness.
'But importantly lactose intolerance does not cause bleeding,' says Dr Shaw. And diarrhoea caused by lactose intolerance should improve within a month or two.
Gary's doctor, Dr Subramaniam Ramakrishnan, consultant gastroenterologist at Spire Cheshire Hospital and Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, says: 'If someone has changes in bowel habits lasting more than six weeks, they should see their GP to rule out serious conditions, including Crohn's, ulcerative colitis or bowel cancer, rather than assume dairy is the trigger.
'But as more common conditions such as lactose intolerance can mask Crohn's and colitis, diagnosis is often delayed. Gary may never have had lactose intolerance at all - those symptoms could have been caused by early-stage colitis.
'It's crucial that ulcerative colitis is controlled with treatment. Having to rush to the toilet up to 20 times a day is unpleasant and disruptive.
It is important to confirm that there is not something more serious going on
'But uncontrolled inflammation of the large bowel over many years can lead to serious conditions, including perforation of the bowel, which is life-threatening.
'It can also lead to bowel cancer, as continued inflammation and healing allow abnormal growths to form.'
Immediately after his ulcerative colitis diagnosis, Gary took a short course of steroids and anti-inflammatory medication, which got the condition under control.
With his bowel in a more healthy state, he found he could tolerate small quantities of dairy products again.
'I'd have flare-ups every few months, but I was much better,' says Gary.
However, in March 2012, tests revealed ulcers on his large bowel, caused by the years of uncontrolled inflammation. Gary was told he might eventually need surgery to remove the diseased colon, meaning he would need a colostomy bag.
A sports lover, Gary couldn't bear the thought. Doctors decided to try to control the disease with medication to spare him from surgery.
Dr Ramakrishnan increased the dose of the anti-inflammatory medication and added azathioprine, an immunosuppressant. Gary's bowel healed and gradually the bouts of diarrhoea became less frequent.
'Now that it's under control, I only need a low-dose medication of Asacol to reduce inflammation,' says Gary, who runs daily and is playing football again.
'I still have a bit of lactose intolerance, so am careful about eating creamy food.'
But Dr Ramakrishnan says Gary's story should be seen as a cautionary tale for anyone who is suffering unexplained, long-standing digestive problems.
'When people believe they have lactose intolerance, it is important to confirm that there is not something more serious going on,' he says.
'When Gary was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, he'd had it for almost a decade. Patients who have blood in their stools or a persistent change in their bowel habit should always seek help.'
Gary agrees: 'If I hadn't blamed lactose intolerance for so long, I might have got help sooner. A test seemed to confirm I was lactose intolerant, but I had another, much more serious problem, too.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2524896/Think-youve-got-milk-allergy-It-major-bowel-problem.html#ixzz2nlyxYW96
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