It bothers me that I'm lactose intolerant... again.

Back when I was ten or so I was declared lactose intolerant by my doctor. This deprived me of all the wonders of dairy products throughout my youth, unless they were pseudo-dairy (goat cheese, tofu ice cream, etc.) or immediately preceeded by "Lactaid" pills. After several years, when my periodic stomach problems showed no major improvement, I was actually physically tested for lactose intolerance. The results were negative; my body was apparently producing all the enzymes it needed to.

I felt betrayed. I felt deprived. I felt a huge fucking urge for a pizza.

This time it's self-diagnosed. I've been reading several different books on gastrointestinal disorders, you know, "Me and My Colon," "Being One With Your Bowels," and whatnot. More importantly, I've been studying my diet very carefully the last few weeks and I see a solid pattern.

So far it's been working. I'm noticing a slight improvement already. The hard part is reading the ingredients on EVERYTHING to see if it has any kind of milk in it. I'm finding it in weird things too, like Nutri-Grain Bars and Animal Crackers.

I think as long as I eat smart, I should be able to get a handle on my stomach problems. Of course, I've never been one to do anything, "Smart."