FOOD INTOLERANCE: MAGGIE’S STORY
Like many mothers with young children, Maggie found it difficult to make time for a proper breakfast or lunch. She made up for this by eating a large evening meal with her husband, after which she usually suffered indigestion. By sucking indigestion tablets she could settle her stomach in time for bed, but then the pattern would be repeated the next day. Eventually the pain in her stomach became quite severe and she began to feel generally unwell. Once the children went to school this improved, but she still suffered indigestion most days. She now had a job as receptionist at a doctor’s surgery, and the doctor noticed Maggie constantly sucking indigestion tablets.
He discovered that Maggie had never consulted a doctor about her problem, which had now been going on for almost eight years, and suggested that she should do so. After examining her carefully, her own doctor decided that there was nothing seriously wrong, and suggested that she try to relax and eat more slowly. She also recommended a bland diet, so Maggie began to eat more cottage cheese and drink warm milk instead of tea. Within two weeks her indigestion was a great deal worse, which provided a clue to the cause of the poblem. As an experiment, Maggie switched to a diet containing no milk at all, and her indigestion cleared up completely a few days later.
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