got milk?

Since March of last year, I've been having a lot of issues with my stomach. I get nauseaus very easily, and have horrible heartburn, among other things. I've been seeing doctors and specialists since then, and have had multiple tests done to find out what is going on.

In the summer, I had an upper endoscopy done, which is when they stick a camera down your throat and into your stomach to see if there are any visible problems. I had some minor tearing, remnants of the days when my eating disorder was really bad. They said some of stomach pain could be from that. So I avoided acidic food and went about as normal. Not much improvement...

In the fall, ate eggs with magic ions in them and sat under a big x-ray machine for two and a half hours while they took pictures of how fast the food left my stomach. After eating, half of the food material should have left your stomach within 2 hours. None of mine did. So they diagnosed me with gastroparesis, which is when your stomach muscles don't work properly and food does not leave your stomach in a normal amount of time. They put me on medicine that makes my muscles contract to move the food material out. They said the gastroparesis was also from the anorexia/bulimia. Awesome...

A few months go by, and I'm still having some issues. And I find out that I am lactose intolerant. Which would be fine, except for the fact that I am also soy intolerant. Do you know how hard it is to find dairy products that are both lactose and soy free?? I spent 40 minutes at Whole Foods today looking for lactose-free and soy-free yogurt. Do you know how expensive it is when you find the ONE brand that is lactose-free and soy-free? A DOLLAR-NINTEEN for ONE 4oz carton of yougurt! That is absurd!

Now, they also think I have an overgrowth of bacteria in my small intestine and I have to go for another 2 and a half hour test during my spring break. I know the gastroparesis is my own doing, but I'm pretty sure you don't become lactose intolerant after having an eating disorder for five years. And I'm pretty sure an eating disorder does not cause bacteria growth in your small intestine. So, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank whichever one of my ancestors that gave me a horrible digestive system. Because now, I get to spend a fortune on special yogurt and milk, not to mention the plethora of foods I cannot eat anymore because they contain milk or soy.