[Stormster]

How is it diagnosed?

[meghann]

This page explains the tests pretty well: Lactose Intolerance

[shy_bear]

With both my daugther and son; we took them to an allergist. The allergist did all the skin testing and when they both tested neg. for milk allergy we were told b/c of their symptoms they were lactose int. Both had been on soy formula as infants, A. still drinks soy, buy K. is now at 7 on milk and has no problems.

[Kellster]

I had to drink this liquid that tasted like extra-sweet orange soda. I think it was straight lactose. Then I had to breathe into this tube that measured the amount of sugar in my breath. Nothing invasive or painful, but I did have an upset stomach because I AM lactose intolerant.

Just FYI, lactose intolerance is not the same as having a "milk allergy".

Kelly

[Fe2002]

I think DD is lactose intolerant.. I didn't have it diagnosed officially though.

As an infant she was on Similac Sensitive and now I give her Lactaid whole milk. I contacted her bmom and she told me that one of DD siblings also had a problem tolerating regular milk.

[sbaglio]

Storm, lactose intolerance in children is not very common (congenital lactose intolerance is extremely rare). Usually a child will have some sort of GI illness, which causes the GI tract to slough off the lactase enzyme, making them intolerant of lactose until the bowel heals.

In reality, not many children are put through the recommended hydrogen breath test for a diagnosis (I'm not sure if the test is as sensitive in kids...). One simply cuts out all dairy from the diet for several days, then reintroduces it, and monitors the symptoms. If there are no co-morbid conditions like inflammatory bowel disease or IBS to cloud the picture, the diagnosis can be pretty clear if one takes these steps.

Celiac disease (gluten sensitivity) is often underdiagnosed in kids, so it's something else to consider when there are symptoms that resemble lactose intolerance.

[aclee]

Originally Posted by sbaglio

Celiac disease (gluten sensitivity) is often underdiagnosed in kids, so it's something else to consider when there are symptoms that resemble lactose intolerance.

When will you learn to listen to me??? I told you gluten did the same stuff to me that E was going through

[dawnrenee58]

Originally Posted by sbaglio

Storm, lactose intolerance in children is not very common (congenital lactose intolerance is extremely rare). Usually a child will have some sort of GI illness, which causes the GI tract to slough off the lactase enzyme, making them intolerant of lactose until the bowel heals.

In reality, not many children are put through the recommended hydrogen breath test for a diagnosis (I'm not sure if the test is as sensitive in kids...). One simply cuts out all dairy from the diet for several days, then reintroduces it, and monitors the symptoms. If there are no co-morbid conditions like inflammatory bowel disease or IBS to cloud the picture, the diagnosis can be pretty clear if one takes these steps.

Celiac disease (gluten sensitivity) is often underdiagnosed in kids, so it's something else to consider when there are symptoms that resemble lactose intolerance.

OK, so now I am interested. Marco, my bio son, is lactose intolerant. My husband is and his sister is also. they are Mexican, and from what I have read, up to 50% of hispanic people are lactose intolerant. He is drinking Lactaid milk, and we stay away from cheeses and ice cream. He just had his 18 month checkup yesterday and the pediatrician seemed to have no issues with all this. She said it sounds like we are on the right track. Should we get a second opinion?

Oh yeah, my grandma has Celiac's. Bad.

[Rubi]

My oldest son tested positive on the allergy test for milk, but doesn't get any severe reactions....his latest tests were negative, but he does seem to get a bad runny nose and coughs when eating some cheese, so I assumed he is only intollerant.....He drinks rice milk and eats ricemilk ice cream. As a baby he had bad vomiting....put him on soya and the vomiting went on till he was 3 yr old, then they did the allergy test and he was allergic to milk and soya....I don't like the soya substitution, because they can apparently develope an allergy towards it if they drink it to mutch....My youngest baby has been put on NAN HA and later on NAN lactose free, because he keeps on vomiting on milk and gets diahree....

[Stormster]

How does one test for Gluten sensitivity then? Taking him off milk doesnt' change much. But changing ANYTHING makes him better for a day or two...then it goes back. There is no logic to the days that are slightly better. We are going to the doc on Tuesday for second flu shot. I guess it's time to actually turn to the professionals. Something I've avoided with this issue because I've been really afraid of overly invasive testing on him. I am a big believer in the power of diet but I'm kind of out of ideas.

Thanks!

[crystalp]

The test for gluten sensitivity (Celiac Disease) can be done two ways.
First, the doctor can order a blood test. If you do this one then E needs to be on a regular diet including gluten for it to be accurate.
The second way is to cut all gluten from his diet. A lot of times, dairy and oats need to be cut out at first, also, because the part of the intestine that is damaged by Celiac is also the part that helps to digest dairy. So until the villi "grow back", dairy is really hard to digest and can cause symptoms. Oats need to be avoided at first because in this country many oats are cross-contaminated with wheat because of how it is grown. If he gets better on the diet, then you can be pretty sure that he has a gluten sensitivity or Celiac Disease. But you would want to get it confirmed by a doctor.

[JeannineW]

If it is lactose intolerance, it is easy to treat in kids and adults. I take one Digestive Advantage every morning and I'm cured. I eat ice cream, milk and all the other things that used to cause me trouble. I consider it a miracle pill. I have nearly forgotten that I am lactose intolerant.

Here is a link.

Digestive Advantage Children's Lactose Intolerance Therapy

The kids version is for 3 and up. I bet you could use it younger but check with a doctor. They may just be worried about choking.

[ourdreamcametru]

For Castle it was a process of elimatation. She threw up, I mean SHE THREW UP every minute of every day and night and swelled anytime she has a bottle of formula. Her eyes swelled shut, her face and limbs swelled and it was horrible. We changed her to a soy formula and she did the same thing so we put her on Nutramigian formula and she did wonderful. Now we have done allergy testing and she is allergic to latose, milk, soy and apples, yes I said apples strange but true. For the most part she can have milk products in very limited portions, it's the soy and lactose that are a threat so she takes a Digestive Advantage chewable every day of her life and does fine. As a previous poster said, this is a miracle drug for us and you can give it to children younger than 3, it's all natural. Castle has been taking it since she was a year old we just crush it in her first cup each day--she will not chew it. This gives me a great peace because if she didn't take the pill we would have to watch what she ate everywhere she went because of the swelling lactose and soy cause her.

[Stormster]

See that's why I don't think it's anything that serious like Celiac or Lactose Intolerance! It's only his first bottle of the day that causes it.

He's never swelled or anything like that though he does have a chronic nighttime cough and mild eczema....we shall see...

[ourdreamcametru]

Storm, it still sounds like something is going on, has the dr mentioned testing for allergies? Does he eat or drink anything other than formula? Different things cause different reactions but for us it was no doubt that she had an allergy. This started in the hospital with the nurse brushing me off because I called for her everytime Castle was turning blue from choking when she threw up the formula. She kept telling me that I was just nervous and a new mother and showing me ways to burp her and stop her from turning blue Sorry lady but this is my third and I am guessing that I have more experience with babies than she did after being a nanny for many years, I KNEW this was not right and took Castle to the dr asap when we left the hospital. If you feel like something is wrong it most likely is, Mommy knows best, ALWAYS!!!