Two of my DS's are thought to have milk allergies. DS who is almost 4 has had constipation since birth. When the GI doc had his blood tested last fall his levels indicated a milk allergy. The GI doc. told us to removal ALL milk related products from his diet. It was rough at first since he loves most dairy products. He still suffers from constipation, but his stomach seems to be more comfortable and he has begun to gain weight (he was very thin).

My other DS is 14 months has GERD, delayed emptying, and is thought to have a milk protein allergy. The GERD still bothers him from time to time even though he's on 15mg of Prevacid. He hasn't had any allergy testing. He was losing weight for sometime and I was on a diary free diet while nursing him. Once I weaned him and he began to eat more solids he began to gain weight. He was breastfed and then weaned to Neocate. Neocate was the only formula he could digest and he's still on it. Our GI doc believes he may have had a bad reaction to my breast milk (which is hard to hear after having to be dairy free for 6+ months)and that's what caused his weight loss.

We have an appointment with a new GI doctor early next week. I want to be prepared when I go. From any of you who've been through this, how can they determine if they really have milk allergies- or if they're just lactose intollerant? What questions should I ask?

By Trina~moderator on Thursday, July 27, 2006 - 12:32 pm:

My DD had GERD and couldn't handle dairy protein as an infant and toddler. She was BF and I cut all dairy out of my diet. We also supplemented with soy formula as our ped., GI specialist and dietician were concerned about her weight. That worked well and she successfully went off Zantac at about 15 mos.. The GI specialist did do bloodwork, I believe it was called a RAST test, that tested for milk allergy. She tested negatively so I slowly began to introduce dairy. She did fine. She has since gone through food allergy testing and is severely allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. (My DS is also severely allergic to tree nuts.) She also tested positive for an egg allergy but not as severe. I don't think they do the food allergy prick testing until a child is at least 3, but that may be differ depending on doctor opinion.

Lactose intolerance is totally different. No personal experience with my kids, but *I* have done the lactose intolerance testing in the past. It's a looooong test that takes several hours. You drink a solution, sit still and blow into a device every hour. I tested negative for lactose intolerance, but later figured out on my own that my intestinal havoc was caused by a peanut intolerance.

I was recently chatting with another mom who has a preschooler she suspects has milk allergies. She switched her over to fortified rice milk and she's doing great. Of course, I'd discuss this with a doctor first, but it's worth looking into.

By Jjb on Thursday, July 27, 2006 - 01:06 pm:

Thanks Trina! I might try to pursue at least my 4yr DS to get food allergy tested. How exactly do they test them? I'm sorry to hear that your DD has a severe allergy to peanuts- that's a tough one.

By Trina~moderator on Thursday, July 27, 2006 - 01:28 pm:

Our Allergy/Asthma specialist uses a rectangular plastic device that has numerous pin heads on it. Allergens are placed and recorded on each pin head. Then this is gently pressed into the inside of the child's forearm. They wait 15 min. and then record any reactions. No antihistamines are allowed for 24 hrs. prior to testing, as it may sway the results. This was not a fun experience when my kids were younger, but they're fine with it now. LOL! They're not allowed to touch the area, which is difficult because it's ITCHY. I tell my kids to blow on it until testing is done and an anti-itch cream is applied.

Dealing with severe nut allergies was tough at first, but it has become a way of life. Since both kids can't have nuts, it's actually easier that way.