Could my son be lactose intolerant?

[Solola]

He's 4 and I feel really bad that this has only recently occurred to me.

DS2 has always had much stinkier and looser poos than his two brothers. I didn't really think much of it until his pre-school sent him home on a couple of occasions because he had 'diarrhea' and I thought, no that is just normal for him. His poos are like that all the time.

Before this happened I took him to the GP about something else and mentioned these loose stools in passing and said that I thought it was just toddler diarrhea which is quite common (I think?). And GP seemed unconcerned about it.

He does have bags under his eyes and always has, and he is also rake thin which does not fit the body type of our family. He is also my only child who regularly complains of stomach ache (just seems to last 1/2 hour or so), and that has only been last year or so when he has been able to verbalise how he feels.

He has lots of energy and is happy and cheerful so not been concerned about it until a penny dropped and I began to wonder if he has a food intolerance. I can't digest onion and garlic and it took me 30 years to figure that out. We don't eat those anymore so they are not his problem.

The reason I'm thinking dairy is that he was always gassy and stinky poo even as a baby before any other foods introduced and I formula fed him.

Should I go straight to docs or try a dairy free diet for him for a fortnight and then go to them once I'm clear if it is/isn't dairy?

[freefrommum]

Before you start cutting out any foods from his diet, I would suggest getting him tested for coeliac disease and asking for a referral to a gastro specialist (be warned, you might have to push for this quite hard as many GPs are not keen on referring anybody for anything these days - I assume it affects their figures/budgets). If you really don't get anywhere with the GP, it might be worth doing a dairy-free trial but you will need to make sure that he's getting enough calcium and fat elsewhere in his diet. You will also need to keep a detailed diary during the trial to be able to demonstrate any changes in symptoms. Whatever you do, do NOT remove gluten from his diet before getting him tested for coeliac disease otherwise the tests will not be accurate.

[Solola]

Thank-you, that is a helpful starting point. I hate to think that anything I am feeding him could actually be harming his body. Do the lactose free milks/cheeses you can buy in the supermarket contain the calcium and fat I wonder?

[freefrommum]

I would suggest that you would probably need to try going totally dairy free rather than just lactose free as it's more likely to be an intolerance to cow's milk protein than just lactose. I say this because you say that his symptoms started before weaning and lactose intolerance in babies is extremely rare (and very dangerous) so it seems more likely that cow's milk protein is the culprit (if dairy is the problem at all - obviously his symptoms may be nothing to do with his diet).

You can buy fortified oat, soya or coconut milk in most supermarkets but it might be difficult to get him to drink them as they taste so different to cow's milk. Dairy free cheese is generally only available in health food shops and pretty awful tbh. Soya yogurts are widely available though and you can try fortified cereals like Ready Brek or supermarket own brands. You will have to get used to reading every food label though as milk is hidden in all sorts of things eg crisps, ham, chicken slices, bread etc. It's not easy but if you do decide to go down this route then I would recommend having a look at the CMPA support website & Facebook page: cowsmilkproteinallergysupport.webs.com/symptoms