Does anything jump out at you??

[kirstie]

Hi there, my son is 3 (has Autism)and has always looked very pale and washed out, i always thought it was his skin colouring and that's it.

Anyway he has always had the worst constipation and lactulose didn't even help. He was also a big milk drinker. Someone once said to me about the dark bags under his eyes and pale skin he had a milk intolerance, but i dismissed it because in my eyes he drank it with no ill effect.

Forward wind to 6 weeks ago on holiday he went completely off milk (i suppose it does taste different abroad) and ever since he's had chronic diorreah and every few days sickness. Stool cultures have thrown up nothing and there are days when he looks deathly pale and the diorreah explosions are exactly that (still in nappies, at this point i'm quite glad!) No-one else in the family have been ill either. it's only him who is suffering. Do you think it's just a coincedence he's gone off milk and the sickness etc has come on? I asked the Dr about Coeliac disease but she said no because he would likely have had the diorreah from the off. Am not sure if an intolerance would fit either because he's not actually having any milk (will have yoghurts and cheese) So anyone have any ideas> does this sound familiar to you? GP checked it wasn't an overflow from mega constipation but seems it's not that either! Am baffled and a bit worried too it's a long time to be unwell.

Any advice very welcome!

[Flora]

I'm no expert but it sounds very like a lactose intolerance.

 

When Bill was a baby right up until about aged 4 he had a lactose intolerance. He was on a completely dairy free diet until about 18 months when we introduced ordinary dairy back into his diet. He seemed ok at first but after about 2 months he developed diarrohea which stayed right until he was past his third birthday. During that time we took him back to the paediatrician who advised we cut out lactose again and this seemed to work but we didn't stick to it rigidly and now at the age of 14 he drinks milk with no (apparent) problems.

 

You could try cutting all lactose from his diet and see what happens. It'll seem difficult at first because lactose is present in so many products... so you'd have to read all the labels etc.

 

If you find that his problems clear up then it would be worth going to the GP and getting a referral to a paediatrican and/or a nutrionist(can't remember the name of the person we saw but it was something like a nutrionist or dietician)... and if they agree that it's the lactose you should be able to get quite a few of the things on prescription.

 

From what you've said it does sound very much like a lactose problem. My son used to want to drink milk all the time and apparently this is one of the indicators. He also used to get eczema patches if the milk touched his skin... this is another indicator you could look for.

 

Good luck

 

Flora

[kirstie]

Thanks Flora,

It's interesting you say that your son had eczema patches when milk touched his skin, my son gets like that if sauces like ketchup touch his skin, must read the label....

This has just thrown me really because he is now off milk totally and will only accept water which is fine but i just coudln't get my head around the idea it was lactose intolerance when he wasn't having any milk to drink, however i must have a look at some labels. Either that or gluten do you think?

Could be his system is getting over the milk he's been drinking for so long????? i think i'll have him checked for it though.

Thanks for your help Flora!! <'>

[kirstie]

Oh just googled lactose intolerance and it lists chocolate as being a trigger for symptoms, ever since he was a little baby chocolate gave him a bad stomach, we decided not to give him any as it just seemed to go right through him....The grumbling tummy is another (as well as the wind) as soon as he's had breakfast he's asking for lunch so i suspect his tummy is growling and he's confusing it with hunger!!

[Cat]

Kirstie Sunderland Autism Research Unit (putting it in full incase the link is removed) http://osiris.sunderland.ac.uk/autism/ offer urinary profiling for people with autism and I can recommend it. It is a very simple none invassive test but it will tell you if your child has an intolerance to milk and or gluten. An intolerance is different to something like Coeliac disease and many doctors discount the affect they can have on the child. The people in the Unit will be happy to speak to you they are great guys and galls

 

I had a very similar story with my son and his tests cam back negative so at least I knew that it was not the milk. However on December 27th last year my son had Appendicitis after the removal of his appendix for the first time in his life his poo has been normal I have no idea why and no one can tell me but the cannon ball poo and the runny poo have gone. Not complaining but I am still in the dark as to why

 

Cat

[kirstie]

Thank you, i have emailed the Uni. Not sure how it will work out as he is no longer drinking milk atall (but is eating other dairy products) shall wait and see!

[Tally]

If he is still eating dairy products, then the tests will still be valid. However, they test for a Casein intolerance, rather than a Lactose one. (Casein is a protein in milk, and lactose is a sugar found in milk.) Even if the tests come back negative, your son may well have an intolerance to dairy products.

 

You might like to try to persuade him to try soya milk, since he may not be getting enough calcium unless he is eating huge quantities of dairy. It can taste quite unpleasant on its own, but can be nice on cereal or mixed with chocolate powder.