I know this has been discussed repeatedly, but I never paid attention
to the discussions before!  My pediatrician has just said that my 3 year
old son appears to have a lactose intolerance.  When my son was a
baby, he couldn't tolerate milk at all.  We started him on milk at age
1, and he tolerated better it than he had when he was younger.
However, he has constantly had frequent, loose BMs, and an almost
constant diaper rash.  With toilet training, this has become much more
of a problem than it was with diapers.

We've started cutting back on the dairy products, using milk with
lactase added, and giving him Lactaid tablets.  It seems to be
helping.  My son likes the tables just fine, and likes talking about
getting lactase to digest his lactose, and seems to understand that
the lactase keeps him from getting a sore bottom and tummy aches.

I'm curious about what other parents do with this, though.  Do you let
your children eat all the dairy products they want, and just give them
tablets, or do you try to restrict their dairy product intake?

Does the level of tolerance vary; do some people have worse symptoms
than others?  In reading about it, I was surprised at the high
percentages of different groups that have a lactose intolerance.

Is there some point at which children become uncomfortable about being
different and taking the tablets before they eat?  At least we don't
have to worry about really catastropic results; he'll probably just
end up with diarrhea.

My son has also had a lot of runny noses unrelated to colds.  I've
heard that lactose intolerance can also cause excessive mucus.  Has
anyone else seen that?

Can anyone recommend a good source of written information?  I was
trying to find some literature on this, but the library books were all
checked out, and the bookstores didn't have anything in stock.

Thanks.

-Sue Miller

Yes, it's true that milk causes mucous production to increase.  I'm
told it should be avoided when you have a cold, whether or not you are
intolerant.

As for what to give your son when he doesn't have a cold, why don't you
look into soy milk and soy products.  I think they taste good, although
I don't think they taste like milk.  They are expensive.  But they may
not be necessary: ask your doctor, given his present diet, if he needs
to have dairy foods at all.  I understand that protein and fat are not
so important after two or three years.
--
        Tom Reingold
        t...@samadams.princeton.edu
        rutgers!princeton!samadams!tr
        "Brew strength depends upon the
        amount of coffee used." -Black&Decker

Yes, levels of tolerance can vary alot, and may get better or
worse as you get older.

You can call the Lactaid hotline for information; they will
also send you pamphlets (1-800-257-8650).
--
Steven Kahn,  room 6-103                               st...@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab
Laurel, MD 20723-6099                                           +1 301 953 6812