>>>>>>>>>>>>
These are two entirely different =
conditions. An allergy is a reaction to a protein. The other is an =
inability to digest milk sugar. It is extremely important for people =
on this List, of all places, to understand the difference. =
Causes, reactions, symptoms, and avoidances for the two =
problems are totally unrelated. =
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I agree that 99.9% of the time, this is absolutely true.  However, the more I
read and learn, the more I believe there is a group of people for whom the
separation between the two conditions is NOT so obvious or easy to identify.

My now 10 yo daughter had a "stomach bug" in March 1998 and six weeks later
became very ill with almost constant nausea and abdominal pain.  I won't bore
you with the details of the tests etc., but suffice it to say that I finally
discovered that dairy made her MUCH worse.  She improved 75% after dairy and
cheese were removed from her diet, improved 95% after obvious dairy
ingredients were removed.  She still has some significant problems that the
specialist is trying to figure out (he said she'd be completely recovered by
fall but she is worse), but she is at least 80% better than when she was
eating dairy.

This child was skin tested for allergies and tested negative to milk and +1 to
casein.  The allergist said that children her age just DON'T develop dairy
allergies and the +1 wasn't considered significant.   The gastroenterologist
ordered a hydrogen breath test for LI, and my daughter blew some of the
highest levels they have ever seen in a child!  But listen to this -- she had
NO symptoms during or after the breath test!    I had "tested" my daughter
myself (please DO NOT do this for serious reactions!) by putting 1/4 teaspoon
of milk on her bread in her dairy free peanut butter sandwich without telling
her AND giving her half a lactaid tablet (told her it was a vitamin).  I was
pretty sure she would not react to such a small amount.  Well, SIX hours later
she developed moderate abdominal pain and it continued, milder, for 3 days
before going away.  That was a very typical reaction for her, and explained
why she had had pain ALL the time before stopping dairy -- her reactions were
constantly overlapping.  When I explained this to the gastroenterologist, he
said we can't be sure she doesn't also have an allergy to casein because skin
tests aren't very useful for allergies producing digestive symptoms.

Other things my daughter has reacted to are:
A handful of hard candy containing "natural flavors"
One frozen juice bar containing "natural flavors"
Microwave popcorn containing only popcorn, oil and salt (contaminated on
machinery?)
One slice of bread containing whey and nonfat milk as the last 2 ingredients.
Butter or magarine in one homemade rice krispy treat.

I must make sure her current symptoms are not from dairy hidden in her diet,
so she is limited quite strictly to homemade foods made from whole ingredients
and/or kosher-dairy free foods.  We eat out only at McDonald's.  I have
examined and reexamined her diet, and I am convinced that she is not reacting
to other foods, i.e. she has had both good and bad periods when eating corn,
soy, wheat, etc.  But if she gets dairy, it's a guaranteed bad period!

Sorry this is so long, but I thought it might help someone else who is
experiencing a similar, confusing reaction to dairy.

Kris