Hi all.  Not long ago we had a discussion about allergy vs. intolerance, and
how some people have symptoms and/or test results that make the diagnosis
unclear.  I wrote about how my daughter tested negative for dairy allergy, but
tested as very lactose intolerant on the hydrogen breath test -- yet I felt
that she was extremely sensitive to dairy.  I saw her show GI symptoms after
having candy and other foods with "natural flavors" but the total amount of
dairy, if it was in there, would have been microscopic -- definitely not
enough lactose to cause symptoms, so what was going on?

Well...she has finally been diagnosed with "visceral hyperalgesia", which
means normal sensations in her gut are being read by her brain as pain and
sometimes nausea.  This is a lasting side effect of a stomach bug she had a
year ago, which also caused the LI.

The key to this diagnosis was that I finally realized that emotions -- even
positive, like excitement -- and stress triggered her GI symptoms.  This was a
difficult connection to make, because she is NOT a nervous, anxious type child
and it really has absolutely nothing to do with her personality or her
emotional make-up.

I had NO help in making this connection or the diagnosis from our former
pediatric gastroenterologist -- who should have suspected something else was
going on when I told him how super sensitive she seemed to be to dairy.   He
is head of the dept of at a well respected university children's hospital --
and I ended up virtually making the diagnosis myself!  I searched for answers
and information, and also found another specialist via the internet,  so we
drove 7 hours to see him recently, and he's the one who finally diagnosed her.
He started her on a medication that he said should make her pain free very
soon, and then her system could "relearn" how to properly react to normal
sensations in her gut.

The point of my message is that if you had odd symptoms that you think are or
may be associated with dairy, but they don't go away when you totally
eliminate dairy -- and you've looked for other food or chemical sensitivities
-- then keep looking, because chances are there IS an answer out there, and it
may not be food related.

My daughter (and I, as I am doing it with her!) are remaining dairy free
probably for at least another 6 months to a year -- maybe indefinitely, so
this list is still a great resource.  Thanks to everyone for the great tips.

Kris