I can help a bit on the discovering intolerances side (sorry if this is
heading in the wrong direction, since I missed the first post somehow).

My mother discovered my lactose intolerance when I was a toddler.  New
Zealand babies are carefully monitored through the first few years, with
regular visits to a Plunket nurse, basically a child health nurse (Plunket
was the name of the guy who started the scheme).  My Plunket record book
shows that my weight began to fall and at the same time notes my mother's
concerns about loose and foul smelling BMs.  It also records the various
changes to my diet/feeding regime, illnesses, etc.  So the symptoms were
first picked up by the local Plunket nurse and my mother, who looked back
and tracked them to weaning onto cows milk.  Mum then took me along to the
doctor and thus the diagnosis was eventually made.

Since dairy was cut out of my diet completely at that point I didn't find
out that I am actually more intolerant of casein until I was in my 20s.  I
had always noted that some things were better than others, but it wasn't
until a period of extreme stress aggravated the symptoms and I was referred
to an allergy specialist that the correlation between eating, for example,
hard cheeses and worse symptoms was figured out.

When my nephew started developing LI symptoms a few months ago, my husband
identified it from one single symptom - the smell of his nappy.  Rather
embarrassingly he told his brother it was the same as when I react to dairy!
My mother confirmed that it was a biggy in my diagnosis too.

HTH

Megan

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Beth Kevles [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 19 April 2001 10:19
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: how you found out
>
>
> HI -
>
> Discovering lactose intolrance can be VERY different fromdiscovering a
> real milk allergy.  Katherine Murrays web site (which is linked from
> mine, by the way) includes LOTS of storeis from parents about how
> they discovered their children's allergies.  The book by Dr. Doris
> Rapp "IS This Your Child?" also inlcudes many anecdotes about how
> people find out about a milk (or other food) allergy.
>
> I'm afraid that my husband's allergy didn't develop until he
> was an adult, so I can't lend any personal insight.
>
> I hope this helps,
> --Beth Kevles
>   [log in to unmask]
>   http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the
> milk-allergic
>   Disclaimer:  Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
>   advice.  Please consult with your own medical practicioner.
>