Can Lactose Intolerance Cause My Symptoms?

[Ikgbrd]

So I received the results of my biopsy today, which my doctor said showed no signs of celiac disease, which is kind of disappointing, but expected, as I've been off gluten for almost two months. He said the next thing he wanted me to do was test for lactose intolerance.

After reading up on lactose it really doesn't sound like it fits my symptoms though. For everyday of the last few days I've had severe abdominal cramps when I eat and before I have bowel movements, loose stool, occasional diarrhea, and occasional bloody stool. I'll admit I eat a fair share of dairy, but I've never really notice a correlation. In fact the thing that's been easiest on my stomach since going gluten free has been dairy based soup.

Would lactose intolerance cause symptoms this severe? I really don't think I should rule out celiac, and lactose intolerance doesn't seem to be much of a fit.

[love2travel]

I believe you could still have celiac disease. Unfortunately, your doctor obviously did not tell you that you must be consuming gluten prior to biopsies. Do you know how many were taken? If only a few then it could have been missed. The leading celiac doc in Canada maintains that only 30% of biopsies are done correctly. I went to her lecture and will try to find my handout info on this. She is also a medical school prof who is now teaching students on how they should be done.

Anyway, lactose, up until two months ago, caused me the same symptoms as you. Far more noticeable than when I ingested gluten awhile ago. I went for ages unable to ingest lactose but now suddenly can again. It is often recommended that those recently diagnosed with celiac go lactose free for several months to allow your gut to heal.

Hopefully you will feel tons better quickly!

[Ikgbrd]

I'm not sure how many biopsies were taken, and my doctor really doesn't seem to know much about celiac. I purposely didnt eat gluten for the biopsy, because my symptoms had improved a bit and I didn't want to risk getting more severe symptoms again.

If my lactose intolerance were being caused by going gluten free, would a test still come back as positive for lactose intolerance, or would I actually have to have an ongoing intolerance?

I definately eat dairy products a lot, on a daily basis for the most part, so I suppose that could explain while I'm still getting symptoms. It seems strange to me though that I only occasionally get diarrhea, and it doesn't seem to have any correlation with what I eat. One day I'll be fine after eating something and a week later I'll get diarrhea. It's incredibly frustrating.

[nvsmom]

I agree that you could still have celiac or non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), which has all the same nasty symptoms minus the villi damage. If you choose not to pursue celiac blood tests, I recommend staying gluten-free since it was helping.

 

I am lactose intolerant and my immediate symptoms are the same as a glutening for me: stomach pain, bloating and a headache. The severity of the symptoms varied based on.... who knows what, but it wasn't always the same.LOL  I read that approximately 50% of celiacs are lactose intolerant when they are diagnosed, although that changes for some as time goes on.

 

Best wishes.

[Ikgbrd]

I did already receive blood test while on gluten. Everything was normal except my Dga IgA came back as a 38. From everything I've read, this leads me to believe celiac is very likely, but my GI insists that my other levels should be elevated as well, and because my biopsy was negative he pretty much dismissed the idea completely, even though I informed him I'd gone off gluten beforehand.

[nvsmom]

Unless the GI can tell you what caused the DGP IgA to be elevated (besides celiac disease) I would assume it is celiac disease.  There are many people around here who have only one or two positive tests - most are like that I would hazard to guess. It seems to me that the unusual one are the ones with every blood test positive along with a positive biopsy. I think you are in with the majority of celiacs - those with just enough negative tests to be confusing.

 

Maybe try going gluten-free and dairy free and hopefully that will be enough for you to feel well.

 

Best wishes in whatever you decide to do.