Pale colored stools in 1 year old

[MOMLIFE]

Hi everyone 

 

my 14 month old has had some issues with milk / food for a while and we are trying to figure out what’s going on. He is being seen by a pediatric GI as well who has suggested we do a colonoscopy to confirm what’s going on . 
 

since birth he couldn’t tolerate breast milk even after I stopped all dairy and soy in my diet. We finally put him on a dairy and soy free infant formula which he did well on but he has always had trouble gaining weight . After he turned 7 months I switched him to regular similac formula and he took that well so maybe there was no issue with cows protein sensitivity .

however after he turned one , when we switched to regular whole milk , he started having diarrhea and was fussy , threw up , gassy ( All the same stuff as he did with breast milk ). So then we thought maybe it’s lactose intolerance . We switched to lactaid milk which he did fine on. Some time ago I switched him to fairlife lactose free milk since it has more protein and less sugar , and after a few weeks he was having white looking diarrhea . It lasted almost a week . Pediatrician said it’s probably a stomach bug . We got  labs done to check his liver and all that was normal . I guess after stopping the milk for a few days , trying a toddler formula, his diarrhea was gone. 

he didn’t like the non dairy toddler formula so we went back to lactaid after his diarrhea stopped . 

yesterday he had some cracked wheat ( he has some wheat on and off before too ) but this was more and now he is having diarrhea and pale green / whitish stools again. So I am confused if this is happening 

1. bc of the gluten exposure from cracked wheat

2. Is the lactaid causing issues ? 
 

3. For those with confirmed celiac , do you have trouble drinking milk ( regular and or lactose free ) ? 
 

So just trying to get a confirmed answer so we can feed him properly and help him gain weight . I am not sure if it’s the milk or gluten that’s a problem , and does it happen slowly after a few days of exposure ?

 

thanks in advance for any insights !!

 

 

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, MOMLIFE!

First, there is a very high incidence of dairy intolerance within the celiac disease/NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) population.

Second, this intolerance may be due to the sugar component (lactose) in dairy or the protein component (casein). Many are not aware that casein can also be the issue and so only focus on lactose.

Third, casein intolerance can mimic celiac disease in the sense of damaging the villi of the small intestine.

It would be a good idea to have your 14 month old son tested for celiac disease. The first stage of testing involves a simple blood draw which is the sent to a lab and analyzed for antibodies present in celiac disease. Children's immune systems are immature so they don't necessarily produced the same antibodies that adults do so don't let the physician order only the tTG-IGA test. Insist also on having total serum IGA checked and Deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP IgA and IgG) as well. Many primary care docs lack knowledge about how to properly test for celiac disease so it is important to go to appointments armed with knowledge being prepared to be respectfully assertive. Here is a primer for tests that can be run: https://celiac.org/about-celiac-disease/screening-and-diagnosis/screening/

[MOMLIFE]

Hi thanks so much ! If he was on lactose free milk , you are saying the casein in the lactaid milk could still be causing some issues ? 
 

I am thinking of decreasing his lactaid intake as well and supplement with neocAte junior formula which he hates . But I am afraid too much milk can be the culprit here for his malabsorption? I must add we did a stool test which shows he wasn’t absorbing fats and carbs well. 

[trents]

1 hour ago, MOMLIFE said:

Hi thanks so much ! If he was on lactose free milk , you are saying the casein in the lactaid milk could still be causing some issues ? 
 

I am thinking of decreasing his lactaid intake as well and supplement with neocAte junior formula which he hates . But I am afraid too much milk can be the culprit here for his malabsorption? I must add we did a stool test which shows he wasn’t absorbing fats and carbs well. 

Yes. Casein will be in all mammalian milk, lactaided or not. Lactaid breaks down the sugar in the milk, not the protein fractions. So, even if the sugar is broken down by lactaid, the casein could still be causing the problem.

Failure to absorb fats is a symptom of celiac disease but there can be other causes as well.

Edited November 18, 2022 by trents