Proctitis

[gfreejz]

Hello to all.

Today my boy who is 7 went to the doctor about blood on his stool. He has had bright red blood in his stool about once a week for about a month. He usually has fairly normal movements maybe a little on the hard side. He does well with his Gluten free diet and is in the 92 % for height and weight, which is better than me, I can't gain a pound for nothing. My wife and I have come to realize that dairy, mostly ice cream, makes him have blood in his stool. The Doc said for him to be 100% lactose free and get rechecked in a week to see if resolved. If not he goes to Children's for more tests. He had some blood work done and an x-ray to check for constipation. The doc says its Proctitis. She said to give him a stool softner every day and it should be better in a week. I am self diagnosed gluten/lactose intolerant with family history of Celiac and Chrons. We both have been Gluten free for over a year. Any one here have Proctitis? I've been giving him almond milk and not much lactose other than ice cream now and then. But the doc says he shouldn't have Almond or Soy milk because they have some traces of lactose. Anyone heard of that? I buy the Silk brand Soy or Diamond brand Almond milk and they both say lactose free on the package. This week was the first time trying the Soy milk because he says Almond milk gives him a tummy ache. We both seem to tolerate the Soy just fine, so probly its only the ice cream that is giving him trouble. He does crave ice cream and its hard to say no, up until now. So now its Gluten/lactose free for both and extra fluids. I'm going to ask about probiotics for sure.

Any feedback would be great! Anything I should ask the Doc at his checkup? Thank you all in advance.

[gatita]

I had to look up proctitis... it sounds painful, poor kid.

I can't believe there is lactose in almond milk. I drink it all the time, and I am sure lactose is ONLY found in milk products.

Hope someone else can come along to answer your other concerns.

[gfreejz]

Thanks for reply! He is doing 100% better now that he is 100% lactose free.

[ravenwoodglass]

Thanks for reply! He is doing 100% better now that he is 100% lactose free.

That's great news. So good to hear he is doing better.

[GFinDC]

HI,

I am not so sure it is lactose causing the problem. It is also possible that casein, the protein in cow dairy is the issue. Lactose intolerance usually causes bloating, and diahhrea. Casein is a protein and is more likely to cause an immune reaction. Lactose is just a form of sugar and if you don't have the enzyme (lactase) in your gut to digest it the sugar is eaten by bacteria. The bacteria multiply quickly and make the gas and cause the diahhrea. If it is a casein problem he will not be able to eat any diary. If it is just lactose intolerance he would be able to eat dairy if he took lactaid pills with it. The lactaid pills digest the lactose so the bacteria don't get to eat it. But lactose free milk or lactaid pills won't help with a casein reaction.

Soy is not a good choice for a milk substitute IMHO. Personally I'd take him off all soy. Almond milk, rice milk, or hemp milk would be better choices. There is coconut ice cream available in stores and also sherberts or ices. If you are worried about lactose in a food item the ingredient label should list it. Or if it is not clear you can always call the company and ask them to confirm. Dairy is one of the top 8 food allergens that have to be included in ingredient labels in the USA.

Procitis is not a disease from what I read, rather it is a description of a condition. It seems to me the doctor doesn't know what the cause is if that's all they told you. Procitis would be caused by something.

If the kid is bleeding from eating dairy it is not a great Idea to let them have it as a treat. Whether they want it or not. There are plenty of dairy free substitute treats available. Maybe he will like them better, wouldn't hurt to try. Coconut does cause some people to have diahhrea. Hopefully it won't be a problem.