Is Lactose Testing Useful At This Point?

[nw0528]

I went to see a wonderful GI (after a terrible experience three weeks ago during which that GI looked at me and said, You have IBS, take one Immodium each day and then if that doesn't work take two each day. I asked him if IBS would give me oily stools, etc. and he said no...but did not agree to any testing). Anyhow, since them my PCP did bloodwork and I am anemic, but negative on Celiac. I saw the new GI today. Wonderful - thorough - doing stool samples, scheduled for an endoscopy in two weeks and lactose testing two weeks after that. He told me I need to do the gluten challenge in preparation for the biopsies. (I've only been experimenting with eating gluten-free or "gluten-lite" to see how my symptoms might improve (and improve drastically they did).

My understanding of Celiac is that if the tips of the villi are damaged, then lactase wouldn't be produced well and I might be unable to process lactose, EVEN IF I AM NOT TRULY LACTOSE INTOLERANT. More that I might be Lactose Intolerant BECAUSE of the damage from Celiac, but when the villi repair themselves, the lactose products might be okay (maybe).

So I'm curious, would the lactose intolerance test really be informative at this point? Maybe he is thinking it will give him a baseline to compare to later. So if I have Celiac, AND lactose intolerance, he can retest the lactose again in six months or something and see if I am still lactose intolerant then... Just curious at what point other people's doctors have done the lactose testing.

Thanks,

Nicole