Child with severe constipation/impacted bowel

[Momma_Cluck]

You are missing something crucial...why she "holds it" in the 1st place...

Is she doing it as a behavior-- or is there a physical problem? The doctors should have done an ultrasound and scope of the lower GI to determine if there is a structural problem or nerve damage....

if not-- even when she is not "backed up" she should be eating a high-fiber diet with a lot of applesauce and other fruits, lots of water, and a 1/2 dose of Polyethylene glycol daily (a prescription Fiber supplement/laxative that will not cause dependence as some others can)

My daughter has had this same problem
Has been "pumped out" 3x by the hospital in past 2 years...and once she was so bad, that it was backed up to her stomach opening and effecting her breathing & heart-rate. It is nothing to mess with!

We found out that(for her) it is caused mostly an aversion to using the toilet at school/in public bathrooms.
Early on, she had a terrible a fear of the toilet itself.
to a 3-year old, seeing anything other than liquid "going down" can be scary-- like THEY may get sucked in too-- so they often try not to "go" at all other than pee.... Also-- the sound of the toilet flushing etc... can cause problems for sensitive kids.

As long as it is not a functional/structural issue,
Try this (worked for our son! He wouldn't go in the toilet for years--only a potty chair till we figured it out at age 5!!)

1st, talk to her about how the noise, and flushing poo down the toilet can seem scary, but it is safe and can not hurt her....

THEN:

Make a poster with a spin-able "wheel" in the middle... divide the wheel into sections with numbers or colors and tape it above the toilet.
Keep a bunch of small cheapo toys and goodies in boxes or bags that are marked to match the slots on the wheel.

Then, whenever she "goes" she gets to spin the wheel and "win" a chance to reach into the boxes/bags to claim her prize!

It Works!!!

Good Luck Hun!!!

 

[mamaKate]

A friend had a 4 year old son who was progressing normally and then suddenly refused to have bowel movements. He would wait as long as possible and then usually have an accident in a hidden place. After repeated check-ups and trying to retrain him, it was dicovered that his "grandpa substitute" had been abusing him.

 

[arabookworm]

my dad is a gastroenterologist, and I recently asked him about this same problem because a (much older) friend of mine has a little boy who had a similar problem. he said to feed as much fresh fruit and veggies as possible, try that fiber yogurt stuff, apparently it works really well. try to make bread and pasta all whole wheat to increase fiber.

take her to a pediatric gastroenterologist if you haven't already.

ETA: have her sit on the toilet at the same time every day after a meal in which she drinks something hot, whether she "needs to go" or not.

 

[Highlander]

thanks again everyone for all your replies and suggestions.

The laxatives seem to be doing their job and her system is currently purging itself. Not a pleasant process for either her or me! Who knew a little body could hold so much!! lol. But at least it should be making her more comfortable in the long term, her tummy is definitely flatter today. Only a few days to wait to see the paed now and hopefully we will be on the road to recover.

 

[Momma_Cluck]

My biggest concern about the laxatives would be dependence... chemical laxatives can cause the intestines to not work "normally" without them, especially when used at a young age...

again, if the doctor never checked for a structural problem, get a 2nd opinion... please!!!! You'd hate to find out later that the laxatives caused harm, or that she might have a disorder of some kind (Like Crohns or Celiac)

 

[Wildsky]

Quote:
Also the laxative could be making her feel totally out of control and in turn try to HOLD even harder.

 

[Laskaland]

Quote:
I didn't read all the posts, but both of my children had this issue. I ended up doing the enima thing. Additionally, I added dr. pepper to their diet- it actually has prune juice in it- and then every morning they had castor oil medicine- it's root beer flavored.
For my kids it was behavioral. Daughter hated the smell (seriously!) son just hated the feel of it so he avoided it.
Now they are okay. I have to remind my son every other day or so to do his business.
Good Luck
Christina

 

[Wildsky]

Quote:
Oh now I have to check that out - NEVER heard of prune juice in Dr. Pepper - I have a can next to me and it doesn't say anything about PRUNE juice.

 

[Wildsky]

http://www.snopes.com/business/secret/drpepper.asp

 

[mcg30_40]

I just found this post and thought I'd put in my two cents worth. My 3 yr old has been fighting this for about a year also (due to potty training). Alot of kids have it. If she is fully impacted then the only way to start everything working is an enema. Then get her on Meralax twice a day till you give her dirrea (sorry for the spelling). Continue to make her have dirrea for at least a week if not more. You have to retrain all of her intestines to work correctly. Then slowly pull her off Meralax but continue her on something like Citracell. I've been to many doctors and am awaiting on an appt with a specialist so what I'm saying is not just my opinion...it's doctor's orders for a child that age. Once they have constipation then it's an ongoing battle from then on.