constipation

[davidsotherhalf]

i know i shouldn't post in here as dd is 20, she has asd/adhd, and other dx, she's always had problems going to the loo, it's getting worse no matter how many laxatives i give her, she eats lots of fruit and veg, more than her 5 a day... gp won't refer her to specialist,they just keep giving laxatives out. dd is having 2 senna,2 docusate, and 2 glycerine suppositries every night, and she still hasn't been to the loo for over 3 weeks, is this normal? or should i be worried.

[fairgame]

That's a long time to not go!
Is she drinking plenty?
Try her on adult Movicol if you can and see if that helps.

[2old2beamum]

I think you are so right to post here there are so many wise people here.

Personally I would be back at GP and asking for more help....it is not right to go 3 weeks I would be worried if it was one of mine!!

Good luck.

[davidsotherhalf]

dd's gp is on holiday till 4th september, booked first appointment when she's back. she won't see the other gp as he's useless and nasty to her. we tried movicol before and that didn't work either. doctor took her off that as it caused bleeding. i'm just lost as to what more i can do to help her, diet is healthy, weetabix and berries for breakfast, wholemeal bread, lots of fresh fruit, veg,(no bananas) i thought she would have the runs with just the suppositries.

[Piratejones]

sounds like she.is.caught in a withholding cycle. and is now totally blocked, i'm surprised the doctor hasn't raised more concwr over her possibly being impacted. this is going to sound strange given her age but would it be easier for her to how on a camping potty or in a nappy? my 6 year old once held for weeks and the only thing that shifted him was wearing a nappy in a swimming pool.

[davidsotherhalf]

my original thought was her meds, but nearly all her meds have been changed over the last 4 weeks, she has had this problem since she was little, (only going about every 2 weeks) she's been put on adhd meds now, as they have only just diagnosed her with this, (took them till she was 17 to diagnose asd) before these meds she was on ad's,
i make sure she drinks plenty, she won't drink water so have to put squash in it, she drinks fresh orange juice,
i have tried everything to talk her into going to the hospital but she has a severe phobia about large buildings and she can't cope with waiting rooms, when we go to the gp we have to tell the receptionist we are there and we wait outside, receptionist knocks on window when it's our turn.
i just feel so useless, i can't stop the pain and distress.
thankyou for your help and support, it means a lot to just talk to someone.

[fairgame]

That sounds awful. It might be worth asking the gp for a referral to the continence nurses for her ongoing care. I don't know how it works with adults but with kids in my area they manage long term constipation, do home visits, prescribe and adjust meds and organise continence products. They are much more knowledgeable (and helpful) than the gp's. In fact you might even be able to self refer.

[hattytheherald]

My daughter suffered with constipation and had the movicol which was awful and didn't really help. When she was about 14 we started her on green tea extract from Holland and Barrett. Bizarrely not for the constipation but it made her regular. I usually get a bit constipated on my monthly but taking green tea extract has stopped it. I take it for other reasons which would sound bizarre but if your daughter can take a tablet I think it's worth a try. When we first started taking it we had moments of needing to go right now lol but that settles down quickly.
My friends son suffers and can often go long periods without going and quite by accident had a drink of dandelion and burdock and started going more regular if he drinks it.
I don't normally go the natural route when its for something like this but as your daughter is older and I've seen these work I would suggest trying, especially as she's taking so much other stuff and its not working.

[Piratejones]

Autism and digestion problems tend to go hand on hand. you really need to try and get you daughter reeferd to a hospital, normally after 3 weeks they do an x ray and see if the need to operate.

[mumgoingcrazy]

My dd2 (age 7) suffered from constipation, and was managing to go once every 8 days or so with a lot of Movicol. She was needing more and more Movicol to be able to go and was on a slippery slope. We removed gluten from her diet 10 months ago and now she is able to go every other day, or every day with the occasional cup of prune juice to help it along a bit. I've heard dairy is also a known culprit in digestive problems too.

[davidsotherhalf]

will try gluten free diet....need to do weekly shop tomorrow. she's on dairy free as i have a dairy allergy. will be glad when gp is back as she still hasn't been to the loo.

[davidsotherhalf]

think i need to change gp, she didn't examin dd, she just said give her 8 sachets of movicol every night. refused to refer dd to the hospital and refused to discuss the problem any further.

[Jasonandyawegunorts]

I've resisted posting as other people have given good advice, but you really should change GP.

Is she at the point where she is vomiting yet, after you hold for week it gets to a point where you vomit roughly the same time each day, is that happening?

[davidsotherhalf]

dd feels sick but hasn't been sick, her tummy is what she describes as bubbling, she keeps trying to go to the loo but can't.
she had appointment at amhs yesterday to have her meds checked and the doctor there left a message for the gp. that doctor also found out dd has a heart condition, that the gp has been passing off as stress, so waiting to see cardiologist now.(gp wouldn't refer her) had to phone amhs and ask for them to refer.been told i have to do dd pulse 3 times a day as her heart rate is 121 when at rest, relaxed. going upto more than 200 if stressed.

[Jasonandyawegunorts]

That's good, it means that at the moment her food IS being digested, so don't panic about her starving.
A doctor should be able to SEE her impacted bowel, it will make a lump where the large intestine is if she lays flat on her back.

[Mollyweasley]

Hi!. I think it is really with getting her off gluten, has she ever been tested for Caeliac disease or other bowel issues? I've come of Gluten myself and the first week was quiet tough with headache, odd moods and craving for bread (the gluten free bread really helped), but it was all worth it. I've also read that sometimes ovarian cyst (very common apparently and almost always harmless), can also be a cause of constipation. Good Luck!