ds having trouble doing a poo.

[booyhohoho]

he is 5 and recently he has been having trouble doing a poo. it hurts him and he cries and when he does poo, they are absoloutely massive. sorry about TMI but it explains why it is hurting him. because he knows it is going to be painful i think he tries to hold it in. he will go back and forth to the toilet a few times before he actually poos. it just happened again which is why i am posting now. what can i do for him?

[FooffysFestiveShmooffery]

We have had this trouble with DD who is 2. Went to the GP about it and were prescribed Movicol which is essentially a stool softener. It takes a couple of doses to sort things and soften the poos up abit but once that happened we have continued to give small maintanance doses just to make sure it doesn't all start again. Providing we stay on top of it she is happier and more comfortable. So maybe a trip to the GP?

[chixinthestix]

Poor little chap - sounds like he's constipated. I'd try lactulose for a week or so to get things moving properly again. Up his fruit intake too if you can, and make sure he's drinking plenty. You want to nip it in the bud before it causes a fissure or any kind of impaction.

[booyhohoho]

thanks foofy. i wasn't sure if it was a GP thing or a diet thing but will make appt for him in the morning.

[booyhohoho]

oh chix i didn't see your post before i posted. he's not great with his fruit at all but I'll have to coax him. is lactulose available OTC?

[chixinthestix]

Yes, cheap as well I remember, though my DD was prescribed it by GP as has long term issue (she's been on movicol too for about 3 yrs now).
In my experience fruit and veg are best laxatives but getting enough fluids is also crucial. My DD loves prunes either tinned or semi-dried and her fruit eating is getting better, but the laxatives mean you don't have to worry so much about diet.

[booyhohoho]

ok. will get some lactulose tomorrow. is it likely to give him diarhoea?

[chixinthestix]

No, I'd start with a small amount (think the dose recommended was about 10 ml) and see how he gets on. I think it has an effect on water absorbtion in the bowel - hence the need to drink - so its fairly gentle.

[booyhohoho]

ok thank you.