DS and poo :(

[duzzlightyearsmum]

Have posted elsewhere but got no reply so trying here! DS is 2.9 and has always had issues doing a poo even when he was a newborn he needed a lot of help. Things have continued to the point we are at now where is he on movicol after lactulose didn't work at all. His poos are healthy but he just cannot do them without becoming distressed.

[duzzlightyearsmum]

Sorry I hate the mobile app!

Anyway he can go up to 4 days without one and when he finally is about to do one he becomes very agitated. He runs around and jumps up and down and this understandably leads to a deterioration in his general behaviour. He then cries when passing one and the effort reunited is incredibly extreme. He goes bright red and holds his breath and then the poo itself is perfectly healthy looking.

He is in pants but was the same in nappies. Thus far the GP and HV haven't been very helpful just prescribing laxatives. Anyone else experienced this? Anything we can try to help him get over this?

TIA

[LuckyLopez]

He's constipated, laxatives are exactly what he needs. Sounds like it's not quite enough and you need to up the movicol though.

[pudseypie]

I'd demand a referral to a paediatrician. Try asking for senna or sodium picosulphate if the gp thinks it appropriate. movicol softens the poo but these others stimulate the bowel to cause a poo.

[gingertreat]

His digestive system is generally weakened and does not produce sufficient mucus to extract with easy. Also it looks to me he is very 'dry' from inside and the bowel movements are interrupted.
He definitely needs change of diet. Laxatives will temporarily realise his problem but in longer term, you need to find the cause of the constipation and work on it. There is, unfortunately, no other way.
If you are looking into this type of approach to your little one's problem, rather than taking medication for unknown period of time, please let me know. I can suggest few tips. Good luck

[duzzlightyearsmum]

Thanks for the replies. We have tried food diaries in the past and couldn't find anything that seemed to trigger it. But am certainly willing to give it another go of it will help!

There is a health visitor clinic locally tomorrow so I will pop along and speak to them again and see if I can get a further referral from them!

[Sleepingtom]

It may be that his problems doing a poo in the past have caused a psychological issue and that diet is now unrelated. I was really resistant to the idea of laxatives too but it was the only thing that got my DD over it. Movicol just adds water to the poo (I understand) so different to other laxatives. DD was also like it since birth and it was hell but is now fine (tho still on movicol for now).