12 year old not been to toilet in 6 days

[PippaPyper]

Amy advice please? He's getting a bit upset about it. He's got no pain and his stomach isn't hard or anything. He's eating normally.

I bought and gave him 2 Senokot last night at 9pm and ... nothing so far this morning. Not even sure if that was the right stuff to get and I'm loathe to pile loads of fibre rich food into him!

Not had this issue before - any advice please? Don't think we are in doctor territory yet are we?

@PippaPyper any luck yet?

Laxatives can take a couple of days to work patient.info/digestive-health/constipation/constipation-in-children

The trouble is with constipation is that what is sat in the rectum becomes very solid and therefore hard to pass. By adding in lots of the tips above, it's going to make it even worse for him when he does eventually go. Go to your pharmacy and get some suppositories or something like Microlax to help him pass what's already there, then follow some of the tips above to keep it better once he's gone.

I once didn't go for a week after taking bloody codeine tablets after having pneumonia (you would think the coughing would have shifted something). I still took nearly 3 hours to go after using a suppository and poor DH thought I was dying from the amount of screaming coming from the bathroom!! I have never taken another opiate since as I never want to be in that situation again.

Lactulose always worked wonders for me. After I gave birth I had to take a huge amount of iron tablets for 2 weeks.. I was terribly bunged up.. lactulose was very helpful

@Span1elsRock Codeine has its place in managing pain and it's well known that constipation is a side-effect. It's shocking that prescribers don't always discuss this with patients when it's prescribed, not everyone who takes codeine experiences constipation, but for those who do it's a manageable side-effect.

Sadly nothing doing yet!

We've been out and had lunch and I've now got in my possession ..

Califig
Glycerin suppositories
Fresh orange juice with bits

Hes eating normally ish but getting fuller quicker and says he feels bloated (ive deduced this is what he means - he's never been bloated before, he says his tummy feels weird and full but not full )

So will administer the above shortly and wait and see

Thanks for all the tips. He's a great eater anyway with a varied diet but I think we need to add in more fibre clearly

@PippaPyper hopefully there has been progress but if not, continue with the medication and contact your GP Monday

A fish supper always gets me going

He needs to cut down eating.

Every time his eating , its getting worse.

He has chronic constipation and even when he does poo, it may just be, overspill but not a "real" poo....

Please dont leave this much longer

Overflow.... Not over spill

@PippaPyper how is DS?

How are things OP?

Name change but I'm the OP!

Oh

My

GOD

THE CALIFIG!

Gave it him yesterday and it worked immediately. And I mean immediately. Within a minute

So I thought just coincidental. Have him another dose an hour ago and same again. Immediately needed to go.

The senokot did nothing and we didn't get to the suppositories thank goodness! He'd have required help and I wasn't exactly relishing getting to that stage!

Going forward - it's a glass of fresh orange juice with breakfast with a couple of apricots and pear. Upping the fibre too and cutting the sweets and biscuits he helps himself to half the time. His diet is excellent and fresh but there are bad habits I can rein in

Thank you for all the suggestions and comments. Really helpful. And yeah .... all hail CALIFIG

Thank goodness!!

Sugar free sweets. It has someone that has laxative type qualities. Just beware the smell.

*something

x posted. Glad something actually helped him.

Shopping for some more air freshener tomorrow, no doubt!

@ForalltheSaints ha luckily we have 3 toilets and I'm fanatical with fresh air (windows open) and Method mint cleaner. So we are ok on that front