Help! DD is constipated!

[Pibber]

Apologies for posting in chat, but I'm at the end of my tether and hoping for some advice.

DD(8) hasn't been for a poo for nearly 2 weeks, which is concerning and very unlike her as she's usually regular once a day. So far we've tried:

Lots of water
High fibre foods
Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables
Massaging her tummy
Sitting on the toilet with her feet up on a stool.

I've taken her to the GP who has prescribed Movicol, and we've increased the dose daily (2, 4, 8, 10,) up to 12 today.

I took her back to the GP yesterday (OOH service) and they have said just to increase the dose.

Her tummy is swollen and she says it hurts down her left side to just under her belly button. Having said that, she is fine, no fever, and is her usual bouncy self.

Is there anything else I could try? or Do I take her back to the Dr tomorrow?

(definitely not a poo troll...)

Has a disimpaction regime been explained to you?

oh yes, I can see now on re reading you have stepped up to 12 sachets.

OK.

Glycerine suppositories from the chemists to unblock from the exit.
I would stay away from really high fibre foods like weetabix and banana and brown bread until you have established motility.

Disimpaction can take a while, as above I’d also highly recommend getting glycerin suppositories to make sure she’s unblocked at that end.

Thank you 😊

The GP said ideally we want to get to a point where she has diarrhoea, and then reduce dosage until her bowel is "happy"

Will get glycerin suppositories and thanks for the advice re bananas and weetabix! It's the opposite of what we've been doing.

2 weeks with no poo sounds like you can clear that out with movicol alone,
you have to keep her off school because there will be lots of toilet trips

I would maintain the high dose of 12 sachets until you see the huge poo come out, it will be very big
after the big one comes out, maintain the high dose until the poo is coming out as water with brown bits in it
when the poo is literally water
(I want to clarify, NOT diarrhoea, I mean clear watery poo, not brown liquid)
because brown liquid means you have to keep giving the high dose until it is literally water

only then do you reduce the dose again, to whatever the doctors says usually 2-4 sachets a day

you have to keep the bowels clear so that it can shrink back to normal size and the nerves can start working properly again , it can take several months to a year

in between the movicol give her lots of liquids like orange juice, prune juice and warm water.

for my daughter whenever she gets blocked up, I give her some dark chocolate and it makes her want to go toilet.

califig is a good supplement to give and also smoothies with dates, prunes and seeds

@truthhurts23 has some very good advice. The ERIC website is really good for more info.

@truthhurts23

Thank you & thanks for the update, DH has been dispatched to find some Califig.

@Dessertinthedesert will check the ERIC website too.

Hope she feels better soon, x

Sadly have lots of experience with this!! DD used to suffer awfully and then it just became a vicious cycle.

I absolutely swear by sodium docusate (can be prescribed or bought OTC), branded version is DulcoEase. It’s not commonly prescribed by GPs, it was only after it was given to her in hospital for unrelated post surgery constipation that we first discovered it. Miracle stuff!! Just gently softens everything up and makes it easy for them to go without the horrible cramps or urgency that laxatives can give. Wish we’d known about it years earlier as it would’ve saved a lot of trauma