to go to A&e with my dd3 *pictures*

[littlemaemae]

My DD who is 3 has been having stomach/bowel problems for the last year. Diagnose as constipation. She can not pass a stool for weeks despite fantastic diet and laxatives and weeks is in severe pain most days. She is very petite and skinny but her stomach has swollen to look 9 months pregnant. Getting no where with doctors/hospital etc.
Aibu to think this is not how a heathy child's stomach should look.

Op if this was my dd who is also 3 I would be taking her to a&e if she was in pain and couldn't leave the house. 3-6 weeks without a poo isn't normal at all poor girl.

Coeliac disease can cause all these symptoms. Please ask for a blood test for this. Stick limbs and distended belly, pain, constipation. You say it has been going on for a year and they have cleared it before only for it to start all over. Suggests underlying cause. Starting a gluten free diet at this age is easier than starting later, and if it is coeliac disease the diet will solve the problem completely in most cases.
1 in 100 of the population have coeliac disease but most are not diagnosed, and it can take years to get diagnosis because symptoms are not recognised. Novak Djokovic and Caroline Quentin both gluten free for medical reasons, she is ambassador for Coeliac UK. You can get more information on their website.
If diagnosed you may also get to see a dietician who will help with the diet, not just the gluten free aspect but also whether she is getting the right amount of fibre, calcium etc for her age.
I hope you get this sorted out soon.

After reading a few of the early replies advising against a&e for constipation, I was going to offer my knowledge of the subject,which is that it certainly can be an a&e situation. My mum's a nurse and I've heard some awful situations related to untreated constipation, including a gentleman who was coughing up fecal waste shortly before he died. Not that you need a scare story either.

I'm glad treatment is moving along for you. I hope your dd is comfortable and on a plan that helps to keep her so soon.

Good luck littlemaemae! and littlelittlemaemae!

Oh wise mumsnetters, how do you get your children to take more than one glassful of movicol? I see some of you are talking about 8 or 10 sachets! Any tips welcome.

Morning everyone, I have made a list from all your great advice to ambush the doctor with this morning.
The key is going to be seeing the correct specialists rather than general consultants. I didn't know this before I posted so I really appreciate it.
She has suffered from horrendous eczema from birth, just starting to see an improvement now, when I have cut down on milk. So that could suggest an intolerance couldn't it, although it's been dismissed in the past.
Hurtsprungs is standing out to me too.
As a newborn I vividly remember when the checked to see if the anus was formed, this was not done properly and I was a bit at the time. So there may be something in that too.
I have severe anorexia while I was pregnant so I feel it's all my fault. I am
Better now and trying to make up for it every day.
Janice - how is your DD now. Does she poo normally. Or is it an all or nothing situation with movicol? We have no poo at all or explosions that she has no control over

Good luck today.

We manage it with movicol. Goodness we should have shares in it! But it is all or nothing and it can sometimes take days to clear.
Scans, X-rays were no real use to us, they didn't tell us anything we already knew.
We found you deal with one impaction, it just happens again, and again.

My DD now accepts movicol but it's difficult if your child won't drink it, as mine wouldn't easily for many years.
Good luck!

little it's not your fault!
I hope that daughter is well again soon and you get some answers. Look after yourself too.

It could be a dairy allergy.
Does she normally eat enough fruit and veg. Vegans don't have problems with constipation. The nothing then explosions is caused by the impact ion. It sounds strange but it can still be impacted and the liquid gets past but because of pressure is the explosion bit and she cannot help it or control it.
You could try liquioce when she is better. Natural liquioce that you buy from health food shop or Daryll Lee brand from Sainsbury's can help. Just a couple of pieces a day. Then change her diet but hopefully you will get help with that. It could be Crohns or similar medical reason too. Poor little soul her tummy must be sore. I hope everything gets sorted.

Just read all this, wishing you lots of luck today x

absolutely not your fault.
hopefully today is a great day for you and dd!

Glad you got on well with ooh. This is absolutely not your fault. Lots of people have health problems in pregnancy that they worry will affect the baby but the truth is babies are very tough. Glad to hear you are well now but you don't need to make up for the anorexia. If you'd had pneumonia or a broken leg you wouldn't feel like that I'm hope. You were ill, now you're better. That's really good news.

Oh god don't think like that. perfectly healthy people have cakes that suffer from all kinds if things.

it's bad luck.

nothing more.

this is NOT your fault. do not think.that. ever.

you sound a wonderful mum

Have been following this thread but have no experience to share. Just wanted to say you sound like the most wonderful mum, good luck for today and I really hope you get some answers xx

cakes?

kids

fyi dd2 had a really huge tummy as a baby. I was told it was normal. 5 amd a half pounds of tiny baby with zero gat ok her and a massive belly. she also struggled to poo despite the fact that when she went it was squishy ir runny. nor a rabbit pellet I'm sight. movical made no difference she still couldn't poo.

turns out she was CMPI one switch to a prescription milk and she was a different baby.

all the dry skin
all the gunk

cleared right up.

There are links between eczema and things like asthma and food allergies - not that one causes the other, but more that if you have one you are more likely to have others.

Poor little thing, fingers crossed for the x-ray this morning. Hope she gets some relief from the pain soon.

Cheesyweez getting 10 sachets in to a reluctant child can be a nightmare! Things I've found that have helped parents are: adding the movicol out of sight/ in advance so they don't know it's there, use different kinds of containers (like fruit shoot bottles that they won't know have already been opened and have movicol added to, so they think they're just opening juice), don't make a big deal out of them finishing their drink or they'll figure out there's something different in it, serve it nice and cold, mix a sachet of movicol in to a batch of ice cubes to get a little bit extra in there (works for home made ice lollies too, just make sure you're using something with a fairly strong flavor) and adding it to jelly can help get an extra sachet or 2 in to a reluctant drinker.
The other option is not to go covert but the opposite! Use sticker charts to get them to use all the sachets (maybe with a wee present at the end when they'be had however many sachets in a week you're aiming for) or don't tell them it's medicine to help them poo, but special hulk/paw patrol/frozen etc powder that's going to make them strong. Cover the sachets in stickers, paint, anything to make them look fun and let them be part of adding it and mixing it till it disappears. Hope one of them helps a bit, still not an easy thing to do!

Littlemaemae, hope you get a good Dr who'll get dd whatever help she needs!

Have been to the doctor.
Could have cried when I realised who it was.
This gp told me my PND was just normal as having children makes you miserable and feel life isn't worth living.
Then had to phone and apologise and tell me to come back in immediately for medication.
Among many other arrogant dismissals of illnesses with my dcs.

Anyway, he refused an X-ray saying it won't change treatment and is unnecessary exposure to radiation and why would we want to do that to her. And it wouldn't show anything up apparently dp really pushed and got no where. Ended up getting quite cross.

He dismissed everything on my list. Said that is what the consultant is for. He will write a letter...!
Came away with lactulose.

I can not put across how upset, angry and defeated we feel.

I have forms to change surgery which I will fill in this morning.
I am also going to book a private consultation, not that we can afford it but I feel there is no other option.

She is siting uncomfortably on the sofa looking dreadful, has been pulled from pillar to post.

Oh no.

I would take her to A and E now and push for an x ray.

Seriously?

for the love of God. ...

so sorry and so on your behalf. I absolutely would hit eBay, sell anything you can and get that private appointment. he clearly thinks it's nothing and giving her stuff to make her go if somethings stopping her from going surely just going to make her feel worse.

as soon as you switch make an appointment

Oh Littlemaemae that is so crap. Just logged on to find out how your little girl was and am so disappointed for you both. Definitely change doctors, he sounds like a nasty piece of work. Hope the private consultation proves useful.

People with good ideas and advice will be along soon. Best wishes to you and your family.

Unbelievable. Did this GP have no concerns about the three weeks of no poo? Did he really believe it was safe to wait until August to have a child of three seen?