Trapped gas-can’t do this anymore

[Itneverends77]

Dd is almost 4, she’s had stomach pains since January. We’ve been to the doctors and hospital numerous times, she’s had various blood and urine tests-all negative.
Two eco scans have showed gas and one x ray has shown she’s impacted with poo and air.
We've been disimpacting with 8 sachets a day of Movicol for almost 9 weeks and started pico drops last week. Nothing has changed. Her behaviour has completely changed, she’s currently running around, shouting, tormenting the dog, she jumps around, throws things, sometimes hits me.
She has tummy ache from when she wakes, and on and off all day.
I feel like I’ve lost my little girl, so frustrating and upset to see her in pain everyday and not be able to help her, feeling so exhausted dealing with her behaviour, we can barely attend friends parties or play dates anymore, it’s impacted our life.
She’s due to start school in September, but I don’t see how she can, she’ll disrupt the class and teachers with her behaviour, when it’s not her fault, others would see her a just a *Naughty girl, but she really isn’t.
We’ve tried stomach massages, hot water bottles, gas drops, paracetamol medicine…nothing works.
I feel like the doctor has just sort of come to the end with it and really can’t offer me any more advice now…feeling quite desperate.
Has anyone been through similar, at my wits end

@UniversalTruth This is the thing, we’re out everyday, it’s exhausting but easier if I try to distract her, playground, long walks with the dog, beach etc. She was doing gymnastics once per week but was hiding under the trampoline a lot and playing up. We’d explained to the teachers and they understood but I could see it was making it hard for the teachers, she loves it as well and is very good at it. They finish soon for the summer, but I stopped it a few sssms early. It’s controlling our life now.
We’re in today as been out to hospital appointments etc all week and just needed a break, but she only ever watched tv or runs around crazy if we stay in. We used to do so many activities-painting, drawing, playing games etc, she just won’t anymore.

@UniversalTruth It does sound like some of it could be overflow. How do we get the real poo out then? I wasn’t sure if it was too many sachets and was making the poo runny

The Movicol will likely work to get out the stuck poo IF she drinks enough water.

Can you try the star chart idea for a few weeks?

@UniversalTruth Shes quite good at drinking her drinks it’s just so hard to keep on at her and I feel sorry for her.
Just messaged my doctor and she says if it’s that bad to take her to emergency, what will they do there though?

Only you can decide if your DD needs to see a doctor today, I guess a second opinion might be useful but it might not be worth the stress. They won't be a gastro specialist I imagine.

I think you should get a second opinion OP. I’d also try to email or speak to someone at the ERIC helpline. Is she drinking water in addition to the water you use to make up the Movicol sachets? I’d also try ground flax seed mixed into yoghurt or on cereal maybe. I’d be asking what further tests they could do to see what’s going on now she’s been on the meds for so long. You’d expect Movicol at that dose to work within 2 weeks max.
I’m sorry you’re both going through this, it sounds very distressing for both of you.

I would try removing some foods for a couple of weeks to see if any impact. So remove gluten containing goods for 2 weeks, then dairy etc.

No I agree with you. As I said, my kids symptoms are managed on just one sachet a day (we occasionally forget and symptoms come back) so I'm not too worried about them being on it long term, but the movicol is not doing the trick for your DD now and it obviously isn't the solution for the long term.

Don't remove gluten before any TTG blood tests for coeliac disease, they're not accurate unless you are consuming plenty of gluten for six weeks before the blood test.

Been messaging my doctor. She’s referred us to a hospital in the city (capital of the country) in a few weeks time, 2.5 hrs drive away. They want us to take lunch and to see her after shes eaten. Never been asked to do this before, does this sound like a step in the right direction?

Agreed. I suggested this as OP had said the gluten tests (presumably coeliac tests) were negative.

I use the together health brand for magnesium and ‘now foods’ brand for probiotics. They both really helped

Ds was impacted age 8 & ended up having an enema in hospital, I was horrified at the amount of poo that came out of someone so small.

@Nat6999 Did they try anything before that? Was it a horrible procedure? Dr didn’t want to do it

It was over in 5 minutes, ds was sick but within 15 minutes had filled the toilet so much it was blocked. He had been in hospital all day after being admitted straight from the doctors with suspected meningitis, he was in so much pain all over his body he couldn't bear anyone touching him, temperature, chills, nausea, he was so pale & grey, I thought he was dying.

@Nat6999 God, that must’ve been awful 😞 did you have no idea he was impacted? Did he stay in hospital afterwards? What’s the procedure? Was he completely fine afterwards?

You've had lots of advice already but this website is an amazing resource if you haven't seen it before

www.eric.org.uk/advice-for-children-with-constipation

When I was a child and severely constipation I remember a medical practitioner using a tube? To get it out they came yo our home.Very vague I know but it was a legitimate procedure.

constipated

OP my friend's DS has been having similar issues to your DD. He's almost 9. Been under NHS and private and still no resolution really. He misses a lot of school as he's sometimes too poorly to attend. I've read through the other comments and just to add that one of to things she was eliminating from his diet other than the gluten and dairy was fructose. Might be worth a read up? X

If the poos are runny / liquidy, then this is what you call 'overflow' and is just liquid poo overflowing around the impacted stool. This is a sign that your daughter is still very constipated.

A normal poo will be number 4 on the Bristol Stool Chart. Smooth like a sausage and formed.

There are lots of dietary suggestions, which might be the key after you've got her system cleared. Unfortunately if she's still backed up the effect of all that waste is going to mask noticeable changes. I hope this new referral helps! Good luck OP. She's very lucky you're determined on this. I suffered from long term constipation as a child and the medical "advice" was really poor and my parents all to easy to persuade it was my laziness or such! Keep pushing for an answer and resolution.

Have you tried getting her to roll on her tummy over a gym ball? That always helped my ds.

Mind you he was also on 10 movicol a day for a long period of time.

Just be aware that when it finally moves it can keep coming out and they can't control it. Ds was still passing stools in his sleep bless him

I'd really like that private doctor name, if you would be kind enough. I have a little girl in my family struggling with this.

OP I have so much sympathy. I don't know much about this but it sounds dreadful. Can you really take 8-10 laxido/movicol in one day for long periods of time without horrible side effects?

I'm confused that the scan did not show fecal matter. In that instance I question if the looseness of the stools is overflow at all. It sounds more like a pendulum swinging wildly. There seems to be more to this. I would welcome the second referral.