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

Hello OP,

Does she eat quickly or drink while eating? It could be aerophagia, with the remaining digestive issues being caused by diet or the medication. Air swallowing can also get worse with anxiety, so perhaps there is some link there.

I have had aerophagia my whole life - I get woken in the middle of the night by the pain and a lengthy abdominal massage is the only thing I can do for it. Eating very slowly, not talking while eating and breathing mostly through my nose keeps the incidents to a minimum!

Cut out dairy and gluten. Regardless of what the test results said.
Cut out anything else like onions and beans.
Tell her to chew her food 1727 times and to drink mindful (not to inhale air)
And take her to a gastro

Sounds absolutely awful.

Have you tried an elimination diet where you cut out all the foods most likely to cause an issue at once? Then gradually reintroduce to see if any cause the symptoms? I’d want to try cutting at least dairy and gluten out at the same time. But there could also be issues with other foods, like egg, soy, lectins and many others.

Take her to see a cranial osteopath, they are miracle workers with issues like this!

I have long years of experience with chronic constipation - I would say hang on in there with the movicol. Keep giving it, and extra drinks besides (the movicol suspends the fluid in the drink you give it it, so the dc needs extra drinks not to be dehydrated).

She behaviour sounds typical for a constipated dc tbh. No point in worrying about school, as the aim is for her not to be constipated by then, which is likely to bring a big improvement to her behaviour.

Liquidy poo doesn't imply she isn't constipated. Could the GP feel the impaction by palpation her tummy, or did you only see this on the scan?

If she has had movicol reliably for 3 weeks with no improvement, definitely go back to the GP to request an onwards referral.

I cam see pps have given good advice about considering food intolerances, but just a word of caution - you need to be fairly sure you have cleared the established impaction to be able to assess whether a change in diet reduces her tummy pain.

A trick which can sometimes work to get rid of gas is to huddle down on the floor in a semi-foetal position with your head lower than you bum (does that make sense??) Stay like that for a while and it makes its way out. Often particularly effective first thing in the morning if she wakes up bloated.

Are you for real!?

Yes, while she is in pain and impacted most likely there's no point trying to eliminate foods. Focus on clearing the impaction first.

@AperolWhore I've booked her in to an osteopath next week on advice of a friend, willing to try anything at this stage

@Floydthebarber That’s what I thought

@Stompythedinosaur The Dr could feel the poo and gas, also we can sometimes feel the bubbles, if that makes sense, even doing massages

Sorry, you're taking your DD to see a cranial osteopath?

@RollingBills Shes never had an antibiotics before, but in July last year, we all had some type of gastro flu, she was sick again with it in November and we’ve all had covid for the second time around 6 weeks ago.
Her most recent scan this week showed gas and mesenteric lymphadenitis, but she said this is very common in children and shouldn’t cause any problems 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Oceanus No, a standard osteopath

Thank you so much everyone for your comments, I really do appreciate it 💐

A standard one sounds better! I kept picturing sb massaging your DD's head and telling you "oh, I feel a bump here, there must sth wrong with her big toe!"....!
Good luck OP, up until recently I was a lot your DD, ultrasounds mostly showed trapped gas. It's very very uncomfortable. I hope you get an answer. Good luck to your child!

Totally un helpful but if DD is getting down about it she might enjoy the story Isabel's noisy tummy:

I'm not sure I'd recommend cure by escaped Tiger exposure though...

Abdominal adenitis can be very painful. My DD had it following tonsillitis. Initially they thought she had appendicitis, the pain was so bad, so don't assume that isn't a contributing factor.
TBH, IMO, the only thing that will confirm whether the impaction has cleared is a repeat Xray. I understand that doctors don't like too many Xrays, but it really is the only quick and easy way to check, so that you know exactly where you are.

Abdominal adenitis can be very painful. My DD had it following tonsillitis

Same here with one of my children but I think here there are probably problems with the toxins not being able to get out of her system.

Op, the gastric flu won't have helped last year if the gut flora in her stomach became unbalanced. I do understand pp poster speaking about the cranial osteopath as the vegus nerve is connected with digestion, you try anything which could help.

Make sure to keep weighing her for weight loss and inform the Dr's. Keep pushing. Do either you or your husband have a slow bowel, these things can pass on.

Does she have any other symptoms at all op, anything even if you feel it's not connected ?

If nothing is found and no answers come I think I would go down the genetic testing route.

When I had similar, my GP advised I try the FODMAP diet, which cuts out almost everything that could irritate your stomach, and then reintroduces them one at a time.

It sounds as if you've already done gluten and lactose, but there are other food groups it could be (like fructose). It might be worth trying the initial cut-out phase of FODMAP to see if it has any impact on her symptoms (if it doesn't, it's probably not a food irritation). With agreement from her medical professional, of course.

I'm sorry I've this has already been said & also if you already know, but she needs to be drinking lots of drinks that don't contain movicol aswell. The ERIC charity told me the movicol drinks don't count as hydrating drinks

Yes, the FODMAP diet, 100% agree! That's exactly why I recommend a nutrionist once the doctor okay's it. I was advised to go on it by an allergies specialist but ended up not needing in the end. Look into it OP once you've exhausted all traditional medical routes.

My doctors reply to my queries today, we’re in another country, hence the written English. She seems to have dismissed my two concerns immediately and seeing an osteopath may be worth a try 🤷🏻‍♀️

@RollingBills What effect could the toxins not being able to get out of the system cause?
None of us have a slow bowel.
She’s said a few things for a while now which I’m not sure about, I’ve told the dr though, could be nothing. She sometimes says she can feel her heart beating fast, we tested for anaemia etc.
She’s just v v hyper these days, she was always a bit hyper when tired and is an excitable child but when the gas comes, it’s out of control.