Any effective pain relief for severe constipation?

[Asparagus1]

I’ve had my son in A&E three times in the last month with severe tummy pains. He gets so panicked that he shouts at me to take him to hospital and says he feels like he’s going to die. We went last night and finally he was given an X-ray which showed extreme constipation. After the first two hospital visits I took him to the GP who gave blood tests for coeliac disease and calprotectin stool test. Both these were negative.

The whole thing has caused him to become very anxious as we had no idea what the pain was and had no reason for it. He poos daily which is why it’s not something I pushed at the docs but somehow there is a big back up.

They have prescribed a regime of laxido sachets for it to clear out but this will take quite a few days and also the laxido causes more stomach cramps. We’ve had an awful evening tonight of him rolling around in pain, shouting at me to take him back to hospital or call an ambulance, he tells me he feels like he’s dying, that I’m not looking after him properly because I won’t take him back etc. He won’t listen to reason and it’s really difficult to calm him down. I’ve explained that the medicine takes a few days. I’ve tried calpol but it’s not helping. It’s very upsetting to deal with. Is there anything else I can give him to help with the pain? I know about drinking more, eating more fruit and veg etc but he’s at the point where he won’t eat much at all now.

Poor boy. The laxido will work and he just has to stick it out. Would a hot water bottle to hold on his tummy help? And a strong placebo effect - tell him the pain means the meds are working, and lots is distraction too.

Have you given him paracetamol/calpol?
if constipation is causing pain or discomfort, you may want to take a painkiller, such as paracetamol – always follow the dosage instructions carefully; children under 16 shouldn't take aspirin.

Yep, doesn’t seem to make any difference

His older sister has an electric heat pad thing for period pains, we’ve tried that but he says it makes him feel worse!

How old is he?
Get a squatty potty or anything to lift his feet up when sitting on the loo. A step/stool, large tins, bricks etc. Sitting in a squat position makes it MUCH easier to open the bowels.

He’s 7. I will try this thanks!

Can he have a suppository?

I was going say to use a stool too. Really everyone should use a stool to get that body position. Hopefully the medicine will work xxx

I wouldn’t like to administer one in case I didn’t do it right 😬

@Asparagus1 I would get suppository too for him- you can't get it wrong. KY jelly to lubricate and the just pop it inside his bottom gently.

I would speak to your pharmacist and see if there is anything they can give that will shift things quicker than Laxido. Also, if you continue with the Laxido, be prepared, not to put too fine a point on it, he's likely to have severe diarrhoea when it does eventually work. I'm supposed to take it, but limit it to half a sachet every other day to keep things moving without having a violent reaction when I do go. Maybe check with the pharmacist about Senakot, or even Fibogel, which I find are easier than the Laxido. Hope the poor little lad feels better soon.

DD was the same and the constipation got into a vicious cycle as she was scared of the pain. The only thing that has helped her long term is sodium docusate, honestly if we’d discovered it sooner it would’ve saved years of hell. Softens things so that it’s comfortable and easy for them to go with none of the horrible urgency or tummy pains that regular laxatives bring

I know how he feels and its horrible. Laxido does work very well and usually takes about 3 days but make sure you don't miss any doses of it. Once things have moved he'll feel better. A suppository works best when there is poo in the lower intestine, if it's high up like is sounds then it won't help anyway and the answer is the laxido. The pain is very bad when you're blocked up, I was worried I had a twisted bowel it was so bad. Hope things get moving soon for him.

It’s his birthday today, we have managed to go bowling and for a meal, but he hardly ate…poor lad didn’t even want a birthday cake. It gets to around 4pm every day and that’s when the pain ramps up and he ends up crying and rolling around until he finally falls asleep around 8pm. Its bloody awful. He’s had 4 sachets today, and 3 💩.

Peppermint and fennel teas can help with cramping and gas-I make several cups a day with 1 teabag of each (pukka “3 fennel “ and any pure peppermint tea). I take buscopan when my trapped wind/IBS pain becomes unbearable but one of the listed side effects is constipation so don’t think it’s a good idea unless medically advised. Your poor boy, GI pain like this is awful (I have thought mine was appendicitis a few times and nearly gone to hospital).

That kind of intense pain sounds a little to me like when I get trapped wind which is hell on its own without stomach cramps on top the poor fella.

Maybe try bicycle kicks and peppermint tea and see if that helps at all. If it’s not at all trapped wind related they won’t interfere with the constipation treatment.

A warm bath helped DD when hers was bad. (It did help relax her muscles and a few dashes out of the bath for the toilet.) The GP said to me to get her drinking to help with effects of the Laxido and didn’t really matter what as long as she was drinking.

Have you had a look on the Eric website? There is also a Facebook group Movicol mummies (movicol is laxido), which is helpful

Extra virgin olive oil works great for constipation- one tablespoon provides almost immediate relief.

Hi, you could try a green fruit juice that has kiwi in has helped partner who has problems due to lots of pain killers.

Could you try Buscopan? The box has a dose for 6 and older.

Works better from stomach cramps than paracetamol in my experience.

Give him daily probiotics
get a good quality brand eg sachets for kids it will help longer term

Yes buscopan

Constipation can be excruciating and especially for a little one.
I had a similar problem last year and have been prescribed Laxido which is very effective and doesn't give me cramps
Unfortunately painkillers do cause constipation. Try and get him to drink plenty

I second the ERIC website for information and support from other parents and HCPs. It was a lifeline for me when DD1 had awful chronic constipation and resultant bladder issues.

She too had a poo every day but had awful constipation. It took years to resolve so strap in for the long haul.

Her diet wasn't the problem, her consultant confirmed it likely started as a behavioural thing. She had a sore poo as a baby and then started holding in and became severely compacted.

Movicol eventually sorted out the compacted poo. We had to use it for years. Having a routine of sitting on the toilet blowing a balloon with feet on a small stool every morning half an hour after breakfast for 10 minutes also helped.