HELP!!! Movicol users!

[alwaysright]

My 7yo ds has been on Movicol powder for 3 ys now, he is now only on 1teaspoon a day, but just lately he has started to quite heavily soil himself, normally twice a day after he gets home from school.
He says he gets no warning and it just happens, he "rock and pops" but nothing happens, I can't feel a lump of build up in his bowel (in the past we can feel if he's storing "stuff"!)

I've tried cutting out the Movicol, but it still happens and I've tried up-ing his dose and it still happens, he isn't having what I would call regular movements, although he did do a "foot long" last Friday :o

he drinks pleanty and has a healthy diet and is very active too.

He's also started wetting his bed nightly again!

I've been assertive with him and told him we can't go on days out over the easter hols if it keeps happening in case he has an accident, to try and scare him a bit!

Any other ideas would be a help!

Our continence nurse appt isn't for another 3 weeks coz she's so busy!

Thanks in advance!

I've also got a seven year old on Movicol. Sounds like he's still constipated, from what you describe, the wetting can be due to being constipted and poo putting pressure on the bladder. I wouldn't try and scare him or threaten no days out (I appreciate that fear of accidents can affect some outings, eg on public transport) as it really doesnt sound like this is a behaviour issue! If you can't get hold of cont nurse on phone, what about asking GP for advice re:dosage etc.

DD (nearly 7) was on movicol for a couple of years. Initially we found it worked but after a while it made her too loose and she started having accidents again. The consultant changed her onto lactulose and senakot and in the whole it had worked better for her.
I totally understand the 'no outings' thing although it also means you are stuck in! We always take spare clothes and say that if it happens we will have tomgo home. We have been ok going out for a while now.
On another note, does he have accidents as school and how do they deal with it?

i have an 8yo who has been on it since he was 2yo...it sounds to me like a lazy bowel hun..we've only just in the last yr managed 2 get my 8yo back to normal. Its when the bowel has been stretched from a long problem with constipation and build up of poo. He wont feel it coming and it willjust happen..it means training him to visit the toilet regular after meals..so maybe speak to school see if they can help with this. Training his bowel, and tighting it up basically..it the same principle as a pelvic floor really!! Is the poo normal or runny? Wetting the bed may be anxiety over the whole thing its very embarrassing for them..hope ive helped.

TotalChaos I was thinking the same as you last night with regard to pressure on the bladder at night issue! I agree it's not a behaviour issue as he's a good, honest boy (won't last I'm sure!) only seems to happen once in the night though about 2-3 hours after he's gone to sleep! poor thing was soaking when the wee alarm went off last night!
BITCAT what comes out is very soft, but not runny and does smell :( when he was first diagnosed with the problem his bowel was stretched, but you could feel a mass on his lower stomach of the build up, but I can't feel that at the moment.

Decided last night to up his dose on the Movicol over the holidays to try and clear it!

Thanks all for responding, when DS is in bed I sometimes have a small cry through frustration that I feel I'm missing something!

ooh and he seems to be able to hold it in a school, well I think that's what happens, as the school knows about his problem, but they've never called me at work beacuse he's had a accident!

i know how you feel with regards to the frustration...u just want to make it all better for them. they took my son of the movicol a time back but his problems came right back..ive asked them to test him for things because he has other problems too but they wont do anything. Sorry bout the text speak..it just slips out every now and then.

You poor thing. I can relate so much to everything you've said, including the crying in frustration. Many a time I've cried and woken up in the middle of the night worrying about DS and his pooing (which is more than he did!)

However... there is light at the end of the tunnel and - touch wood - we've come through it. My DS will be 7 in July and has been pooing normally for 4-5 months now. He'd been on movicol on and off since I got him referred to the paediatrician when he was 4 and like your DS, he'd often get bits in his bottom that seemed to come out without him being able to help it.

To cut a long story short, we made him sit on the toilet every night about half an hour after tea and we'd praise him just for sitting there. The paed had said to try a different kind of star chart and this seemed to work for long enough for something to "click" with him. He now takes himself off to the toilet, goes in other people's toilets and wipes his own bum. I know others will think he should have been doing all this for years but when you've struggled like we have and had that stress of 7-10 days without a poo, these streps are fantastic!

Let me know if you want any more information, for us, this has been the most stressful aspect of parenting so far.

when did your problems start, just curious as my ds2 has been having problems since birth, and they still wont investigate..i have a had a deep rooted feeling for years that we are all missing something with my ds2.

Hi alwaysright I agree with all the very sensible comments from everyone - I work for a charity that provides free advice and info re constipation/soiling problems etc in childhood 0161 834 2001 - feel free to give us a ring if you need any more advice as we have booklets etc we can send out:-)

PS meant to give the web address for the charity PromoCon www.promocon.co.uk - click on publications and there are lots of leaflets that you can download