Pooing in pants aged 6.6! Help please.....

[chocciedooby]

DS has been toilet trained for years but have always struggled on and off. He has suffered withholding, soiling etc on and off since he was 3 but it seems to have gotten worse over the last few months and he is pooing his pants nearly every day. He soils at school so I am worried he smells and other kids will notice.

I always ask him if he needs a poo at bedtime and he always says no. Then whenever I return to his room I can smell it and it's all over his pjs! I end up cleaning, washing etc all the time and this must be phycologically affecting him and his confidence. When we have had a chat about why it keeps happening he says he doesn't know and that he doesn't know when the poo is coming or when he has done it!?.

I am currently using lactulose again in case it's constipation but am worried it could be something else.

Anyone else have experience of this and know how to help?

Please take him back to your GP and get a proper assessment and treatment plan or referral. This sounds like classic encopresis - (with holding and impaction with overflow) and it can take a long time to sort out.

The psychological and social issues can be a real problem for your child, so you need to get professional help asap.

what littleforgs said.

encopresis.

ds1 is nearly 10. this does not go away by ignoring it.

ds1 spent about a year on lactulose and tbh just lactulose didn't do anything. he's now on a similar thing, but additionally has a series of enemas every time he starts recurrent soiling again.

it can take months to treat effectively, if you get a good doc.

increase toileting time in the interim. 10 minutes after breakfast, sit on the loo for ten minutes.

ten minute after dinner, sit on the loo for ten minutes. no books, no comic, no distractions.

if he is still soiling, keep adding in toileting times - one after lunch for ten minutes.

this is a routine that needs to be kept to minimise soiling.

but gp.

the eric website has some info if you google.

and all the usual increase in fruits and veggies/ fluids etc.

Second what frogs said. It probably is encoporesis, and the lactulose may help but that takes time - he might need a bit more help than that.

My DD had this when she started school - you have my sympathies, its a horrible thing to deal with. One piece of advice I learned the hard way - try not to get stressed out by it. To a large extent it won't resolve fully till the child takes control of it for themself, which is more likely to happen if you can take a bit of a step back.

Can he read independently yet? If so, perhaps a strategy at bedtime would be for you to cheerfully say, well you usually need a poo at bedtime, why don't you just go and read your book on the loo and see if anything pops out.
And leave him to it for a while, and don't show disappointment if there's no result.

Good luck!

We found this book very helpful: It Hurts When I Poop!: A Story for Children Who Are Scared to Use the Potty www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1433801310/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

Get some professional help. Get a proper strategy. Hopefully this means it will be solved properly and more quickly.

Good luck! Agree with taking a step back. Has he regressed because school is more stressful?

Thanks for your advice ladies. I googled encoporesis and it sounds exactly it. He has all the signs.

Problem - DS doesn't have a great diet which leads to constipation. Refuses fruit and eats very little veg. I am going to have to get lots of fibre in via cereals etc. I will also look up that book.

I can't believe this can go on for years! It must be awful for their self esteem.

Try wholemeal or semiwholemeal pasta but make sure you increase fluid intake too along with fibre!

Tnks grimmathenome

My GP told me that it takes as least as long as the problem has existed to treat it.

You may need to carry on with treatment for years, but it is worth it in the end because the longer it goes on the worse the damage.

It is really important not to stop treatment once the problem seems better - it takes a very long time to retrain the bowel.

I got a book today that I used a few years ago called Constipation, Withholding and Your Child. This book really helped before so fingers crossed it helps again.

We had been out for some time today at a toy show and when we arrived home I could smell my DS :(. At first he denied that he needed to use the toilet but eventually gave in and followed me to the bathroom. He had already done most of his poop in his pants :( but he got onto the toilet and in private he did the rest. After he was washed etc and dressed in fresh clothes we had a little chat. I told him I would not get cross with him and that I am going to help. We read the story about Mr Poo together and he was really interested.....

We will see how things go now over the next couple of days. His stool was quite soft so no longer constipated but of course his bowel will need to be retrained...and I need to get out and buy some more pants!

Awwwww, boo. Still sounds like you are on the right track. Will he drink smoothies? They can be really useful. Solved my 2 year old's constipation- well that, apples and more water I think.