Constipation

[geradine]

My 5 year old child is autistic and has had issues with constipation for as long as I can remember. Usually I can persuade him to poo every few days.

This time it has been 8 days and he can't/won't poo. You can feel it rock solid in his tummy and he looks all bloated. I've put him in the bath, but running out of ideas. Should I keep him home tomorrow and take day off work to see the GP? Any home remedies?

Have you got movicol or anything from the doctor? I would keep him home...will he drink orange juice? Or perhaps take a castor oil capsule? Best bet though is something from the GP.

It's not uncommon for people with autism to suffer in this area, I would see if your GP can prescribe something for long term use and try to include as much fibre in his diet as you can (not easy if he has sensory issues with food I know!) Your poor DS must be quite uncomfortable bless him, hope you get it sorted!

Poor thing. Would Epsom salts in the bath help? It can certainly loosen poos, though not positive in this case. Worth checking out though - it's the magnesium that does it.

Thanks all. I got him to go in the end, warm bath helped, and tummy massage. It took until 10pm though so he's exhausted. Will get him to the GP today for something long term. He's never had movicol or anything before. We've tried to avoid it by giving him regular fibre (he eats chocolate crispy cakes made of all bran!) but it just isn't cutting it anymore. Poor thing.