Acidic Poo... is it a symptom of something?

[Chunkamatic]

Am going to make an appointment with GP to see DS1 as he is having a few bowel problems, but wondered if anyone has any experience so I can be prepared...

If I give him weetabix for breakfast it seems to go straight through him. He doesn't get diarrhoea as such but the poos are loose, have a very specific vomit-y like smell and irritate his skin very quickly. Last night he must have pooed in his nappy just before falling asleep and later woke up screaming as it was so sore for him. I felt so very sorry for him as he could hardly stand for me to clean him up it was so sore .

So, obviously weetabix is off the menu. But this is not a very normal reaction is it? Does it mean he has a wheat intolerance? Or gluten? He loves porridge as well and that can have a similar affect if he has it too often. Seeded bread also produces a similar result. So I do try to stick to white bread for him.

He's 2.6 and is quite a fussy eater. Will not touch fruit or veg if presented in their normal state. He drinks quite a bit of diluted fresh fruit juice so I wonder if that is not helping. His poo's are generally loose, not firm - again, I don't know if that is unusual at his age?

Anyway, so i've probably answered my own questions here... but just wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences?

He's obviously got rapid transit, and basically the food goes through very quickly, possibly not allowing for the nutrients to be properly absorbed. It is also full of the enzymes that break down food (and bottom skin!) which shouldn't be coming out so quickly. Why he has this??? Food intolerance is probable, anxious personality possible. You'll need a word with the HV and look into a food exclusion diet. I would start by just giving foods that dont take a lot of breaking down, pasta rice potatoes white bread, and go easy on the fruit and vedge and fruit juices to see if it helps. It could improve as he gets older and his gut matures.

It could be to do with the juice but does he have any other symptoms?

I only have experience of Coeliac Disease and my son who was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease had really acrid loose stools.

I will list his other symptoms in case there are similarities. He had a pale face, dark circles under his eyes, slim but bloated stomach, bad wind and needing the toilet as soon as he had eaten. Had to rest a lot, said his legs hurt, disturbed sleep with crying, fussy eater and general irritability.

Hope you can find out what the problem is.

Thanks very much for your replies.

Booner I guess that is what I feared really - may I ask how old is your son and old was he when he first displayed symptoms?Although I don't think my DS1 is showing symptoms as severe as some of those you describe.

beammeupscotty pasta and white bread would probably be his most ideal diet if he had his way, with plenty of ice cream on top! It can be hard work to get him to eat at the best of times, so conducting a food exclusion diet will be difficult as I would imagine it will limit some of the things he will eat even further. But by the sounds of it that is what I will probably be asked to do.

I have a HV clinic here on a Friday so will make a start by taking him there.

Hi Chunkamatic,

My son first started with symptoms at 2.5 but was only diagnosed at 3.5. It is only looking back we could see there were signs but nothing really obvious more a build up of different symptoms. He would have an almost permanent cold and was tired but he had started nursery and it was autumn so we thought it was being at nursery and catching bugs. If he had an upset stomach we thought it was because he wasn't washing his hands at nursery and it wasn't acrid smelling at that point. He had put on no weight at all in a year and had this distended tummy.

We kept him on gluten containing foods and had the blood test which they can have with cream to numb the area applied for 30 mins beforehand. He came out strongly positive. We did not have the biopsy only because my niece has Coeliac disease and our consultant felt that was sufficient evidence to start a gluten free diet.
Even within a week the difference was amazing and now a year later he is fit and healthy with a good appetite, will try lots of new foods and sleeps well (thank goodness!).

We also had my older son tested who had no obvious symptoms and he tested positive as well.

Good luck and happy to answer any other questions

Hi Chunkamatic - I have 3 DS all with different gastric DXs - and me too. I have 1 on a dairy free diet, 1 on an IBS diet and 1 on a sucrose and fructose free diet.
all 3 have similar symptoms - and 2 have had testing for coeliac as they are 'underweight' for their height.
I would love to think that once diagnosed, problem substance eliminated that it clears up and everything goes back to normal - it may or it may not. The plus side is that if you are given a new diet that excludes something that you thought you relied on, it becomes second nature to avoid it and like most 'normal' families you end up with a raft of recipes that you just rotate for meal times.

My goodness Auntevil that sounds like you have your work cut out! Do you mind me asking at what age did they get diagnosed?

And also, in any of your experiences, should I take him to the HV to start with or would it be better to go to the GP? Thanks!

I went to my health visitor at the child clinic and saw the GP there and then. The GP has a family member with Coeliac Disease so was very helpful. I got a referral to a consultant and the blood test was done.

Thanks again Booner. I have tried to limit his wheat intake a bit the last couple of days and his poo seems to be a bit more "normal". I will take him to see HV on Friday AM and see how far I get.

Watching this with interest as have a 6 month old with acrid, vinegar-smelling poo (who also has bad reflux) and a 2.4 year old who eats like a horse but is currently anaemic and unable to tolerate milk (though the blood tests are now back confirming that he doesn't have a true milk allergy). DS1 is 91st centile for height and below 50th now for weight as has lost a bit recently. GP seemed wholly unconcerned but I, and the whole extended family, are very worried. He has the dark circels under his eyes, obviously pale skin, lethargy etc.. He's started standing at the bottom of the stairs and saying, "It's a long way up there, carry me.." or lying down half way up. Having had glandular fever in the past, I know how he feels.

Sorry to have hijacked, but looks like we are not alone. Good luck Chunkamatic.

It is probably worth trying to cut out juice compleyely for a week or so. My dd has had very similar acrid poos for weeks and they completely stopped within a few days of cutting out juice. I read an article that said juice was one of the biggest causes of non-specific toddler diaorrhea.

Bethylou once our youngest was diagnosed with Coeliac disease and on his gluten free diet we were amazed when he STOPPED asking to be carried upstairs! Another associated thing that we only noticed with hindsight.

Have you also read that anaemia and lactose intolerance can occur if you have coeliac disease but have not been diagnosed and are therefore still eating gluten?

I am hoping everyone can get a resolution for their childrens symptoms.

OP, you are me. DS is 2.7 and has exactly the same issues.

We stick with Oatibix or readybrek. Seeded/wholegrain bread makes him very upset and sore.

he's not GI, because he's happy with starch in other forms. I know what you mean about the sore nappy's though, DS was red raw after just 3 days of weetabix combined with pampers actifit. Poor love.

Morning Chunkamatic

Was interested in what Bethylou said about weight and height issues as this has totally affected the ages at which my DCs were seen. The rule of thumb for most medical professionals seems to be the 2 centile difference between height and weight. If though, your child seems to be 'thriving' this quite often flies out of the window. DS1 had a DX of dyspraxia, so his lack of energy was always put down to that. his lack of bowel control was also put down to that and the diarrhoea was genetic. The constant runny nose down to 'nasal disturbance' which basically means that as he is an 'atopic personality' - has asthma, eczema etc. The overriding reason why even when he had been under the care of a paediatrician since he was 2 - and constantly told of the smelly poo issues etc etc is that he is very tall and an average weight for his age. He has always been off the height chart. He started life on 91st centile and is somewhere between 50 and 75 for weight now. It took until he was 7 before they ever passed him to a gastroenterologist to check.
DS2 is still a bit of a mystery. he has seen HV, then GP, then to a Paediatrician since he was 3. Now 5 we still even with an IBS diet have not cracked it. He looks quite skeletal at times, although they have ruled out coeliac. He is still not potty trained for no.2s as he has no build up feeling for the liquid that comes out. I'm hoping that my next gastro appt in Sept throws up a few more ideas. It was really my 3 year old that forced the issue for the gastro team to take the other DSs seriously. I couldn't wean him from puree. He gagged on everything. When he had not had any solid food by 1, i went to the GP. our GP is good and referred straight away.We got bounced back from the hospital - due to lack of service provision - more than once! Speech and Language therapy got involved straight away and have always been the most helpful department - even though there is no probs with his speech, they also deal with swallowing issues. It still took the threat of going to the press and e-mailing the executive of the local trust to get an appointment with the gastro team at 2.6 - when they saw all 3 together!
Sorry for it being long winded but I just want to let you know that you may have to keep fighting. Some HVs are good, some GPs are persistent, some paediatricians listen - many don't. As mums, we all are relatively aware of the ball parks for normal. If you think your DC needs investigating - fight and keep fighting. Don't accept glib statements that are trotted out - such as 'healthy weight' - weight on it's own is no use without height and a physical check (bloated stomach etc). The results are worth it. Good luck

Sorry for not getting back to this thread sooner... Thank you all for your replies and suggestions. I am so for some of you and your DC's. It is terrible to hear that some HCP's don't take this seriously. Bethylou your post brought a tear to my eye, your poor wee DS! You don't have to have a medical degree to know that's not right. I really hope you get the help and support you need.

I went to see the HV. She said that from what I described and seeing him she was not immediately concerned, but advised me to keep a food diary for 1-2 weeks. TBH we have been away so I have't been doing this yet, but have continued to stay away from weetabix or heavy wheat food and limiting the fruit juice and things have been OK. Only on one occasion when he had jumbo porridge oats did his poo seem acidic and had the vomit-y smell.

Reading some of the symptoms you have described I am feeling like he has a reasonably minor intolerance or even just because his gut is immature, as he is well otherwise.

Thanks again for all your advice.