Tummyache and constipation in dd age 10 - what next?

[CocktailQueen]

Ever since potty training, DD has had a habit of withholding poos and not realising when she needs to to go the loo.

She has had periods of tummy pain - where she can't move and has to lie down all day - and very frequent, lengthy visits to the loo, then after about 4-5 days she has a big poo and all is fine again - until the next time.

We have seen a specialist who said she would grow out of it. But she's 10 now and showing no signs of it. She has a good diet with plenty of fruit and veg and laxative fruit/veg/bran. She's not always great at drinking enough though. Could there be any other cause for this? Could it be stress-related? She says she's not worried about anything.

Have made another appt with the doc this afternoon because she had the poo problem all half term, had the big poo at the weekend and her tummy is sore again today and she was crying about it this morning.

A couple of years ago the doc suggested she could be lactose intolerant so we took out dairy and gluten etc from her diet for 6 months, but it made no difference.

Thanks for any help!!

I know how you feel as our eldest is now 12 but used to withhold poos all the time when he was 4/5 . He was under a consultant at hospital for a while and he gradually improved using Movicol medicine . It took a few years though! Even now he only goes every 3 to 4 days, and by then they are obviously big, but he says it doesn't hurt him anymore. Its only been the last couple of years when he has not needed any medicine at all. Our 4 year old occasionally gets constipated and because I don't want him to go the same way as his brother I just give him Ex-Lax, a chocolate flavour laxative that you can buy it over the counter. Be careful though as you only need the tiniest quarter of a tablet , otherwise you may have the opposite problem! He only ever needs it once a month or so now, but at least I know he won't get the horrible pains that his older brother had, which can lead to a vicious circle of withholding. Good luck

Thanks Sarahandchris. We have lactulose now so will see how she gets on with it.