Hi
I have posted a while ago about my 4 year old DS struggling with constipation and received some very helpful advice on here. However, we seem to be struggling again. To give some background, my DS has always been a very picky and difficult eater, and he will only eat very limited meals. For example, he will eat spaghetti bolognese, a jacket potato with cheese, plain boiled rice with gravy, Turkey meatballs in tomato sauce, a beef burger, chips. And those are the only meals he will eat each week, so usually I will make spaghetti bol a couple of times a week. I know those meals aren't bad but it's more breakfast and lunch times which are most difficult. He will not eat cereal or porridge of any kind. His breakfast each day is usually grapefruit and a yoghurt. We all like fresh red or pink grapefruit in our house so luckily he likes that, but I think it ruled be vetter if he'd eat some kind of cereal. Lunch times are hard as he will not eat a sandwich of any kind. He likes plain pasta shapes cooked, a dish of plain rice with gravy, sometimes a bit of cheese and tomato pizza. He loves yoghurts and fruit pots, he will eat apples and strawberries.
Sorry for all that info, but just to give an idea. I don't think his eating is brilliant and I think this may be the reason he suffers so often with constipation. Anyway, a few months ago he was badly badly constipated a do think it was 9 days he went without having a poo. He had awful stomachache and the doctor prescribed Movicol, which has been and still is wonderful for him. He had sachets for a couple of days when he was badly constipated and compacted and it did the trick. The Dr said to wean him slowly off the Movicol, but I haven't quite got there. I have reduced it down and down and he seems ok on half a sachet morning and night or just one full sachet before bed, but any less than that or stopping it completely and he just cannot poo.
I'm not especially concerned about him being on Movicol I it helps him, but the problem is that when he has been a couple of times badly compacted with hard poo that's been hard to pass, he got frightened to let his poo come out because of how much it hurt or how much he thought it would hurt that he stopped going on the toilet. Instead he would stand with his legs crossed trying not to let it out. And obviously eventually it would come out in his pants. I have struggled and struggled trying to get him to sit on the toilet and I try 20 mins after each meal to sit with him on the toilet, which he will do but he pushes and pushes and nothing comes out. Then a little later I'll find he's gone in his pants.
My DS starts school in under two weeks and I made it my aim to try and get this sorted out over the holidays but I am just not winning with DS and he's getting upset over it and I am too. Every day he poo's in his pants, and will not do it in the toilet. I have tried everything, reward charts, bribery, taking to him, treats and the promise of a brand new scooter at the end of this week if he manages to do one poo each day on the toilet. But no.. Been out with him and his younger sibling this afternoon to a park and playground and I could see him stood straining with that look on his face where I know he needs to poo but isn't letting it out. I feel ive tried everything. I am worried that at school he will poo his pants, and I don't know what will happen then. Will school send for me to change him? I obviously don't mind doing that but I wish for his sake that he could go more easily and that he'd sit on the toilet. I don't want him to be the boy at school who smells of poo when he's had an accident.
People say the eating more will come but making his lunch box when he starts school will be difficult.
I am planing a trip to the doctor's with DS this week but I'm not sure what they will suggest. I am wondering if he needs a referral to check his bowels are ok. Does anyone have any useful advice or has anyone got experience of this?
Apologies that this is such a long post and I would be grateful for any advice or shared experience.
Many thanks for reading.