Can’t disimpact daughter feel so helpless.

[Ffswhatnoww]

My 5 year old has chronic constipation, I’m guessing due to her very limited diet and then withholding.
This has led to impaction which is being treated with Movicol. The thing is I can’t 1 into her never mind going up to 12 if need be. We have the chocolate one and she still won’t take it. She can taste it every time.
The next step is picosulfate and a high dose of lactulose but the problem is I won’t be able to get that into her.
She won’t drink chocolate milkshake, juice, Fruit shoots, just milk which doesn’t cover the taste. Tried cereal, yoghurt even stews and mashed potato.
I just feel a bit lost and hopeless. She’s not passing bowel movement just lots of little blobs through the day.

Yes I’m on Movicol mummies. Tried the nesquick and she has a sip then leaves it. I think she may have additional needs but no diagnosis or anything.

Stop the milk. My dd was really badly constipated with it. I’d just stick to water and put tiny bits of fruit juice in.

Dairy was sod to dd2. We went from horrible stuck pooh which I had to put soap around her bottom to get it out as it was stuck and she was crying in pain or tiny rock hard pellets to mucus filled pooh,

Once I cut the dairy out it stopped almost immediately

DS(8) has had Movicol twice daily since a baby, and is now on Cosmocol as our local health authority gives that as an alternative brand now. When he had the plain Movicol he had it in milk, either plain milk or choc nesquick. Cosmocol he says tastes a bit orangey so he has it in apple juice now. Sodium picosulphate tastes fruity so is fairly palatable and I've never had a problem getting him to have it, whereas he'll battle over taking calpol! As long as you get it into her, it doesn't matter what you put it in.

We have plain for my little boy. Hide it in milk. And only let him have milk with that in. We started with a teaspoon per bottle then increased till he would accept a full sachet. He now drinks it

I have tried putting it in her milk but she can taste it, although I could try putting smaller amounts in at a time. GP said milk is fine as long as she’s getting fluids, I would like to stop the milk but literally don’t think she would drink anything at all if I did

@Ffswhatnoww

I have tried putting it in her milk but she can taste it, although I could try putting smaller amounts in at a time. GP said milk is fine as long as she’s getting fluids, I would like to stop the milk but literally don’t think she would drink anything at all if I did

Not even water? The GP told me milk wasn’t making my dd constipated bit it was.

Coo I kid you make ice cubes with tiny bits of fruit she could suck on?

Have you tried making your own ice lolly’s?

Try oat milk or coconut milk and dont tell her it's different

GP may not be right, when we cut out cow's milk no need for any more movicol again, almost instantly

Think I will try to change her milk although scared that she may just not drink anything tbh. Have tried ice lollies, her and her sister made some and she left hers saying they were horrible and eat her sisters

Could you switch from cows milk to other gradually. Start by adding in a quarter other to three quarters cows etc..then build up?

That’s a brill idea. I think the best thing to try is doing everything a bit slower. Obviously it’s not ideal to keep her impacted longer but I think gradually changing her milk and gradually adding small bits of Movicol is going to be the best bet, I’m not even getting 1 sachet into her at the minute

Does flaxseed work for this? I've heard it's tasteless

Mine would take the plain one - just dissolve it in water, then add full sugar Ribena. Not great for the teeth, but it worked. Root cause was allergies.

Honestly op use the suppositories. The situation can deteriorate quite quickly and the suppositories work so quickly. We’re so hung up on the idea here but really they’re so effective and can prevent far more dangerous issues arising.

We used a jelly instead (lansoyl) and suppositories and it’s now managed with Metamucil (tastes like orange).
It was a bitch for years but thankfully now in the past...

Its a medicine, I would be very stern and make her take It! Shes 5 and you r the parent! It isnt nice but its for her own good.

No experience of trying to get it into kids, but I ended up with chronic constipation after an operation and it was absolutely miserable. I hated movicol and found lactulose much easier to cope with. Just tastes sweet! Obviously I had the benefit of being an adult - but I'd recommend trying lactulose (as you've said it's the next step) and having a chat with her about why she needs to do it.

In fact, does she know why? Have you discussed what might make taking the meds easier/less disgusting/more bearable for her?

My dd was the same and ended up with recurrent utis too. In the end I was able to reason with her and she would take the lactulose and then wash it down after with some a drink of her choice. I did tell her that if she didn’t then she would have to go to hospital to get the doctors to get the poo out though (mean mummy!) but it did work!

My DD has been on movicol since she was 5 months old.

A revelation for us was if you hold your nose, you don't taste it so much.

We mix with some squash, she holds her nose, drinks it and then gets an m And m afterwards.

Also, the ella's prune pouches helped a lot when she is chronically blocked.

Sorry you’re going through this. My DD had chronic constipation and I hadn’t realised how horrid it could be. We gave her Cosmocol which was fruity flavoured and we put it into squash (the only time she was allowed). I made a big thing about putting the “fairy dust” into her cup for her “special juice”. She was only 2 though so maybe more susceptible to the fairy magic? If your DD only drinks milk I expect it probably tastes a bit grim poor love, especially if she’s sensitive to taste.

Have sat down and told her it’s to help her and if she doesn’t then she could get ill and need the doctors to take the poo out. I’ve give her the choice of drinks but all I get off her is no. Disgusting!’ Suppose I could be more stern but I can’t physically force it down her

If you don't make her take it the doctors will can you explain that to her?

My son had an infected optic nerve the meds to fix it were awful he refused i said nasty medicine or hospital and a needle he was five but understood (I obviously wasnt as blunt as that sentence but that was the gist of it)

As a child who experienced severe bowel problems, can I throw out other thoughts.

Liquorice - Tesco currently have a strawberry one on offer and lots of it. A bag in one sitting for me now, leaves me confined to the bathroom. At 5 years old, this might be an option alongside the rest as might be easier to consume. Present it as sweets, there is no ulterior motive as far as DD knows.

Other suggestions include milk of magnesia, figs and apricots to snack on,

Until my problem was resolved by an operation, I had the poo nurses visiting alternating days for manual removal so your DD has my complete sympathy. Its horrible, this was a last resort for me before the operation as they were trying to avoid that.

When things start moving which I hope is soon, have baby wipes and nappy bags on hand as if on the loo a lot, things can and do get painful leading to holding, nappy cream to help with site areas, tons of praise.

Glycerine suppositories are good and help a lot but not nice going in. Is she feeling sick from constipation,

Try and phrase it as a few minutes of taking medicine to relive the sick feeling, this will help it to go away or 1 minute of "nasty" drink to help the sick feeling and probable tummy pain. Can you do that, just 1 minutes to start to feel better? You are so brave etc - have some chocolate buttons to help disperse the nasty taste, so brave.

Thank you so much @NotanotherboxofFrogs. I Had a little break down earlier, too much overthinking! Thinking about what happens next, what about if she gets really bad stomach pains, what if this happens for years and she gets bullied. But it makes me determined to sort it while it’s manageable. I have a box with baby wipes, pull ups and nappy bags sitting in the bathroom for when she leaks anyway so not bothered about the mess, just want her better