Long-term constipation in 8yo

[BooseysMom]

Hi,
I am posting here in the hope someone can give some advice that will actually work for my 8yo DS. He has had constipation since he was a toddler. His diet used to be varied and included lots of fruit & veg. But as he has grown he has become fussier and it's a constant battle to get him to eat green veg. He will eat an apple a day but nothing else, no oranges or juice even. I'm lucky if I can get him to eat a small carrot. He has a bowel movement every 3 days and sometimes it's over a week before he goes. I have tried Lactulose and Laxedo, hauled him to the doctor when he started having blood in his stools. Nothing is working. Whatever we eat, he won't touch and I end up making him something he will eat like pizza or chicken nuggets just so he won't starve! It's a constant battle and is wearing me down. He's like a teenager already constantly rebelling against us. What do we know, we've only been alive for nearly 50 years!!
So what should we do? Any advice greatly welcomed.
Thanks x

Have you never been given movicol to try?
What does the GP say?

Have just checked and laxido is the same as movicol. Are you not supposed to give it as a longer term thing rather than sporadically? How long did you use it for?

@dementedpixie.. Thanks so much for your post.
The gp was unclear about diet issues but I was grateful for him actually examining him and not just doing a phone consultation. I used to get through bottles of Lactulose but then stopped that when things seemed to be improving but now the gp says try Laxedo. Maybe it's my fault for only giving Laxedo every now and then, but he often won't drink the stuff even when mixed in with lemonade! Honestly he's a nightmare!

My son had chronic constipation --- it turned out to be crohns disease.
It took me two years of constant tooing and froing to the GP for them to finally refer him. He was on around 12 sachets of movical a day, this was the only thing that kept him from being constipated.

His diet was also appalling, which is what the doctors put down to the problems with constipation. He had constant stomach pain and fatigue. He was 6 at the time, 8 when he was diagnosed with crohns.

It may be worth you getting a stool sample [ cal protectin test ] and a blood sample done just to rule out anything.

Have you looked at the Eric website? Lots of helpful info on constipation and how to use movicil/laxido

www.eric.org.uk/pdf-a-parents-guide-to-disimpaction

Mix the sachets with the correct amount for f water water first then add in squash etc if it’s cold it also tastes better.

@Londonnight.. thank you for your post. 12 sachets a day?! Blimey! How long was it between movements? I hadn't thought of Crohns. Why didn't the gp request a stool sample when we saw him last? I was very clear about how long this has been going on. They are useless!

@BooseysMom. My son is now almost 21, so I can't really remember much of his bowel movements at the time. I do remember before the movical he went for 10 days without opening his bowels. The doctors were useless and refused to look beyond constipation, even sending him to a "toilet training" clinic when he was 6 years old.
I have no idea why they just kept upping the movical instead of referring him. In the end they only referred him to shut me up! It took two years to get to this point. Once referred he was sent for a colonoscopy and diagnosed with crohns within 3 months.

I found that GP's often need a push to do something, so it will be worth asking for them to do a stool sample. For IBD [ inflammatory bowel disease ] you need them to do a calprotectin test ]

My daughter has been like this for years, she is now 13 and probably only had issues two or three times a year in the last two years. It was so bad that the impaction would stay where is was and diarrhoea would leak out without her noticing.

Our GP explained to us that she was holding it in because she didn't want to use the school toilet and then the impaction stretched her bowel to the point that it couldn't function correctly. She spent a year on daily movicol until her bowel went back to normal.

Do push for further investigations. She has had the full works of blood tests, scans etc and they could find anything physically wrong so concluded that it was caused by her not wanting to use the toilet at school.

We had a meeting with the school and they agreed to give her access to the staff disabled toilet, keep a change of clothes in there for her just in case and they gave her a free toilet pass so she could go as soon as needed to rather than waiting until breaktimes.

Her diet was really bad too and I still struggle to get any veg beyond peas, sugar snap peas and baby corn down her but she is definitely growing out of it now.

How much does he drink? My 6 year old has chronic constipation and is on laxido twice a day. We have ruled out ceoliac disease (via a blood test) and dairy allergy (via exclusion diet with dietician) but not yet tested for chrons. We were referred to a dietician which was really helpful actually (although it didn't resolve the issues) but they emphasised drinking more first (we're supposed to aim for 2 litres a day, with a 6 year old who barely drinks at school we don't usually achieve this!) with adding fiber second.

@bubblesr.. Thank you so much for the link and advice. I will def have to up his sachets of Laxedo I think as it's not working just giving it him every now and then when it's really bad.

My dd has laxido and has asd so issues with texture and taste. We mix the laxido (have tryed different flavours and she favours the flavourless one) with as little water as possible and some cordial. Then drink a pint of water straight after. Like pp say you need to take it regularly and alter the dose accordingly (we often reduce the sachets to half if getting too loose /causing too much flatulence).

GPs are notoriously bad at dealing with chronic constipation in children - ask for a referral to paediatrics, they'll start him on a disimpaction regime then change the dose till he's going every day.

@SpookyScarySkeletons.. sorry to hear about the issues your daughter has had. Sounds like the school were helpful which is something.
You're doing well to get her to eat things like baby corn and sugar snaps! My DS wouldn't touch them. I can only just about get him to eat a spoonful of peas!
I'm not sure if he's holding it in when at school but he does get stomach pain.

Chronic constipation could well be an allergy, I'd assume dairy first.

@Londonnight.. thanks for your reply. I recall DS went 10 days without going and that was when he was about 2 I think. So he's always had issues.
It's wrong that you have to push and push for any tests to be done.

@Guineaguinea.. thanks for your post. He drinks quite a lot a day, about 1.5-2l. I remember the gp did ask about fluid intake and said to him the importance of fruit & veg but he still didn't listen! I thought he's bound to listen to the doc! But no!

Thank you to everyone I haven't replied to individually for your posts and advice

The ERIC website is good and they have a help line.
Also goigle the poo nurses and watch the video and look at the stool chart.

@endofthelinefinally.. Brilliant, thanks

How much fibre is he consuming?

Will he eat baked beans? Will he eat any high fibre breakfast cereals? Will he eat vegetables if you put them on his pizza? Will he eat stewed apple or fruit crumble? If you puree some fruit, mix it with yoghurt and freeze it into ice lollies will he eat it?

@seaborgium.. thanks for your post. No to all of those things! It's just hopeless tbh

My son was leaking poo at that age because of constipation, it started around age 4, he was suspected coeliac disease so went on a gluten free diet (it's in the family) eventually things normalised for him around age 9. He was never diagnosed coeliac, just gluten intolerant. Early teens he went back to a normal diet as a trial and has been fine ever since.

@MissSmiley.. good to hear your son is now ok. Thankfully DS hasn't got any leaking. He is now having Laxedo twice a day which helps sometimes but he is still only going every 2-3 days.