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Original poster

Poo problems for DS - help please!

31 replies

daisy99divine · 06/11/2008 14:53

My DS (2.5) has poo problems. He is witholding. Has memory like a baby elephant and doesn't like to go.

He is currently on lactulose, glycerin suppositories, drinks neat orange juice with meals, dilute orange juice, prunes, loads of F&V, almost no banana or eggs, has linseed, kiwi, everything you can think of

NO POO

Hasn't been since Saturday. Stamping and gurning in corner in extreme discomfort. I know there are others like him but I am at my wit's end. What on earth can I do?

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TigerFeet · 06/11/2008 15:59

Can't help I'm afraid Daisy, you can set your clock by dd's bowel movements, but bumping for you x

mou · 06/11/2008 16:07

Dunno Daisy...massage his tummy? A reward?
Warm water? sorry no help really.

GrimmaTheNome · 06/11/2008 16:11

If he's not gone yet, you'd probably better take him back to GP tomorrow. Sounds like you're doing everything you can short of an active product (dont know if movicol or dulcolax...if thats what its called .. are suitable for that age).

It really is a most unpleasant thing for both the child and the parents. I know in retrospect I made things worse for my DD by getting quite uptight and upset about it myself, it got a lot better when I relinquished more control to her (but she was a fair bit older).

kafka · 06/11/2008 16:11

How about a book about poo, drawing pictures of it, looking at it on the street ie dog poo, etc...

I saw a prorgramme on this problem and some children pick up on adult revulsion re poo and so 'normalising' it is supposed to help.

Hope it sorts what a worry for you.

misshardbroom · 06/11/2008 16:39

I had significant problems of this sort with ds1 (now almost 4, but the problems started when he was about 10 months). By the time he was 20 months or so he wouldn't 'go' for a week at a time, and when he did, it was a nightmare with him screaming in agony, his bottom would bleed, etc etc etc.

So anyway, big sympathy for you to start with.

Secondly, I would do as Grimma suggests and go to your doctor and ask them to prescribe Movicol. Shouldn't be a problem as your ds is over 2. We started with 2 sachets of this per day, going down to 1, then 1 every other day, every 2 days etc. and now he doesn't need it at all.

Obviously stool-withholding is a psychological issue, but it's usually psychological with a physical root, i.e. the child has become constipated for some reason, it's hurt to poo, so now they do whatever they can to avoid it which compounds (literally!) the problem. If you can take away the physical problem, then you're a bit more convincing to them when you're reassuring them & telling them there's nothing to fear.

We found that the Movicol made it so effortless for him that he began to forget that it had ever been a problem, and then he was able to re-establish normal patterns.

Good luck - but my ds1 is now really fine, and I honestly never thought he would be.

SweetApril · 06/11/2008 16:40

I know it's really, really difficult but I think Grimma is right about trying to relax about it a bit. Gentle tummy massage helps my DD - you could maybe massage him all over and just incorporate his tummy without making any mention of what it's for. Friends of mine made a "poo throne" for their DS - decorated the potty and made a special place for it in the living room surrounded by pictures and toys he liked so it felt more fun. It sort of worked but ultimately he grew out of the "withholding" in his own sweet time. Anyway, for your DS it may put too much emphasis on it. If it's any consolation I remember reading somewhere here that some LOs can hang on for as much as two weeks...as a kid I was one of those But, of course, I don't mean you shouldn't go to your docs if you are really worried.
Sounds like the diet thing isn't working but warm stewed apricots can work like a charm.

Original poster
daisy99divine · 06/11/2008 22:59

Thank you all for such helpful posts it is so good to know you're not alone! I've been to GP and got Movicol prescription

we haven't started potty training yet, so a special place may not be right. We have asked DS if he wants to go on the loo or the potty but he doesn't

Mishard so sorry for your DS1 but glad he has come out of it. We have a dog so DS is used to the concept of poo and we have talked about it in terms of food your body no longer needs leaving you to give more room for new food etc by DH (bless him) even did a poo on the potty to help ease any fears (deparate or what!) do I hope we're not giving him bad vibes

I have today instigated a Star Chart (already there) with a Thomas Tank Engine book for every 5th star/poo - so fingers crossed!

Off to stew apricots!

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CJMommy · 06/11/2008 23:06

If you do Movical programme properly, it will definately work.....Good Luck!

Original poster
daisy99divine · 06/11/2008 23:35

Thank you, off to relax now!

By the way, any tips on getting DS to drink the Movicol all done in one go?

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YoureInMySystemBaby · 06/11/2008 23:50

daisy - is it possible that DS had a poo one day that hurt him? My DS is now 6 years old and we have troubles still trying to get him to go to the toilet.

The problem is that his bowel movements are SOO large, they actually cause him physical pain - obviously the longer he keeps them in the worse it gets, thus exasperating the issue when it does eventually have to come out.

We try to remind him to go for a poo every morning and evening and we reward him with a tick on his behaviour chart when he does do a poo.

It's absolutely heart wrenching when I find the undercrackers he's tried to hide because he's skidded in them so heavily - but I have to remember to not tell him off no matter how frustrated I get with it.

If I think back, I remember his first ever solid movement when he was a baby and it was massive and streaked with blood. He's always done large movements and I think he always will.

I just hope his backside grows enough to accommodate them in later life!!

Original poster
daisy99divine · 07/11/2008 01:27

Yes, he has certainly had poos that hurt, and he definitely remembers

He is only 2.5 so doesn't talk too well but he has told me he doesn't want to poo because it hurts. We have tried to explain it is better to poo often and it is good to poo etc but I spend my life with poo streaked nappies where he is holding on for dear life

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Original poster
daisy99divine · 07/11/2008 17:15

Today I have picked up the Movicol and it says DS has to take it for 6 months - is this right? And can it be taken in milk?

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CJMommy · 09/11/2008 22:31

If it is Movicol Paediatric Plain you can mix it with anything but you need to mix it with the water first and then add it to whatever you want it in. It can be taken for an indefinite amount of time, it just depends how your little one reacts to it and how long it takes to find the correct doseage.

MinkyBorage · 09/11/2008 22:38

Am watching this thread with interest as have big probs with dd1(3 yrs old), she isn't in any pain, but soils at least once a day where poo she is witholding escapes.
I bought this book and it is brilliant. It has illustrations of differnt sorts of poo, a reference chart of different laxitives, and a loads of other info too. I'm about to start trying to get to grips with it all tomorrow, but that's a whole other thread. Good luck.

coneflower · 10/11/2008 13:10

We have a juicer and I can not emphasize enough how much of a difference it does make!!! We will have "real" juice maybe once or twice a week and it is great. We use carrots, apples and ginger (only a tiny amount), with whatever else we have about. My son loves pushing the fruit/veg through the juicer and will drink the juice no problem..and he is a fussy eater. Our juicer was expensive but you can get cheaper ones. I know in the shopping mall where I live they have a juice bar, that may be a way to find out if the juice is acceptable?

Original poster
daisy99divine · 10/11/2008 16:25

that is an interesting idea Cone, I hadn't thought that DS didn't have enough juice...

tried a sachet of Movicol and blimey! 3 huge poos (sorry TMI!) with no real pain, some "leaky" bits but by the end of the day, DS was a bit "overwhelmed" of system and was sick after supper - instantly fine, but definite overload IYSWIM

we did no sachet yesterday and half today, so fingers crossed!

Thanks CJMummy, it is Paediatric plan, I have mixed in water and added a tad of ribena for flavour and he has drunk it straight down, knowing it is "magic juice" - he's a good little sausage really....

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Original poster
daisy99divine · 10/11/2008 16:28

Hi Minky
thanks for link, book sounds interesting!

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SweetApril · 10/11/2008 17:04

Glad to hear something's happening, Daisy. I hope everything poo-related settles down soon and it eventually becomes a distant memory for your DS. Agree they are def like elephants when it comes to remembering stuff you'd rather they forgot!

coneflower · 10/11/2008 18:50

I am not sure why it works, but it does, but it has to be "real", from the juicer......

CJMommy · 10/11/2008 22:36

Sounds like it is working for you Daisy. Just a matter of finding the right dose really..........

Original poster
daisy99divine · 11/11/2008 13:25

oh dear. Worried about Movicol now. Worked a charm on Saturday but we gave it a miss on Sunday because of the sickness

gave half a sachet yesterday and he was REALLY uncomfortable. terribly upset at fact that couldn't control bowel (sorry tmi but if you've used Movicol you know what I mean ) and this seemed the worst thing of all

finally went this morning, and happy again, but I don't want to give him more because it seems like forcing his body over his mind...

am I just being too precious?

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CJMommy · 11/11/2008 23:11

Was his stool hard or soft when he passed it?

handbagqueen · 11/11/2008 23:23

Hi, My DD1 had terrible problems with pooing, she would scream while she pooed and it would take a couple of hours to get them out. We found she didn't drink enough fluid for Lactulose or Movicol and what worked for us was Senna syrup which we could put in her bed time milk, she didn't notice it and it made her a regular daily pooer. We used the senna for around 3 years and now she is fine without the need for any additional help.
we got the senna on pescription, but it is just Senakot that you can buy at the chemists.

beagle101 · 12/11/2008 10:46

Daisy - I am with you on this so huge sympathy coming your way - my dd (age 3) is currently in the third week of a movicol plan - she has always had real problems pooing, screaming in agony and blood - everything. We had exactly the same problems as you did at the beginning with the huge numbers of poos and then leaking etc but I found once we had cleared the erm backlog (so to speak - sorry!)going down to 1 sachet everyday - half in the morning and half in the evening has sorted everything out. Like you I mix it with a bit of ribena and as she is only having half which is about 35 mls she has it in an espresso cup - makes her feel really special having a tiny grown up cup . We used the 'magic juice' idea too and dd now trusts that her poo will be okay so isn't holding back. In a couple of weeks we are going to move down to a sachet every other day and wean her off it that way. My GP told me that in these sorts of severe cases it can take quite a few months on a movicol plan (ie slowly weaning off) to train the system to work properly by itself BUT that as dd is still so young it should be absolutely fine in time. HTH and persevere - it is so horrible having to watch them go through this!

Original poster
daisy99divine · 12/11/2008 16:55

my DS doesn't have problems with the actual poos - once about 6 months ago he had a hard one with blood on but now they are all fine and soft

He just tries to stop going and it is awful watching him fight the leaking so to speak.

His stools have been big but very soft and fine and no blood, yesterday he disappeared into corner then came out and said "change nappy please, DS pooed" and was fine

However, he was sick (from deep in his tummy) on Saturday night and last night and I worry this too is movicol

So far, we gave him about 3/4 sachet on Saturday and 1/2 on Monday and none since then....

last poo yesterday - but he did 2

so 5 since Saturday

any sugestions?

Thanks for your story Beagle, that's interesting - on the "plan" how did you start with the does and was your DD sick?

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