Constipation in 2 year olds

[scotlou]

My dd - just turned 2 - has suffered from constipation since birth. She can go 3 - 4 days without a poo - but by day 4 is crying a lot and saying "poo" even although her nappy is clean.
My GP prescribed 2 kinds of laxatives - which do help but I don't think a small child should be taking laxatives on a daily basis. She eats plenty fruit, fruit juice and veg. The other problem is when she is finally able to perform it is very painful for her - she screams - which is very distressing ton hear. She also occasionally has a spot of blood in her nappy - but again the GP and Hv think it is nothing to be concerned about.
Anyone got any advice??

insist your gp refers you to a paediatrician, they're not taking her distress and your concern seriously enough imo.

Demand to be referred to hospital scotlou. Had exactly the same problem with my dd. But touch wood it is sorted now. It got to the satge where i rushed to the doctors and put a nappy full of very hard poo and blood in front of the dr for her to refer us to hospital but it worked and we got referred. DD was on senna and lactulose which didn't work particualary well. Hospital carried out a bowel biopsy (awful) my 16 month old dd was wheeled down to theatre, put to sleep and then wheeled away from me. She was gone an hour but it seemed like a lifetime. When they were carrying out the biopsy they found a crack in her bowel so they cut that part of her bowel away, and stiched it back. Within 4 hours dd had pooed and not cried for the 1st time since she was born. Touch wood we've not looked back since. Was carried out in April, been back to hospital once back again in Nov and hoping to be discharged. Hope you get it sorted. It's truely awful to see your child in so much pain. Think of you keep us posted

woodpops, that's awful but i'm glad you got sorted out. scotlou - about 1/3 of paediatric referrals are for continence problems including constipation and the earlier you get it sorted the better, i'd imagine

Thanks both of you. Thought I was just being overly anxious - but the screaming and her distress really get to me. She never settled properly as a baby and cried a lot - but was just told it was colic or she was windy. Now I wonder if it was something else.
Woodpops - glad it's fixed for you - sounds awful but at least everything is fine now. My dd was prescribed lactulose and senna - and it does work eventually but I don't feel it's right for her to be taking them all the time.

Like you dd mine was eating tonnes of fruit and even drinking prune juice and not even that worked. DD was a very good baby, slkept through from day 1. But would go up to 6 weeks without pooing. All of the drs just put it down to her being a breastfed baby. But the same kept happening once she was weaned. One morning when she was 13 months she sqeezed my hand that hard trying to poo, it hurt me, that's nmot right. She'd go red, then purple to blue in the face. I even been known to pull a ½ out poo out myself just to stop her distress. Go back to the drs and say you want a referral to the hospital. Hope it all gets sorted soon.