Constipation

[doiley1]

My 2 year old daughter keeps getting constipation every few days. She eats plenty of fruit and veg and drinks lots of fluids.

The problem seems to be that when she needs to pass something, she will tense her body and try to hold it in. She seems to be in a lot of pain and it would be good to see if anyone has come across this, before I take her to the GP.

Thanks in advance

Should have read 80% of her waking hours!!

hmb - it took my nephew about two years to get sorted out and it is still an issue - dsil has to remind him to go - this is probably why I have been a bit more aware with my two - as soon as they showed signs of constipation they were off to the doctor to get something to clear them out before the problem arose - thankfully, it has never been a major issue.

Dd1 has been on big doses of lactulose and senna for a few months now (she's suffered from constipation almost constantly since age 2, she's now nearly 4). This seemed to work at first but after a few weeks, she has become constipated again despite drinking gallons of OJ, eating dried fruit, vegetables, wholegrain cereals. I'm at my wit's end with this. I don't think it's psychological and she is happy to try to go and it doesn't seem painful. We'll be back to the GP again after Xmas (the only think that works reliably is a suppository, but don't really want to be doing this unless drastic with a 4 yr old!)

I do wonder if her bowel does become used to the laxatives, as they seem to work well for a while and then stop working.

So is the general consensus that I should be straight to the doctor? To be honest I'm not sure what the health visitor is going to tell me that I don't know or can find out here. I did think a food diary might be a useful help - but I suppose it should be a food and poo diary really - luvverly!

Jaybee, I think that you are spot on. I tried to sort things out with OJ ETC for too long and then we ended up with a bigger problem

A little bit of constipation is one thing, but if it gets to be recurrent it needs treatment. My friend said that the consultant had told her that often too little is done too late, and then the problem takes longer to resolve, as the bowel needs to shrink back to normal size before the child gets the right signals.

Regarding the getting used to bit, the Lactolose is not absorbed but causes a build up of good bacteria that bulk out the poo and help to make it soft (most of poo is bacteria!)

Caroline 5, I sympathise, because it is an awful thing to go through, for all the family. All I can say is stick with it, and things will improve. But it does take time. I found getting Dd to sit at regular time helped. And if she did a poo we would go and play snakes and ladders! We have had 2 bouts since she was sorted out, and have to keep a close eye on things. But have a cyber hug from me, because I know how awful it can be. I ended up in the doctors in floods of tears!

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Thanks, hmb, for your cyber hug and I'm glad you've sorted your dd out now! Robinw, I agree it's not necessary for her to go every day. However, she's obviously constipated (passing small amounts several times a day, lost appetite, complaining of not being able to poo!) and has been once about 10 days without going !!! I wish I didn't have to worry, believe me! BTW, she has a regular intake of dried fruit daily plus drinking loads, so it's beyond me.

I tried to avoid reading this thread because we have suffered over a year with DS's constipation. I thought it would upset me more. We made the mistake of relying on the lactulose alone (prescribed by GP) which is afterall brown sugar and water and it wasn't really effective.

Having had to see consultant privately twice now (waiting lists were over 6 months for outpatient appt) he is on sodium picosulphate which is a bowel stimulant and stool sofetener aswell. Unfortunately, it has now become a behavioural problem and he will successfully hold poo in (making it harder and more compacted and more painful to pass). At one time, we had to use glycerine suppositories several times a week, but they were traumatic for him.

He has always drunk loads of water and prefers it to anything else, fruit etc. also didn't have much effect when he wanted not to do it.

Sort it out early, before they realise they can control it, the behavioural problems are harder to sort out.

Final point, we got a trampoline for him which did the trick for a while until the novelty wore off.

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LIzzie Vann prune and apple porridge for breakfast keeps my dd regular!

Just out of interest I looked up Lactulose in the text books. I agree that it doesn't work in all cases (Dd sometimes needed Senna as well and a friends child needed Sodium picosulphate). But it isn't just sugar water. It as a synthetic sugar (made of two smaller sugars 'stuck' together), and the human body cannot absorb it. So it passes to the gut where it is broken down by bacteria. Because it is a food source for the bacteria they grow, and soften the poo. So giving prune juice, apricots etc, while an excellent source of fibre and vitamins, will not work in the same way. We can, and do, break down most of the sugars present, and they don't get to do the good stuff in the lower bowel. The bacteria normaly break down the cellulose in our food. This is why rabbits eat their poo!!! (daft fact of the day!)
With Dd the problem was psychological, and she would hold the poo in for days, which was awful

I've always had a problem with dd (3 1/2) and her constipation but hers turned out to be caused initially by milk intolerance. She can't have lactulose because it is lactose based (milk sugar) and the alternative was a very soapy tasting liquid that she wouldn't take. We ended up using suppositories and I had to put a second one in before we got a result. DD didn't know what the first one was all about so didn't complain too much but the second time I felt so awful for having to inflict it on her that we both ended up in tears. I don't ever want to have to do that again.

DD doesn't eat very well because she is so faddy, her diet is restricted anyway because she is milk free and she is very much in control of what goes in and what comes out again. She generally only has a clear out once a week, though she obviously needs to go before then. She mostly does it in her nappy in bed even though she has successfully done it on the toilet a couple of times (and received much praise). Why does something so natural have to become such a problem? I'm hoping that as she gets older she will eat a better diet and become more relaxed about the toilet so that things sort themselves out.

DS is still in nappies at the moment but has done a couple of wees on the potty recently and is showing signs of readiness for potty training but I am reluctant to start until his constipation is sorted out. He still has not pooed since Monday, his tummy is swollen and hard and he has a lot of wind so I think he is uncomfortable. I started a food diary yesterday and although I was tired and hungover (and so lazy) I didn't think he ate too badly. Will continue over the next few days and get a doctor's appt.

lactulose takes up to 3 days to show results. My mum swears by Syrup of figs.