Recurring Constipation in 7yr Old

[charliebear78]

My Son is suffering from constipation again-Last time we got some laxido from the Doc, so I have been giving him just one sachet a day, this will usually clear everything but it takes time.
He is soiling himself frequently and is becoming worried about School and what to do( we have spoken to the teacher and sent in spare underwear)
His diet is not great-He will not eat any fruit or veg, and I struggle to get him to eat much of anything-except ham wraps, sausages and pizza!!!!!
He takes Childrens Vitamins.
I am becoming concerned and worry his diet means this is something that will be a problem for a long time...My partner is unconcerned and says it will sort itself out.
I will try to hide veggies in his main meals but this will be difficult as I say he won't always eat food I can do this in.
Can anyone advise?

That does sound difficult. Is there a reason that he limits his food choices charlie like an allergy or ASD?

Would the GP be willing to refer him to a Paediatric Dietitian?

At 7 does he understand that limiting his diet is affecting him? Have you had a proper conversation about healthy eating?
Will he drink fruit smoothies?
Would he do it as a challenge? When DS2 was 7 him and his brother made "disgusting food" challenges for each other eg wasabi, OK, seafood etc
Can he persuaded to try more vegetables for any reason?
We persuaded DS to eat cherry tomatoes when he was small by calling them "power tomatoes" and pretending we wanted to keep them for ourselves.
Basically don't give up on fruit and veg and be inventive.

My DD has chronic constipation and I take this stuff so seriously, I’m going to number my points!

1. His diet may have been the cause of this but once constipation has got this bad, an improved diet alone will not fix it (and isn’t the NICE recommended approach).

1. The frequent soiling is called overflow and is a sign that he is impacted. This means there is a poo blockage and new poo leaks around it and comes out as soiling.

1. This means he needs a disimpaction regime of 8 (or 12, can’t remember for his age) sachets of Laxido a day, until the blockage is cleared. This can take some time. Eric (the bowel and bladder charity) have a good guide to disimpaction on their website.

1. GPs often don’t take this seriously/know enough about it so you may need to go armed with the NICE guidance and the Eric guide.

1. The doctor - if s/he knows what they’re doing - may add a bowel stimulant medication to this to encourage bowel movement.

1. Drinking enough fluid is really, really important. My DD is 5.5 and has to drink 1.5 litres a day.

I really feel for you because I know how stressful and miserable this can be. Please do go back to the doctor ASAP because this can cause long term problems

Thank you for all the replies.
I did look at information on the Eric website last time and we did give him about 4 or 5 sachets daily of Lamido.. it was horrible,he was literally pooing his pants every few hours and got very distressed..we couldn't go anywhere and he couldn't really play out with his friends.
Do you think I need to do this again? I would probably have to keep him off school and this in itself presents problems but it can be done.
He knows about healthy eating and still won't.
The only thing he will eat strongly enough is my mums homemade chicken broth which had all kinds of veg in it!(spits out peas and sweetcorn but will eat the carrots,swede,peppers,cabbage etc) so I think I need my mum to make a vat of it!
He went to thr toilet last night and did a big poo so I'm wondering if that is that(for now)

Yes, disimapaction is not fun. A lot of people decide to do it over a school holiday to avoid the problems that come with school. Some people use a pull up for trips out of the house but it is easier to decide to have a quiet time at home.

I as going to suggest a long weekend or maybe a school holiday as well.