Hypertonia and bowels, help please.

[Molsby]

My son has mild hypotonia and started school in September. His bowels are totally to pot and but has just gained bladder control. The hospital has given him movicol to help him to poo, but this has not really helped it seems.

He poos sometimes up to five times a day and always in his pants, school sent him home on Monday because they could not cope anymore after cleaning him up three times. We did make school fully aware before he started and he has a toilet plan.

I would just like any advice as any way to help him with his bowel control. I'm pulling my hair out, his nurse told my last week he is just lazy and when children start to be cruel to him about it he will then use the toilet. I really do believe that he can not help it and want so much to be able to help him.

Any advice would be so helpful. Thank you.

My son has mild hypotonia too, he is 6 and only really got full bladder control beginning of year 1 - was often damp before that - and bowels, well, we are 95% there...still get poopy pants about 1x a week (he just started year 2). The thing that has made a big difference for us was removing lactose from his diet. He was always rather loose and had a lot of urgency before and there has definitely been a reduction in the amount of mucuosy pale poops since no lactose (he was tested for coeliac too, but it was negative). I think the urgency plus the hypotonia was just too much for him to manage before. Suprisingly no-one has apparently teased him yet (apart from his brother). I wouldn't give my DS movicol because he was anything but constipated but I assume the hospital would know what they are doing.

The OT said sometimes they quite like the poopy pants feeling because it is heavy and (initially) warm, and kids with low tone usually need weight to help their body 'know where it is'. She recommended weight on his shoulders or lap (like a beanbag) instead, and jumping up and down to help alert him for work.

Best of luck, and if you find a solution let me know!