My daughter has had problems with her bowels since she was very young. She constipates very easily and dietary changes only partially help. Last Spring she ended up quite ill with a partially obstructed bowel. Medication resolved the worst of it, but we cannot seem to wean her off of the meds without some problems returning. So, now she is starting first grade.
We went to the school and spoke to the nurse and her teacher and made a plan to handle her potty issues, but she is flaring up again. I think it's nerves. She spoke with both the nurse and the teacher and they talked to her about the plan but I am worried. It seems that each time she has a stressful time it happens again and she is excited but understandably nervous about starting school. Does anyone else have a child this young with these problems? It seems like each time it happens her fear of the pain just makes it worse. Any advice would be appreciated!
Thank you all for your advice and help. Jennie hit it on the head, that is what the doctors are saying now. Her bowels do not move as rhythmically or as often as they should. She's been tested for celiac and others allergy issues. At the moment the meds are doing the job and I guess she and I need to learn that some aspect of this may simply be part of her life that we need to deal with. Fortunately her school teacher and nurse have been very helpful and supportive. Two weeks of school and no real problems!
If you ped has not done so already, it sounds like it is time to see the Ped Gastro Doctor.
IBS, UC and Chrone's all present this way. It would be good to rule these out.
Sounds like she might need some good bacteria in her system. It's gentle and great for the digestive system. My daughter had a bad spell of constipation and I was raised to do the gentle natural solution before you use the big guns of the standard medicine. The doctor recommends yogurt, well, my doctor says you can get the healthy bacteria in pure form, safe for the kids. Whole foods or natural food stores have it. Make sure it's refrigerated, follow the directions of the label. She may have some diarreha, but that's a sign the good bacteria is working, she'll eventually be normal. If this doesn't work look into homeopathy...it works!
Good Luck!
Hopefully your little girl will be free of these problems soon! One recommendation I have is to make sure that she is eating enough fiber. I read your mention that dietary changes only partially help. What does the doctor or your research say about how much fiber she should be getting for her weight? Also, have you given her any relaxation techniques like yoga, counting to 10, etc.? Best wishes!
I am not a doctor and I do not have children with this condition but I do have a husband and a good friend with IBS and colitis and both are brought on by stress. Maybe your daughter has one of these conditions. Maybe the website would help you with information http://www.ccfa.org/?gclid=CNi2jKScuJUCFSgRGgodNUq4QA
Also maybe trying visualization and stress-reducing tactics with your daughter will help her relax and not develop the correlating irritated bowel.
You are a wonderful mother to be trying to help your children in any way you can. I hope school soon melts from stressful into wonderful for your daughter.
S., My daughter also suffered as your daughter since she was an infant. In fact, it was rare for her to have a bowel movement without assistance. Unfortunately the pediatrician advised me she would outgrow it. At the age of 2 1/2, after a severe bout of constipation we took her to a pediatric gastro-enterologist who performed a contrast enema along with a biopsy on her large intestine to rule out Hirshsprungs disease. Thankfully this was negative and the final diagnosis was "lazy bowel syndrome" to which she was put on daily doses of mineral oil (mixed in orange juice) to keep her going daily in order to reduce the stretching of her colon which was a result of her chronic constipation. This along with plenty of liquids, high fiber and daily "sitting time" on the toilet after meals allowed us to see an improvement overtime. Around the age 6, we introduced her to something called Hydrocil fiber which allowed us to stop the mineral oil (which caused seepage into her underwear that she had become embarressed about)and she continued on this till she was about 8, at this time we began to reduce the Hydrocil to every other day and slowly continued to do so, always watching her diet and liquid intake and adjusting. Going thru puberty she cycled between constipation and diahrea but as she did get older she learned about her body and how to help herself. It was not unusual for her to relapse, especially under stress and in the winter months to which she would need to increase the Hydrocil.(somtimes first needing a laxative to clear her out). I forgot to mention that this condition does "run" in my mother's family and my daughter does have a strong, determined personality which the doctors told me seems to be a common trait in children suffering from this. Good news, today she is a healthy young woman and lives well with this condition because of everything she has learned along the way. On another note, I have another daughter, who does not suffer with this but her 2 1/2 yr. old daughter as an infant did and was "following" in her aunts footsteps but this time we never let the constipation go, always helping her to have daily bowel movements in her first 6 months of life and constant observation of her diet which I do believe helped her avoid the damage that caused the severity of it in her aunt. I hope this has helped in someway and do seek out a good pediatric gastro enterologist as they see children with this all the time as opposed to a pediatrician who seldom does in comparison. It made a night and day difference for us. God Bless and my email address is ____@____.com if I can be of any assistance.
Her symptoms sound similar to Celiac - have you tried a gluten-free diet, or testing for food allergies? Good luck :)
I have a son 7 who has always had bowel issues. He is not a big fan of veggies and apple juice does nothing. His movements were very painful to where he would cry and would even bleed a little.
I started giving him aloe juice (2oz.) daily and digestive enzymes (isotonix) and it helped make things smoother.
You can order it right on line www.healthmadesimple.net or contact me and I can get you some. He likes the kiwi strawberry aloe.
Hope this helps.
L.
My daughter had an impacted colon twice when she was 3. She was on miralax(when it was a prescription) for 3 years. She would be constipated and she would just scream when she had to go. I couldn't wean her off of it either because she would get constipated again.
I was told that it takes time for the colon to return to normal after this happens, up to 2 years. I would talk to your doctor to see what they think. Maybe giving her the now over the counter miralax would be very helpful.JUst mix it with watre, milk or juice (it has no taste). They do NOT become dependent on it. I just stopped giving it to her to see what would happen and she was fine.
Once she started school and became more active she eventually didn't need it anymore. She has been off it for almost 2 years now.
Good luck,
L.
Probiotics is what i woudl recommend, just like someone else suggested. you need to put back some of the beneficial flora into the intestinal tract to help it work correctly! also have her drink more water. you may want to try the new yogurts with the added probiotics in it, or purchase a probiotic in Vitamin Shoppe or Whole Foods (refrigerated only) and see hwo that works. i woudl recommend half the dosage on the packaging, but also start with giving it to her at night on an empty stomach.
and i would consider as well, eliminating dairy and possibly gluten if teh probiotics don't work.
and as a nutritionist, i have worked with both kids and adults with this issue. it is not always easy. but understanding how the bowels and the whole intestinal tract work helps!
J. C.
personal nutrition coach
www.nutrition-in-motion.net
Hi S.,
Get in touch with a colon hydrotherapist in Quakertown.
A B Center at ###-###-####
The nurse will be available to help you with your concerns.
She will be out of the office for 2 weeks so she will return your call.
Good luck. D.
My son also has had problems. He is now 5 and every morning we put Miralax in his juice and this keeps him regular. You can buy this anywhere and it is tasteless and odorlesss. It dissolves in any beverage. It works for us!
