Bowel problems (soiling)

[jlp]

Ds#2 who is 5 stopped going to the toilet for poos almost as soon as he turned 3 (he'd only been doing it for a matter of weeks). He goes in his pants but more often, he goes when in the bath. He'll deny having pooed wherever he's done it and will attempt to hide dirty pants / poo (in the bath toy box!) sometimes he'll pick it up out of the bath and put it on the toilet, on the walls, carpet and has been known to throw it at the wall.

 

For the last 18months or so I've been trying to make this a real low key issue and will put him in the bath if he's pooed in his pants (and he'll usually poo in the bath as well then) or get him out clean the bath and bathroom and stick him back in the shower.

 

He has huge issues with people looking at him and won't let me see to check he's clean / I have to wipe his bottom with my eyes shut so a bath is the best way to make sure he's clean. It means when he does soil, there's a huge issue getting him to let me check / get him to sit on the toilet / get him clean -he completely denies everything!

 

I just wondered about anyone on here who has children who soil. I'm not sure if it's a physical issue or a behavioural one - or a bit of both. He has lactulose and that did improve things for a bit but now we're back to square 1.

 

He was recently diagnosed with PDA and is still undergoing assessment for ASD.

 

Just wondering if anyone has had similar problems or overcome similar problems. It's very time consuming and wearing and is costing a small fortune in hot water and washing!

[Tally]

I wonder if putting him in the bath is leading him to associate the bath with pooing. Maybe it would be better to put him on the toilet and then clean him up with a flannel as best you can without looking - not the same flannel you use to wash your face, mind!!!

[NobbyNobbs]

the other thing is a warm bath will relax the muscles so that he will poo if he has trouble controlling this anyway. we had a girl who wouldn't acknowledge she had wet/soiled (age 7) and hid her dirty clothes after walking round in them all day denying she'd wet. we would literally have to smell or look at her underwear to see and even then she would deny it.

perhaps try giving him set toilet time - 10 mintues where he HAS to stay on the toilet every day. with nothing better to do he might find himself going then and get into the habit. books and small toys that can be disinfected are handy for this to keep him entertained, but nothing too big or he'll get distracted from the task in-hand.

 

if he's resisting being cleaned up by you it would suggest he's embarassed by it and the throwing of the poo is an attempt to make it disappear. have you tried a flannel or baby wipes he can try to use himself? you can always wash hands afterwards if its messy at first - i find huggies wipes are very wet and thick which can be handy.

[joybed]

We had the same problem with M for years he would hold himself for days and refuse the fact he needed a poo until it was too much to hold anymore and he would soil. the volume was so great he couldn,t hide it and it would literally go everywhere. It was written into his staement that his LSA,s would clean him up but it was obvious to all when it had happened as it was very loose also. He was on massive doses of laxatives and still resisted. He got very good at holding it all day but it would come out in his sleep and he wouldn,t wake which meant he needed afull bed clothing change and shower in the early hours. Not good times and so glad they are over. He kind of grew out of it but still takes laxatives and still ocassinally soils but only small amounts and cleans himself up now but he still needs to be encouraged to go to the toilet.

We are recently having the same problem with DD she isn,t ASD but has just started school and is extremely shy to the point she talks very little in school and then is very stroppy when she comes home from school so hopefully it is a transitional thing and will settle soon. I am observing at the moment but can see a trip to the GP soon again.