Bowel question.

[qwerty]

I want to know if it is humanly possible for a child to hold their own bowels so much, they are causing themselves serious pain and discomfort. Yes, I understand that this is possible if the bowel movement is solid, but what if the person in question has been and is on a medication that makes the bowel movement entirely liquid. The doctor and the continence services have decided that my son is holding things on on purpose and needs to gradually toilet trained (yes, by me of course!). I despair when I see my son in so much pain, he paces around the house like a woman in labour and cries out in pain. He tells me he is still in pain even after the poo comes out into the napppy. He was severly impacted but today's x-ray has shown that that now has cleared. Blood tests have shown no food sensitivities or allergies. Doctor has refused to do any more tests of any kind. Where do I go from here? My son actually is happy to eat healthily: apples, pineapples, carrot sticks.. So, no problems there..

Edited May 21, 2010 by qwerty

[baranigirl]

Has he seen a poo specialist to help with psychological issues?

[justine1]

I think he needs encouraging with using the toilet.Start from scratch,try and make the toilet a good place for him.Maybe its too cold and eerie for him.Do you have those toilet training seats that you put under the toliet seat?You can get from places like mothercare and come in all sorts of designs.Take him to the shop and buy things with him,let him chose,you can also get great kiddies wipes and hand wash.Talk about it in a positive way,explaining that when he goes it wont hurt him anymore. Maybe he can take an ipod or similar with his fav music on,I know doesnt sound hygeinic or conventional but worth a shot.If he has a fav toy maybe let him take the toy in.One mum I know took the sons teddy to "poo"-sat it on the toilet,she chopped a mars bar and put it in the loo and showed her son that teddy pooed,it worked!

 

I would remove nappies and stop the movicol,if he no longer has compacted faeces.He may have accidents in the night but you can avoid these by placing him on the toilet every hour,I know sounds like a pain to wake yourself every hour but it will be worth it.Place him on the toilet and wait for about 10min to see of he will do something.Not sure from your post but if its just poo he wont do in the toilet then it shouldnt be too hard to solve as on average people only "go" once a day,if on a healthy diet.The movicol is going to make things worse in the long run as it is a vicious circle-constipation then loose stools from meds than constipation when you stop meds etc.Best thing is too increase his fibre,fruit is good but some fruit has minimal fibre.Seeds are good-pumpkin seeds for example,cereals that have added fibre and baked beans or any other beans-my son likes black eyed beans.

 

 

[qwerty]

He's seing a bottom specialist, continence nurses visit us once in a while, but nobody has suggested a therapist. He keeps saying that he is in pain, it is impossible for him to push poo. He gets too distressed when I mention going to toilet, or even letting the poo out into the nappy. He keeps repeating: "it will be to painful, it's impossible" and he cries. He is too distressed and I really don't see an end to this problem.. I think there is a real reason for pain somehow, my son is not one to make things like this up. But nobody will examine him any further.

Edited May 22, 2010 by qwerty

[justine1]

He's seing a bottom specialist, continence nurses visit us once in a while, but nobody has suggested a therapist. He keeps saying that he is in pain, it is impossible for him to push poo. He gets too distressed when I mention going to toilet, or even letting the poo out into the nappy. He keeps repeating: "it will be to painful, it's impossible" and he cries. He is too distressed and I really don't see an end to this problem.. I think there is a real reason for pain somehow, my son is not one to make things like this up. But nobody will examine him any further.

I am not saying he isnt in pain he could well be,but it could very well be psychological.He was constipated hence the compacted stools,this would have caused him pain when going to the toilet for many months before you even took him to the GP,as the pain gets worse the more reluctant he will be to poo,he would not have been in pain if he was on movicol(unless he was over dosed and was pooing too much-like when someone has diarrhoe)it would have been easier for him to poo,now he no longer has impactation his stomach wont hurt as much.The pain he feels is the pain everyone gets when they need to go to poo but now he associates it with the pain he felt when constipated and now holds it,he will end up impacted again and back to square one.

 

I realise its not anice experience to see your child in pain but you need to place him on the toilet and get him to poo,its the only way forward and doctors are all going to say the same.If he wont go even in the nappy then what is the need to put nappies on him?He wont get runny stools now if he no longer needs movicol.

My son was slightly constipated a week ago,it was midnight and he was in excrutiating pain,he was red in the face screaming,I thought he may have appendicitis thats how bad he screamed!When he showed where it hurt I knew its poo,so told him to sit on the loo,he sat there for nearly 30min,crying and trying to push,it was awful but he pooed and then he was fine!So I know how distressing it is,my older son also had the same problem when he was three,but if I didnt insist they use the toilet I would be in a more serious situation.There is far more risk to him if he has to go under anesthetic to get an operation,than for you to sit him on the loo.

 

Prehaps if you think his bottom hurts you can use a small amount of cream such as anusol and massage the area,it will be uncomfortable but if he does have any wound/pile there it will help.

[qwerty]

 

Sorry I cannot make a full answer as I popped on here in a hurry, but the specialist still wants him to be on Movicol, he is on 4 a day. That's why his poo is runny. They want him to keep taking it to stop from getting impacted again.

I let him to wear a nappy, because he holds his wee and poo when he tells me he has pain. When poo eventually comes out it needs to go somewhere - that's why nappy is there. If my son didn't wear it, runny poo would go into his pants,trousers and floor. He is the one who choses to put a nappy on, I don't ask him to do it, nor I do it myself.

Why does he feel pain constantly?

 

Sorry.. this is taking a toll on me, I am getting stressed out too much.

 

[oxgirl]

If he is having a lot of runny poos, is his bot sore? Do you use creams on his bot to soothe, like Sudocrem, or is it actually inside that he feels the pain?

 

~ Mel ~

[qwerty]

His anal opening appears healthy, it's the inside rectum that hurts.

[baranigirl]

I agree with Justine, had a friend who's son went through the same thing and it is a pshychological problem most of the time, if they have eradicated any problems then unfortunately you encouraging him is the only way forward.

 

Remove the nappy and allow him to soil himself, it is not nice and will be a way forward to getting him on the toilet when he needs to go

 

Sorry if that sounds harsh, but a bit of tough love is needed from what I am reading xx

[call me jaded]

I have a friend who son complains of internal pain from movicol. She doses him with calpol and gives him probiotics. Not a bad idea seeing as the movicol is making it difficult for gut bacteria to be normal.

[qwerty]

Ok, that's a good idea! I will look into getting some probiotics and some good youghurts.

I tried some "tough love" today, I made him sit on the tiolet twice. He was very, very distressed, he kept pleading and crying: "it hurts, it hurts". I cannot imagine how awful I'd feel it it turned out there was some physical reason why he has pain all the time.

Thanks everyone!

[vondahue]

my daughter was nearly 6 before she used the toilet, i tried everything diagrams of her body ignoring it, pants , the lot, i cried every night with the stress as she wasnt diagnosed or had had any contact with specialist, she wasnt in school and thats when they started to help, we spent a week in a unit for bowel conditions, they said she wasnt full of poo, so there wasnt likely to be a problem inside, she was constipated at 2 which could of started it off, but i was given meds for that but she would hold it and hold it, i would sit her on the loo for an hour she would go mad but in the end do a huge one, this went on til i was exhausted tried pants but she was happy to sit in it, it wasnt even un avoidable overflow, the nurses at the unit said sit her on the loo give her a sticker do they not think i had tried that several times. we went home no better off, she was put in school in half days, we then later moved out due to problems with her step dad, i knew she didnt like it there there was other kids and people and her anxiety wasnt great, he also couldnt cope with the whole situation of her behaviour as much as i couldnt which ment i had to move out to see if it would change her behaviour, we moved in and we went to her new school who said they will need me at home by the phone to clean her up only then could she wear pant nappy or i had to go every lunch time, or have a nurse in school for her, they first thought it was plop down the toilet pooh not sticky pooh, she was due to start school she knew about the nurse she knew she was going school no matter what, 2 days before she used the loo and although i have to prompt her to go every night or it will start up again we havent had any problems, so was it she finally had me to her self which the psychologist more or less said was it school and the nurse, did she always hold it to make me know she wasnt happy? i dont know guess i never will, but she done it when she was ready after trying everything nothing worked it was when she wanted to , i have a 2 yr old who has just decided its potty time and perfect , i tried for weeks to get him on but he was no so i left him to it !

hope there is a little bit of helpful info in there if not at least know i totally get the stress and pain it causes you as a parent , x

Edited May 22, 2010 by vondahue