Advice on laxatives anyone

[Paula]

 

I could ###### scream.In fact i did last night i had to let it out as i couldnt take no more.

 

Every single day this week ive had crapped up underpants soiled bed sheets wrecked clothes due to my sons anal leakage.Its seaping out of him like blooming liquid tar.His bellies distorted and he bloomeing stinks.

 

And still he wont go to the toilet.

 

I keep sitting him on there leaving him for up to an hour and its a no show.Im looseing the will to live.

 

He was sat there last night at 9 pm for over half an hour wouldnt go but obviously needed to.

 

Then i didnt have any wet wipes and had to use toilet paper to clean up his bum this made matters worse and all hell let loose due to his phobia of tissue.Out came a sponge.

 

 

 

Ive said hes to sit on the loo today untill he goes.

 

He said "Ill starve to death" I said "no yer ###### wont coz ill fetch food and water".That shut him up while he pondered that.

 

Weve never used laxatives can anyone suggest anything

 

He wont take obvious medicines says im poisoning him (Chance would be a fine thing besides ive always said if id a gun id shoot the ###### so poisoning isnt the first choice method ) so theyd have to be able to be mixed in a drink or sprinkled on food.

 

The gp is hopeless on this one.No one takes it seriously he must be in paine.

 

Thanks.

Edited April 8, 2006 by Paula

[Nemesis]

Hi Paula,

Oh you poor thing - i really do sympathise. I'm unfortunately very experienced on the laxative front although thankfully those days are behind us now - no pun intended!

If he's never had a laxative before I suggest you start with Lactulose. You can buy this at a chemist and it's very gentle though likely to make him fart a lot

The downside is that it takes 2 or 3 days to have full effect. It's a very sweet, sticky liquid. I used to mix it in apple juice so if he'll drink that you might get away with it.

Hope that helps,

Helen

[curra]

Hi Paula,

I'm sorry you're going through this. For years my son was the same and I still find sometimes soiled pants and trousers. Or smelly chairs where he's been sitting. Then he doesn't see the need to get washed ... It's a pointless battle unless you get help because they're not aware of the problem. It seems that your son is afraid of the loo or of his bowel movement or maybe it could be (like my son) that he doesn't feel the need to go to the loo. My son gets constipated because of his diet which is totally lacking fruits and greens. His pead left him 3 tablespoons of Lactulose Solution in the night for constipation. It's a sweet syrup, so M hasn't complained yet when he has to take it. He also says that I'm poisoning him with tablets, but afetr the pead explained to him how the solution works he accepted it. And if he complains, I bribe him or threaten him to stay in his bedroom until he takes it, so he HAS to, there's no other option. Next day he flies to the loo and Boom! He says that he feels the urge to go with the Lactulose. I don't like laxatives either, they cause more constipation in the long run. This solution has fiber that just helps the stuff go down naturally . Anyway, I would insist with the GP and if he doesn't take your son's problem seriously see another one. It is a very serious problem IMO. Perhaps you could ask for a referral to the peadiatrician as well.

The only thing that has helped my son (apart from the Lactulose) was to give him ?1 extra for every day without soiling. Mind you it has been worth the money

Don't despair. Hope you can get it sorted out soon.

There's no need to throw clothes away. I spray the stained parts with a stain remover ( I use the pink bottle called V...sh oxyaction) and then wash them normally in the washing machine. If they are very soiled, I soak them in water overnight . Everything comes out.

 

Take care

 

<'> Curra

[Flora]

 

 

 

He wont take obvious medicines says im poisoning him (Chance would be a fine thing besides ive always said if id a gun id shoot the ###### so poisoning isnt the first choice method ) so theyd have to be able to be mixed in a drink or sprinkled on food.

 

The gp is hopeless on this one.No one takes it seriously he must be in paine.

 

Thanks.

 

Paula You crack me up

 

Your GP should be taking this seriously. The more your son does this the more his rectum will be stretched (sorry very graphic) which means it will no longer be just a psychological problem, it'll be a physical problem. Your son should be referred to a constipation clinic ( most HA's have one). Because he has leakage he is now beyond over the counter remedies and he has probably lost the urge. Take him to your GP and give him some of your straight talking. Failing that take him to a different GP (most surgeries have more than one, does yours?).

 

Lauren

[jb1964]

Hi Paula,

 

My daughter has suffered from chronic constipation since birth - originally she was prescribed lactulose and then moved onto sodium picosulphate (laxoberal - is the over the counter name). Lactulose is a sugar based liquid that draws liquid into the bowel so it's gentle and doesn't cause stomach cramps - but can take a few days to work - you also need to make sure that they drink plenty of water when taking it and also brush their teeth after using (which I know is a nightmare!!!) because it is basically just sugar.

 

Sodium picosulphate is far stronger and works usually within one day but causes stomach cramps.

 

If he suffers from this regularly his GP should be taking this seriously - my daughter ended up in hospital regularly when she was little - apart from the pain she was suffering after a period of time would refuse all liquids and foods and become seriously dehydrated - this happened frequently until she was prescribed sodium picosulphate on a daily basis.

 

I can vividly remember her sitting on the toilet for hours at a time - sweating and crying while she tried and tried to go - eventually when she did I would put it on a par with watching someone 'giving birth'.

 

She also had anal fissures which obviously resulted in her refusing to go the the toilet even more because of the pain and once when she was in a little girl on the same ward was in with some sort of serious lung/chest problem because she was so severely constipated.

 

I would definitely take him to your GP and let him know just how bad this is getting - if he examines his stomach he will be able to feel how far up the intestine he is blocked and take this more seriously.

 

Take care,

Jb

Edited April 8, 2006 by jb1964

[Paula]

Thanks.

 

I think ill take him back to the gps next week seam as ther of on school holidays.

 

I tried sitting him on the loo this morning againe but he was in a rotton mood.

 

A small breakthrough came when i tried to talk to him about why he wont go ect.I asked him if he was frightened of going frightened that it would hurt to this he gave a very abrupt nod of the head but refused to speak.

 

I also tried explaining that that is the reason his stomach is bloated,and hurts.Perhaps if he ate prunes or fibre. He does have whole graine bread and all our food is freshly made not ready meals and hell eat fruite.

 

Ive taken him out on a 2 mile walk in the hope this will get things moveing now the paine is sat playing on the ps 2 surprise surprise.

 

I will go to my gps and force the issue plus ill mention about the constipation clinics.years ago i aksed if he could see a bowel specialist and was refused as they said there wasnt one for kids.I accepted this at the time but im more forcefull know and dont crumble as easily.

 

Itll be a nightmare though at the drs coz hell scream and refuse to cooperate he hates being talked about.

[mum22boys]

Paula,

 

We have had the constipation issue for years, i know your problem is rufusing to go but you asked about laxatives.

 

Lactulose is fine but it won't actually make him go, it just softens everything up and as he isn't really constipated I can't see it would work. Mine have senna, which can give stomach cramps. Also a couple of years ago I bought a medicine over the counter at the chemists which had to be mixed with juice for it to be given. Excellent if as you say your child believes you are trying to poison them, we too have this issue!

 

If you are still having problems I would be happy to go searching through my cupboards to see if i still have the medicine so I can let you know the name of it.

 

Hope he goes soon.

 

mum22boys

[rainbow queen]

just a suggestion

prune juice out of a can -maybe add it to fruit juice-i used to give it my 4 year old with injection from medicine bottle and it worked in 10 mins[he had little choice in the matter ]

raisons/whole figs

grapes

orange

 

know its hard for kids to eat much fruit-so maybe these wont work

[justamom]

Poor kid i bet he is in pain.... If he is leaking and blocked then it could be serious ask you GP to refer you to the gastroentrologist who will probably do a x-ray and they will see how far up he is blocked...

 

Please dont leave this and insist on seeing someone or even ask for an xray.

 

Good luck

Justamom

[lindy-lou]

Do you think he would tolerate an enema?he wouldnt have a choice wether he goes ot not then,just a suggestion,im not even sure if its safe for children to have them,i know you can buy them at the chemists though,i would follow everyone elses advice and have him to the gp asap,my niece's appendix almost burst due to her being constipated.

[lil_me]

My sons has improved since giving him Fibre juice, Tropicana make it, aswell as fresh orange juice, he used to be n lactulose when he was younger. My sons a loo refuser aswell, he hates usng anyone elses loo, we've had some success with a wee but not the other.

 

Make sure the GP does something, if he won't I'd be asking to see someone else.

Edited April 8, 2006 by lil_me

[Suze]

oh paula..........I have a friend whose son does,nt go for a couple of weeks,she saw a pead who prescribed a very high dose/strong lax he had to take them for a week ..........well still nothing happened.He went in hosp and they ended up vvv strong lax and sitting him on the loo(it helped having nurses ).........it worked .Although x-rays showed his intestine was so blocked up it could take months and months to get his bowels moving in the correct manner again.Paula tell the gp he must see a specialist ,if this has been going on for some time his bowels/intestine won,t be working properley anymore so even if lax get him moving now , 2 weeks later you,ll be back with the leakage again.You may find if you get his bowels moving in a more regular pattern again , he may have to take a lowdose lax long term.Today try strong coffee if he,ll drink it and get him to put a stool under his feet when he sits on the loo..........being in a crouching position will help it come out.Holding a hot water botle on his tummy at the same time will help as well.Be careful all the straining does,nt give him piles.................(I speak from experience here.......got em when I was preggers they were bad).Also because the poo at his anal end will be so compacted have you thought of a suppositry it might take a few but this would soften it up and make it less painful to push out..........or attach him to the garden hose(anal end) and pour a jug full of warm water down while massaging his tum .....a good old colonic might work ..........sorry hun trying to lighten the mood this must be a real worry for you.....TAKE CARE Suzex.

[call me jaded]

Don't want to depress you but I've just been reading on another forum about a mum with a 30 year old son who had leakage for years. She too couldn't find a paediatric gastroenterologist but eventually found an adult one. Her son is on his way to a colostomy.

[jb1964]

Do you think he would tolerate an enema?he wouldnt have a choice wether he goes ot not then,just a suggestion,im not even sure if its safe for children to have them,i know you can buy them at the chemists though,i would follow everyone elses advice and have him to the gp asap,my niece's appendix almost burst due to her being constipated.

 

My daughter had these quite a few times either at hospital or when visiting the GP/Paed (I wouldn't have clue how to do it - they did it if you know what I mean). She was only about 7mths when she had the first one so they must be safe for children - although they still didn't work on several occasions.

 

Hope he's managed to go this morning.

 

Take care,

Jb

[Paula]

After reading all youre advice i found a bottle of calfig medicine shoved in the back of the cuppoard.

 

I slipped some of this into a cup of very very sweet tea for him.

 

I prayed to god he wouldnt notice a funny taste.

 

15 minutes later things started to rumble and i took him back up to the toilet still insisting he didnt need to go.20 minutes later and hed produced enough of the stuff to block the toilet !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I will be slipping some of this stuff into his tea every couple of days to keep things moveing.

 

Im going to waite a couple of days and then take him to the gps so he doesnt smell a rat and connect the two.He went bollistick when i suggested we see the dr.

 

I tell you it was the highlight of me saturday night de bunging the toilet and washing dirty bottoms.I was just that glad hed bloomeing gone to the loo.

Edited April 10, 2006 by Paula

[jb1964]

Hi Paula,

 

So glad he's been - I bet he's feeling so much better now.

 

Do make that appointment with the GP though - he really should be taking it seriously.

 

Take care,

Jb

[Paula]

Dont worry i will make the appointment but it will be around wednesday like i say if he goes today hell kick of and cause bother.Ill give him time to settle and forget why hes going.

 

The gp does know himwell and she is very nice alovely lady dr.Ive never realy pushed the subject much thinking it would right itself.But after reading these boards for a couple of months im realiseing that this is a problem that most seam to have to some degree or another.

[Suze]

...............hooray........he,s been....he,s been .............I,m really glad paula..........

[lindy-lou]

Oh the relief must be great!! Literally!

[DaisyProudfoot]

Glad to hear he's sorted ..... my Martin had similar anal retention problems but now goes once a week without assistance - he well blocks the loo though.

 

And........this is what you don't do

 

Having a bit of Lupus pain trouble I've been taking a lot of codeine recently which bungs one up somewhat.

 

One does not do this ....... take herbal laxatives on Monday morning (no luck) and then have All Bran for breakfast on Tuesday morning and mushy peas for Tuesday lunch.

 

............which I have done..........and now I have to dash...................

 

Pity my work colleagues

[Paula]

 

Take a peg into work daisy.

 

Hope the lupas paine eases soon.

 

I once ate a tin of figs in pear juice boy did i stink it was awfull,I couldnt stop laughing as my husband had a taste of his rotton medicne for once.Its normally me gipping at the smell.

[Mother in Need]

Water.

 

Take one or two glasses of water in the morning, at least half an hour before breakfast.

 

This works like a treat! I was on lactulose for years, but could stop completely once I started drinking water before breakfast. My stools are now completely normal, which is amazing, since I've only started doing this for about 4 months, and I can sympathise only too well with the comparison to labour... If I remember rightly, it might have taken a few days to start working fully, but as I say, it has been very good for me. And with no side-effects, no costs and no running up and down to the chemists! And no undesirable smells

[Paula]

I will increase his water intake.Thankyou for the tip.He tends to drink tea and milk.He never has fizzy canned drinks though.

[jb1964]

I will increase his water intake.Thankyou for the tip.He tends to drink tea and milk.He never has fizzy canned drinks though.

 

Funny enough Paula my daughter only drinks water, tea and milk. I've always thought the problem with her constipation get worse if she drinks more milk - so I try to limit this - and I'm sure somewhere along the line a doctor told me once that milk is more like a food for your body and not a liquid - therefore too much can make constipation sufferers more constipated.

 

Jb

[Paula]

He does drink a hell of a lot of milk.I thought it was good for him building bones and calcium and stuff.He drinks skimmed milk so theres not so much fat in it.I think ill cut down on the milk a little also and limit it to one cup a day.

 

Its daft silly stuff isnt it that you dont think about.But its worth a whirl.

[Melinda]

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but a friend's NT son in the same position as yours was really helped by reflexology when all the other methods hadn't worked. I heard a programme on radio 4 about it too where health visitors were saying it was really working for a lot of children and some areas were adopting it as a standard treatment. I know the child I know was sorted within just a few visits.

 

I am on the verge of taking my son as he has similar problems, although at the moment, I have used syrup of fig and lactulose which seem to help.

 

The HV has told me to give him no more than a pint of milk a day. I don't want to cut this down any more as he has a very limited diet. I do give smoothies and a lot of fruit juice!

 

Melinda

[linda]

 

I could ###### scream.In fact i did last night i had to let it out as i couldnt take no more.

 

Every single day this week ive had crapped up underpants soiled bed sheets wrecked clothes due to my sons anal leakage.Its seaping out of him like blooming liquid tar.His bellies distorted and he bloomeing stinks.

 

And still he wont go to the toilet.

 

I keep sitting him on there leaving him for up to an hour and its a no show.Im looseing the will to live.

 

He was sat there last night at 9 pm for over half an hour wouldnt go but obviously needed to.

 

Then i didnt have any wet wipes and had to use toilet paper to clean up his bum this made matters worse and all hell let loose due to his phobia of tissue.Out came a sponge.

Ive said hes to sit on the loo today untill he goes.

 

He said "Ill starve to death" I said "no yer ###### wont coz ill fetch food and water".That shut him up while he pondered that.

 

Weve never used laxatives can anyone suggest anything

 

He wont take obvious medicines says im poisoning him (Chance would be a fine thing besides ive always said if id a gun id shoot the ###### so poisoning isnt the first choice method ) so theyd have to be able to be mixed in a drink or sprinkled on food.

 

The gp is hopeless on this one.No one takes it seriously he must be in paine.

 

Thanks.

 

Hi Paula,

I am new to all this and have jusr read your post regarding constipation.I know i'm a bit late replying but I wanted to tell you about my experience where constipation is concerned.My partner was rushed into hospital doubled up with constipation.It was pitiful to see a grown man cry so much.For three days they gave him enamas,laxatives,you name it he had it,but would he go ,no way could he go. In desperation i took him a carton of marks and spencers pure apple juice,(the large one) and told him to drink it all.of course being a man he knew better and said if all they had given him didnt shift it,apple juice wasn't going to,but he drank the lot during visiting time.Half an hour later he wanted to rush to the loo,he couldn't rush he was in so much pain,but he came back still doubled up and bunged up.Within the hour he wanted to go again so out he hobbled,he was gone 20mins so i sent a nurse to see if he was alright.Yes he was ok. He came back into the ward upright punching the air and shouting "yes" he looked and felt a different man. I am never without a carton of pure apple juice in the house just in case.I have just visited my mother in a nursing home where a poor man is the same,bunged completely up,so off he goes for an enama.I took him my answer to constipation and low and behold he said to me today how good it felt to be normal again,and would i please get him another carton. If you havent tried it with your son maybe its worth a go,and its pleasant to drink.I now make my own in my juicer which works a treat.I would be interested to know if this works for your son.

good luck.

linda.

[Eva]

Hi,

 

I give my son Movical (mixed with water) and a half teaspoon of Senna with it. That seems to work most of the time...(fish and chips helps too!).

 

Eva