need some advice on with holding and constipation

[Russian Doll]

alex is 3 in may ..he suffers from terrible constipation and only goes once a week if im lucky...his poo is not normal colour and has started bleeding from his bum now which the docs have said is because hes so dry its cutting him as he passes

they say hes with holding it him self and hes on movicol as a long term thing

he wont eat prunes or apricots

is any anyone else going through this or have advice im so down at the moment as its heart breaking watching him try to poo and see the pain hes in

i feel like im in a viscous circle at the moment

[gigglybug]

Hi Tea690, I really feel for you and your son, My daughter does this every couple of weeks, so it's nowhere near as bad, but you just feel so helpless!!
A collegue of my OH mentioned that there is something that the doctor can give them to help soften the stool and to make them go and so break the cycle, is that what you are already using?

Other than that I find that making sure she has lots of fluids helps alot, also rhubarb, prune juice (sneeked into a smoothy), cereal (fibre)?

As i'm sure you know well, they are so stubborn and even getting enough juice or water down them is a constant battle at times.

Im sorry if this doesn't help. I hope he feels better soon!!

Amanda

[gigglybug]

OOH just remembered I was told once that if you let them blow bubbles (the washing-up liquid kind with the hoop) while on the loo/potty it can help stimulate a bowel movement.

Good luck

Amanda

[Annpan]

Orange juice

E suffered really badly with constipation when she was tiny... before she was 6 weeks old.

She also had the blood on her stools, from straining or from the stool tearing the delicate skin... We were also told that, because it hurts so much, they do hold it in - which make it sit in the cavity longer, and drys out more - as you say tea, it is a vicious cycle.

We were advised by a health visitor (un-official advice, not official guidance, but she said this is how they used to treat it in neo-natal wards in Yorkhll) to give her 25ml of orange juice diluted with 100ml of boiled water.

That is obviously just for tiny babies but we have used orange juice since, to clear any problems - she has never got that bad again, because we give OJ as soon as she is any signs of constipation. Dilute half and half (or there abouts)


I really feel for both of you (((((HUGS))))))) - I can't think of anything worse than seeing your child in pain.

[Russian Doll]

Orange juice

E suffered really badly with constipation when she was tiny... before she was 6 weeks old.

She also had the blood on her stools, from straining or from the stool tearing the delicate skin... We were also told that, because it hurts so much, they do hold it in - which make it sit in the cavity longer, and drys out more - as you say tea, it is a vicious cycle.

We were advised by a health visitor (un-official advice, not official guidance, but she said this is how they used to treat it in neo-natal wards in Yorkhll) to give her 25ml of orange juice diluted with 100ml of boiled water.

That is obviously just for tiny babies but we have used orange juice since, to clear any problems - she has never got that bad again, because we give OJ as soon as she is any signs of constipation. Dilute half and half (or there abouts)


I really feel for both of you (((((HUGS))))))) - I can't think of anything worse than seeing your child in pain.

weve tried orange juice he doesnt like it....he only ever drinks milk or at a push squash...but the milk doesnt help cause dairy doesnt help poo


aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh lol

[baldowrie]

if it's that bad speak to your GP or health visitor but also ensure that fluids are pushed regularly and fruit given as snacks, or other high fibre stuff.

Grapes are a sweeter alternative to prunes.

[Annpan]

I'm with baldowrie here, you have got to get something from your doctor if it is this bad.

Can you treat fresh juice like squash? ie give it really diluted, I also find that making sure water is always available is good, we have a sipper cup that just sits around the livingroom all day.

Can you mush up some fruit into a yogurt, will he eat the fruit bars that organix sell? (the are just fruit, in a sweety/bar form)

I'd be just trying to get him to eat and drink as much fruit and veg as possible at the moment, but if you are really struggling you REALLY need to speak to your doctor or HV, it is for your stress levels too, which must be rubbing off on all the kids...

I hope you get something sorted tea.

[Silver Ether]

errrrrrrrrrr can I say as a person who has suffered horridly in this field ... high fiber can cause more trouble than it solves ... so dont over do it. One bowl od high fiber ceareal and I am not gonna go to the loo for days ... One way is syrup of figs... or caster oil. My lass had to take a teaspoon of caster oil everyday for a couple of years for the same trouble and she had anal fissures as you little one is getting. As others have said fluids are importent too ...

[Russian Doll]

we have been to the doctors and he has prescribed movicol to get his bowels moving and it looks like he has to be on this for a long time as he has to retrain his bowels to work normally again

as for stress levels im not to bad i have my off days as any parent does but on the whole thanx to this and another forum i manage to vent any frustration away from the kiddies

[citizentwiglet]

Amanda, is it Lactulose you're thinking of? I was prescribed this by the GP as Ellis had very hard stools and was screaming whilst trying to go to the loo (well, in the nappy!). It doesn't act as a laxative, but does soften the stools to make it less painful, though it does take a few days.

Someone else had mentioned good-quality dark chocolate (Green & Blacks, I used) as helping - just a square a day. Stopping eggs and bananas. Adding chopped dates (those nice sweet ones) into breakfast cereals/crumbles/yoghurts etc; handfuls of sultanas at snack-time...

Ellis is only 21 months and still having around 17oz of milk a day, so we were advised to water that down too, as too much lactose can cause problems apparently.

I'm not sure which one of the above actually worked as we were so desperate to relieve his discomfort we used all the tricks we could find at once, but he's back to his old self now.


Liquorice root is what my mum used to give us to chew on when we were nippers...I think she used to buy it from the local health-food shop.

Best of luck with it, and I hope the wee one gets better very soon xxx

[mrsflibble]

I can personally vouch for lactulose. it's a life saver. i get regular constipation due to my thyroid problem and have suffered with a massive fissure on and off for about 6 years now. when i finally plucked up the courage to see my gp i *thankfully* went on a bad day so she referred me to the hospital butt-doctor lol!!
I also take Fibrogel, but I dont know if that's going to help my darling little godson.

[Amaranth]

Try making him quick breads with applesauce, prune puree, etc used as the fruit and in place of most of the fat in the recipe.

Give him cut up apples or pears to eat. Halved or quartered grapes are good too.

Pulverize vegetables and hide them in other foods. It's tasty to put grated zucchini into tomato sauce for pasta.

If he doesn't already like plain water, try filtering the water to make it taste better. If that does't work, add a spoonful of apple or orange juice to a glass of water. Serve him water multiple times throughout the day. To monitor his water intake, fill up a container in the morning of the minimum he needs from the day and keep it in the refrigerator. Pour his from the container. He may take in more water if he uses a cup with a built in straw as that moves it further back in the mouth to start and so it's faster to swallow.

Avoid all dairy. Switch to almond, soy, or rice milk.

Use whole grain foods rather than processed ones. If he is used to refined ones, try mixing white and whole grain flours and gradually increasing the proportion of the whole grain ones.

Increase his activity level. Sitting tends to leave things, uh..., sitting. Even just walking around more helps.

[gigglybug]

Citizentwiglet, you mentioned avoiding banana's, why is that?

I hate buying banana's, but it is one thing she will always eat.

Thanks

Amanda

[Russian Doll]

Try making him quick breads with applesauce, prune puree, etc used as the fruit and in place of most of the fat in the recipe.

Give him cut up apples or pears to eat. Halved or quartered grapes are good too.

Pulverize vegetables and hide them in other foods. It's tasty to put grated zucchini into tomato sauce for pasta.

If he doesn't already like plain water, try filtering the water to make it taste better. If that does't work, add a spoonful of apple or orange juice to a glass of water. Serve him water multiple times throughout the day. To monitor his water intake, fill up a container in the morning of the minimum he needs from the day and keep it in the refrigerator. Pour his from the container. He may take in more water if he uses a cup with a built in straw as that moves it further back in the mouth to start and so it's faster to swallow.

Avoid all dairy. Switch to almond, soy, or rice milk.

Use whole grain foods rather than processed ones. If he is used to refined ones, try mixing white and whole grain flours and gradually increasing the proportion of the whole grain ones.

Increase his activity level. Sitting tends to leave things, uh..., sitting. Even just walking around more helps.

might be sounding thick but what do you mean by quick bread..also if i increase his activity levels any more i will be exhausted lol..hes a little thuinderbolt

[citizentwiglet]

Amanda, bananas are one of the worst things that will bung the wee devils up...of course, they are lovely and sweet, so they love them but unless they are REALLY black (like you'd make banana bread with or chuck in the composter) they are stupidly hard to digest and pass. Not entirely sure why, to be honest.

Ellis was a banana addict - even cutting them down to 2 or 3 a week wasn't making any difference to his constipation. So I just stopped buying them (hate them, meeself, like...) and bought citrus instead - satsumas, clementines...it took a few days but he absolutely loves them. To be honest, it's better they get the 'whole' fruit rather than just the juice, as it takes longer to absorb and helps regulate blood-sugar better than juice, and isn't so bad for their teeth.

Another thing I was advised (forgot about it earlier,sorry...) was to peel apples/pears etc before giving them. The skins are very hard to digest - fine for a normally pooing person, but can cause havoc with someone who is constipated, as it will sit on top of everything else and slowly ferment, causing trapped wind and tummy aches.