Constipated 4 year old... UPDATE Post 46

[disneyquestions]

I hate coming on here for medical advice, but I'm worried about my DD.

This happened once before about 6 weeks ago that we realized she hadn't gone in several days (almost a week) and by the time we realized it, she was in pain (she was scared to tell me). This time, its even worse. I'm home waiting with her for DH to bring an enema (what the Dr. recommended last time), and shes just yelling and crying that her hiney hurts - she can't even sit still, and shes very hot (though I don't think its a fever, I think its just from being in pain). I've given her the pedia-lax already today, and have been giving it to her for a few days already, and nothing. I'm praying that the enema will clear everything out - otherwise, I'm taking her to the ER.

Has anyone had any experience with this before?

 

[GalDisney]

you should take her to the ER or Urgent care of your dr. immediatly!

 

[Wishing on a star]

This sounds like a condition called toddler/preschooler constipation and encopresis. It can, indeed, become very serious. At this point, the poor little ones system just is not working right. If you can get no results or relief... yes, get to a Dr. ASAP.

BTDT with my son when he was that age...

If it is as bad as you describe, it is a problem that needs some real attention. At some point, the toddler just can't 'go'... and it goes from bad to worse.

Changes start setting up in the lower digestive tract...
Changes that can be very, very, longlasting...

I am not sure what is in the pedia lax that you mention...
but, if it is a fiber supplement or a stimulant... this is NOT what you want to do.

1. MiraLax... MiraLax... MiraLax....
Don't be conservative or worry about it.
Contact your doctor, if you wish, to find out about the correct dosage.
This kind of treatment is what is necessary to get the little one's system working again.

2. We actually took our son to a Ped. Gastroenterologis.... Back then, Miralax was by prescription only, so this was the necessary course of action. Now you can get it at Walmart and any pharmacy.

This will be an ongoing therapy. Especially if the problem persists.
In other words, Miralax is not a stimulant that you take only for symptoms... This should be an ongoing therapy for days (or even weeks) at a time... Then, start pulling back on the Miralax, while ensuring your little one eats a healthy diet with plenty of fiber, liquid, fruits, etc..

 

[OceanAnnie]

Warm bath. Nice warm bubble bath to relax those muscles. Let her soak in the tub. It will help with the pain and just to relax. I've told mine, you may feel the need to go while you are in the tub. Don't worry about drying off, just go ahead and get on the pot.

Miralax is great. No taste. You can put it in cold water and you wouldn't be able to taste it.

My youngest is not big on fruit and is a picky vegetable eater. I steam and puree broccoli and cauliflower to put in foods. It's amazing how quick those veggies will work for bathroom issues. Fruit smoothies are great too. Try to get your DD to drink plenty of liquids. That will help too.

There is a really good book out for kids with this problem. It's called, "It hurts when I poop". It explains about how your body works. It helped my child.

http://www.amazon.com/Hurts-When-Po...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304199790&sr=1-1

ETA- I have made brownies and put about 1/2 a cup of steamed and pureed broccoli in with the mix. You can't taste the broccoli at all, but it must be cooled completely before serving. I also put broccoli or steamed and pureed cauliflower in my quiche and spaghetti sauce. It helps.

 

[disneyquestions]

Ok, gave my baby the enema, and it worked within seconds. I talked to the Dr. as she was going, and he also said Mirilax - said the Pedi-Lax that the other Dr suggested was worthless.. great..... Anyway, he said that I have to give her the mirilax for 2 weeks. We are also going to give her prun juice once a day, and give her Activia. He said that there was no need for the ER as long as she goes, which she did. I do think that I need to keep a very close eye on her, and if this happens again, get her to a specialist.

Its funny though, out of both my kids, shes the healthiest eater....


ETA - Wishing On A Star & OceanAnnie - Thanks so much for your posts. Like i said Ocean - She actually is a really good, healthy eater when it comes to the food you mention. Getting her to eat a burger is hard! She would rather just some veggies and fruit - thats one reason I don't understand why this is happening to her. However, shes not a big drinker, so maybe that is part of the problem. And Wishing - Thanks for your insite on the meds! I will def. keep the MiriLax on hand at all times, giving her 3/4 of a capfull every morning like the Dr. just suggested. I'm sorry if I freaked out on here - it was just that my was in pain, and it was so upsetting for me. I shouldn't have waiting for DH to come home with the enema, I should have gone and gotten it myself... But I was scared to leave the house with her since she was yelling to go to the bathroom literally every 5 minutes....

 

[sunnyday123]

Is she afraid to go? My Dd had that problem when she was your DD's age and a little younger.

I gave her ( don't laugh!) Rocket-Poop pills, which were guarantteed to produce, well, rocket-poop. Just shot right out. The poor thing would be running to the bathroom, yelling, "I need a pill, I need a pill!!" because she was convinced it made everything easier.

They were Flintsones vitamins-she never noticed because she took them so quickly. I told her she had to take one very day, and she did.

I also tried to tell her prunes were really big raisins. That one didn't fly.

Miralax does work wonders, good luck.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Third the Miralax. You has to use it daily for a long while. My dd was on it for about 3yrs?

In the meantime if she does not "go" after the enema, I would get medical attention asap.

If it does work start using Miralax daily and then modify diet. Pototoes, cheese, breads, pasta, crackers, etc are constipating.

It becomes a vicious cycle of a kid constipated and then they are not hungry and so forth....lived it with my youngest. It sucked. Have to use the Miralax religiously otherwise you are back to square one.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Is she afraid to go? My Dd had that problem when she was your DD's age and a little younger.

I gave her ( don't laugh!) Rocket-Poop pills, which were guarantteed to produce, well, rocket-poop. Just shot right out. The poor thing would be running to the bathroom, yelling, "I need a pill, I need a pill!!" because she was convinced it made everything easier.

They were Flintsones vitamins-she never noticed because she took them so quickly. I told her she had to take one very day, and she did.

I also tried to tell her prunes were really big raisins. That one didn't fly.

Miralax does work wonders, good luck.

Now that is creative! Love it!

 

[Bilberry]

Recall this article by Dr. Briffa about milk and wheat being linked to constipation in kids. I know for a nephew of mine, he found constipation relief when he stopped eating and drinking large amounts of milk products.

Good luck! Hope an answer is found soon.

"Gluten and milk linked with constipation in kids"

http://www.drbriffa.com/2010/03/10/gluten-and-milk-linked-with-constipation-in-kids/

 

[disneyquestions]

Recall this article by Dr. Briffa about milk and wheat being linked to constipation in kids. I know for a nephew of mine, he found constipation relief when he stopped eating and drinking large amounts of milk products.

Good luck! Hope an answer is found soon.

"Gluten and milk linked with constipation in kids"

http://www.drbriffa.com/2010/03/10/gluten-and-milk-linked-with-constipation-in-kids/

She has a little bit of milk with cereal maybe 3-4 mornings a week, but thats it. And its always skim milk (though DH bought 2% the other day). I don't think that would be classified as "large amounts." Any other thoughts?? She eats deli turkey with WW bread for lunch... PB&J.... apples, bananas, grapes, chicken.... She enjoys the occasional Poptart.... lol Ooh, and yogurt - I guess thats a dairy product though. She has maybe 2-3 a week, sometimes more, sometimes less.

 

[5lilfish]

Recall this article by Dr. Briffa about milk and wheat being linked to constipation in kids. I know for a nephew of mine, he found constipation relief when he stopped eating and drinking large amounts of milk products.

Good luck! Hope an answer is found soon.

"Gluten and milk linked with constipation in kids"

http://www.drbriffa.com/2010/03/10/gluten-and-milk-linked-with-constipation-in-kids/

My 4 yr old is now gluten free and dairy free after a couple years of battling constipation (and bloating/pain). Miralax did nothing for her. Eventually we found that the new diet along with a magnesium suppliment (calls Calm) and a probiotic got her back on track. Her Celiac blood test is negative but the test can be inaccurate. Also, even if she is not truly suffering from Celiac's, I was told that she may still be intollerant to wheat (and lactose intollerant).

Jess

 

[OceanAnnie]

Ok, gave my baby the enema, and it worked within seconds. I talked to the Dr. as she was going, and he also said Mirilax - said the Pedi-Lax that the other Dr suggested was worthless.. great..... Anyway, he said that I have to give her the mirilax for 2 weeks. We are also going to give her prun juice once a day, and give her Activia. He said that there was no need for the ER as long as she goes, which she did. I do think that I need to keep a very close eye on her, and if this happens again, get her to a specialist.

Its funny though, out of both my kids, shes the healthiest eater....


ETA - Wishing On A Star & OceanAnnie - Thanks so much for your posts. Like i said Ocean - She actually is a really good, healthy eater when it comes to the food you mention. Getting her to eat a burger is hard! She would rather just some veggies and fruit - thats one reason I don't understand why this is happening to her. However, shes not a big drinker, so maybe that is part of the problem. And Wishing - Thanks for your insite on the meds! I will def. keep the MiriLax on hand at all times, giving her 3/4 of a capfull every morning like the Dr. just suggested. I'm sorry if I freaked out on here - it was just that my was in pain, and it was so upsetting for me. I shouldn't have waiting for DH to come home with the enema, I should have gone and gotten it myself... But I was scared to leave the house with her since she was yelling to go to the bathroom literally every 5 minutes....

It's can be a vicious cycle. They wait to go and then it hurts. Then they are scared it will hurt again and wait because it hurt the times before. Once you get her past the fear (and she's regular) she should be okay.

ETA- You are welcome! I know what it's like. I've been there.

 

[mhsjax]

This sounds like a condition called toddler/preschooler constipation and encopresis. It can, indeed, become very serious. At this point, the poor little ones system just is not working right. If you can get no results or relief... yes, get to a Dr. ASAP.

BTDT with my son when he was that age...

If it is as bad as you describe, it is a problem that needs some real attention. At some point, the toddler just can't 'go'... and it goes from bad to worse.

Changes start setting up in the lower digestive tract...
Changes that can be very, very, longlasting...

I am not sure what is in the pedia lax that you mention...
but, if it is a fiber supplement or a stimulant... this is NOT what you want to do.

1. MiraLax... MiraLax... MiraLax....
Don't be conservative or worry about it.
Contact your doctor, if you wish, to find out about the correct dosage.
This kind of treatment is what is necessary to get the little one's system working again.

2. We actually took our son to a Ped. Gastroenterologis.... Back then, Miralax was by prescription only, so this was the necessary course of action. Now you can get it at Walmart and any pharmacy.

This will be an ongoing therapy. Especially if the problem persists.
In other words, Miralax is not a stimulant that you take only for symptoms... This should be an ongoing therapy for days (or even weeks) at a time... Then, start pulling back on the Miralax, while ensuring your little one eats a healthy diet with plenty of fiber, liquid, fruits, etc..

Yep to the Miralax. My DD had this problem around 4-5 years of age. The Dr told me to use this. Said we had to get her little system working again. That stuff is great and you can't taste it, so you can mix it in anything that she will drink.

 

[MommaSnowwhite]

We did the Miralax thing when my DD was younger. She was on it for at least 6 months. She was afraid to go because it hurt and the cycle took off. Our ped. at the time said it was super common. She too loved fruit - maybe too much fiber? I don't know - I just thanked God that the Miralax worked becuase she was so miserable.

Good luck.

 

[LynnM]

My 15 yr old son had this problem when he was a toddler. What finally worked for us was a product called fiber juice. He would have at least one juice box a day and after a couple months he was going regularly and we were able to stop the juice boxes. They were expensive but we were willing to pay whatever it took to help him.

 

[Bilberry]

My 4 yr old is now gluten free and dairy free after a couple years of battling constipation (and bloating/pain). Miralax did nothing for her. Eventually we found that the new diet along with a magnesium suppliment (calls Calm) and a probiotic got her back on track. Her Celiac blood test is negative but the test can be inaccurate. Also, even if she is not truly suffering from Celiac's, I was told that she may still be intollerant to wheat (and lactose intollerant).

Jess

I'm the same way as your 4 year old. All tests came back negative for celiac, but regardless found a great deal of relief for a stomach condition eating gluten and dairy free. I guess from what I've read that is common for wheat.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Sorry to hear your DD is having problems again. Has she been going daily?

This time, its even worse. I'm home waiting with her for DH to bring an enema (what the Dr. recommended last time), and shes just yelling and crying that her hiney hurts - she can't even sit still, and shes very hot (though I don't think its a fever, I think its just from being in pain). I've given her the pedia-lax already today, and have been giving it to her for a few days already, and nothing. I'm praying that the enema will clear everything out - otherwise, I'm taking her to the ER.

I'm just going to reiterate what I said in the first thread:

Yes, if she hasn't been drinking enough fluids, that probably contributed to her constipation (as opposed to the enema causing dehydration). Make sure she drinks adequate fluids daily.

And again, yes, in addition to getting things moving "from below", it helps to get things moving "from above" as well - hence the laxative. It could take a couple of days of aggressive intervention to get her fully cleaned out. I would start tonight as well. (Chances are, after the enema, she may go again anyway, but the longer it stays in there, the harder it's going to get, the more things will back up, and the more uncomfortable she's going to be.) You need to keep things moving.

The bigger issue is going to be keeping her going regularly, especially if she's prone to constipation. It's important to see that she has a BM daily, or at least every other day. Whichever it is, the consistency should not be hard, which will lead to discomfort and avoiding going. She should understand that it's important to "go" when she feels the urge, otherwise the urge goes away. (This is a challenge for kids, especially girls - and women!). You also need to take a close look at her diet to make sure she's eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and foods high in fiber. A good quality daily yogurt helps keep the GI tract healthy as well.


It often takes at least two hours to work, it could be a lot longer. If you start tomorrow, and she needs another dose, you're going into tomorrow night also. The stool that came out with the enema was only the beginning. There's a lot more all along the tract if she hasn't gone in a week but has been eating regularly.

 

[disneyquestions]

Sorry to hear your DD is having problems again. Has she been going daily?

I'm just going to reiterate what I said in the first thread:

Wow Pea - you remember from the last time I posted on here, freaking out?!? LOL Thanks!!!!! Yeah, I know its just the beginning... After she went from the enema, she felt 10000 times better. We have the miralax/prune juice mixture in a water bottle for her, and bless her little soul, she actually likes it!!!! I tasted it and almost lost my lunch ....

As to your question of her regularity - I guess not! She was doing well for a while, but obviously, that stopped, and I didn't realize it till it was to late. I had been giving her the Pedia-Lax pills that the other Dr. recommended for several days, but they didn't do anything for her. I'm really hoping that the Mira-Lax will do the trick (which from listening to everyone else on here, it most likely will). Its going to be a challenge to get her to drink the entire thing, but I will just have to be persistent.
I'm going to talk to her pre-k teachers and have them pay attention to her bathroom habits - i.e. ask her if she pooped every time she goes to the bathroom. They know all about the issue from last time.....

Again, thanks for your post, and any recommendations are welcome!

 

[eowensby]

My daughter just turned 9 and we have dealt with poop issues since she was 4 months old. It's the worst to see your baby in pain! As a baby and toddler we had to use Baby-Lax quite a bit. It was awful, but I knew that wasn't the permanent answer to her problems. We finally got on Miralax around age 3 and it made a world of difference. She was going every time she sat down on the potty! So I had to back off a little on her dosage. We haven't used Miralax in a long time,but now use Colace on an almost daily basis. I think some people are just more prone to some potty issues. I make her drink a lot of water throughout the day, that makes a world of difference, too! Good luck with your sweet girl.

 

[BKMETV]

It's can be a vicious cycle. They wait to go and then it hurts. Then they are scared it will hurt again and wait because it hurt the times before. Once you get her past the fear (and she's regular) she should be okay.

ETA- You are welcome! I know what it's like. I've been there.

My DS had problems from the get go...pooping hurt so he didn't go...we went through GPs, Pediatrians etc....they all said he had to eat better (my son eats everything...any veggie or fruit you put in front of him, bran and even prune juice) it made no difference...after 2 years I finally demanded a specialist...it was so great to talk to someone actually understood. He said 80% of the kids he saw didn't have a medical problem (except for the fact that DS had stretched his bowel)...like with eating disorders the children have control over this and it would be a mental battle. The specialist didn't like laxatives but used the powder that cleans you out for a colonoscopy. We put a tbsp in his juice every morning. It was a long battle...almost 5 years to finally get him to go on his own. Afterwards I kicked myself for wasting 2 years with the regular Pediatrican, should have asked for a specialist from the start.