HI moms! My son is 10 and has had his share of health issues... failure to thrive as a baby, g tube, palate surgeries, hernia surgeries, ADHD diagnosis etc. He has struggled with constipation since he was a baby as well. Currently.. he has not been feeling well/ not eating/ drinking much since Saturday afternoon ( today is Thursday am!) On Sunday he was feverish/ had some vomiting etc. by Monday no vomiting, No BM, feverish off and on. Trying to treat symptoms with tylenol/ lots of fluids, but he really had not wanted to eat/ drink at all. He is also complaining his stomach hurts. Took him to the Dr. on Tues. Dr. thought he had strep throat but the culture was neg. Said he just had a stomach virus? Keep the fever down, lots of liquids and he is constipated....so use citricel or the like. We have used this with him before...usually with fairly fast success. Gave him citrucell on Tues PM, Wed AM, Wed PM yet still no bowel movement! He still does not want to eat / drink much. No vomiting, no more fever...but concerned that he is per the doctor constipated and full of poop, but even with citricell he is not going? He feels horrible, whinning / crying... has missed school all week so far. Any suggestions? Have contact back in to the dr. for advice.... Thanks moms! C.
HI moms thanks so much for all the advice.... we did end up trying a suppository, which did help a bit, still continuing now with just lots of fluids and Miralax... and he is feeling much better. Thanks! C.
If the laxative/fiber is not working like it normally does I'd be concerned about an obstruction in the gut somewhere.
Take him back ASAP.
he is probally dehydrated and his body doesnt want to let go of anything. try enema and fruit juice. If that doesnt work go to the ER. good luck.
This is such a catch 22. Your son may not be pooping because he isn't eating anything, but he may not be eating anything because he needs to poop. I suggest using either and enema or a suppository to help him along, and if those don't work, take him to the ER.
I would, take him to the ER... if he is severely constipated... it can cause bulging bowels and distension, pain, obstruction, etc.
And nothing you tried is working... and he is sick... who knows with what since he never did get a diagnosis... just a guess. And he is not getting better.... if a child is not getting better, or is getting worse or getting new symptoms... that is the time, to go to the Doctor or ER. If you go to the Doctor, he will probably just say it is a virus. Back to square one.
Also make sure he is not getting dehydrated... because this is not good and it will also make his poop even more constipated.
AND he has a fever... to me, that is not good. And he is whining and crying about the pain...
Take him to the ER.
I would not wait.. nor make my kid wait. And he's not getting better. I would not waste time taking him to the Doctor again. ER.
Ask the peditrician to see a GI specialist asap! If you can't get an appointment asap with a GI specialist, take him to the ER! I'm not usually one to jump to the ER every chance I get, but if this is my son, I would be there now.
Doesn't a stomach virus do the opposite of constipation??
Try a Fleet enema, and if that doesn't produce stool (after all the other stuff he's been given), then a trip to the Dr or even the ER is in order. Constipation after a virus is because of severe, long term vomiting and diarrhea causing dehydration/empty intestines- if this didn't start the constipation, then there's something else going on.
Don't let it go another day, ok? A bowel obstruction is a real possibility here, even if that's not how this started-- it's been too long, and with the fever, etc, he's got to be pretty debilitated by now. Good luck! Let us know what happens! :-)
I think with everything he has already been through that a trip to see the doctor maybe wise. I pray he gets better fast and is his old self soon.
I agree w/the previous poster about going to the ER. They will run more tests and watch him. As I was reading your post, I thought it sounded like a blockage or a twist. Don't settle for the "wait and see" approach, it's already been a week. It's your childs health, time to start making some demands...I say that because often times, parents will just go along with whatever they're told. Sometimes, it's necessary to demand further testing, whether it be blood tests, ultrasounds, xrays, etc. Be tough :) I hope your son feels better, poor little guy!
My 10 yrs old daughter tends to get constipated too. What I do is give her half a glass of Prune Juice. I also have her sleep face down with a pillow under her tummy to help get rid of gas. She usually feels better after she's had a bowel movement. With my 2-year old, I give her 5-10 cc. of Prune juice. It always helps. Hope your son feels better.
S..
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Have you ever tried Miralax? You can get it over the counter and even in generic form. If he hasn't had a bm by the weekend, you are going to have to seriously consider using an enema to clean him out :(
Being seriously constipated is very dehabiliting and I am not surprised that he is crying. Poor kiddo and poor you, mom, it isn't easy.
Good luck!
Hey C., sounds like you need mor natural help then medical. Please try fibrepro in his shakes (or just in water) and slim cakes with 2 IsaFlush. Yes of course lots of fluids...Want More Energy of course to replenish his electrolytes. Meds often plug up what needs to be released. Please, trust your instinct about what to put in his body, the pharmaceuticals are not working, please look at a more natural way.
Barbilee
Family Success Coach
Miralax. start w/a 1/2 dose. it'll blow it all out.
One way to naturally assist the elimination process is to drink hot water (which relaxes the large intestine so that it lessens the constriction) and then to gently massage the colon, starting from the person's right side, and moving up, to the left, and then down again.
That would be if it was just a matter of constipation. I don't know what your son's situation is. Perhaps he could start with the hot water or tea to see if that at least helps.
Hi C.,
Same thing happened to my 10 year old son last week. (Similar history with health background too). He had a fever and stomach ache. He wasnt eating, or drinking and no BM. Fever went down. Doctor said he was constipated and needed to be cleaned out. Give him enema (fleets pediatric formula). It worked. Once he got it out of his body, he felt better and was able to go back to school.
We have used miralax before, but it takes a while to work. enema works almost instantly.
We do watch the constipation problem as his great aunt died of colon cancer when she was only 36. All our kids have a constipation problem. I have read that yoga and pilates works to loosen things up. Also adding flax and bran in everything, from things you bake to oatmeal, anything they will eat.
Hope this helps.
M.
Take him to the emergency room! He could have a blockage, or a twisted intestine. With his history of health problems, you should take his illness very seriously!
We use Dulcolax suppositories. You have to push them up into his anus, but they will work fast. There are also Fleet enemas. This is something that we had to do with my son for quite a few years. I think you only use half of the suppository for him. He lays down for 15 mins. to an hour and he will feel the urge to go. That should help.
Good luck!
I'd personally take him back to the doctor - something isn't right, and it sounds like it's beyond a simple stomach virus.
If needed, ask for a consult with a GI (gastroenterologist) specialist. Trust your instincts and be his health advocate (it sounds like you have been for 10 years already).
I have no idea what it could be, and I would recommend not getting on the internet to see what the symptoms could be because you'll get paranoid with all the "what-ifs". I speak from experience - my inquiring mind did so much digging and research 2 years ago, I already knew my diagnosis before the pathologist did. It was 4 weeks of anguish and anxiety.
Keep pressing until you have an answer and a child back to normal.
Good luck!
Hi C. - I have several customers who are grateful for Juice Plus soft chews for their children who suffered from chronic constipation and had them on medications. After a short time on Juice Plus (it's concentrated produce/natural nutrition in a chewable form, also capsules for adults) their children were regular and didn't need the medication anymore. I highly recommend you give it a try. If you'd like to talk with these customers let me know and I could coordinate a call for you to talk with them so you can hear from them. Juice Plus is not like anything else out there. It's got more research than anything else proving it gets into the blood and improves many markers of health. Juice Plus kids are healthier kids because the are getting a lot of fruit and vegetables (17+) in their bodies every single day. There's a great children's health study childrenshealthstudy.com. Feel free to call me if you have any questions and want to give it a try. I could get it free for you as well. ###-###-####. Hope he feels better soon!
Stomach virus and constipation are contradictary terms.
Usually you can't stop going when you have a stomach virus. Impacted bowels are a serious thing, and can be fatal if left go too long. I am sure you are aware of this given the boys history.
Have you tried a suppository? I would start with that and if he still doesnt go I would follow up with a fleets enema. If you are giving him things to go and he is still not going, you should take him to the ER, if he is completely impacted, he will not want to eat or drink anything, because his little body is already full.
Once you get this under control you might want to think about getting him on a regimen of sennakot or something to keep things flowing to prevent it from happening again.
Good luck, be careful and take good care of that precious boy!
