Constipation - Newaygo, MI

my girlfriend had the same problem w/ her now 4 yr. old. it started VERY young - about 9 months. have you seen a GI dr.? dr. gebarra @ royal oak beaumont is WONDERFUL!! i've taken my son to him for severe acid reflux.

if you want - call ###-###-#### (general beaumont #) & ask them to connect you to dr. souhiel gebarra - he is the best gastro dr. in the world (& i've taken my son to another one! NO COMPARISON!)

GOOD LUCK! :)

I use flax seed oil.. just give her a teaspoon full before a drink of water or juice or with food, that usually helps my daughter.

Hi K.- I had the same experience with my daughter (who is now almost 11) when she was around 2. We started adding about 1/4 cup of prune juice (unsweetened) in with her normal juice every morning. She didn't mind it at all and it worked like a charm. Good luck!

My son had the same problem when he was about 2. I have a doctor that believes in a lot of "old school" things and he had me give him prune juice, 1 cup daily, and it help alot. If she doesn't like it or the taste is a bit strong, you can water it down some.

Hello K., There are several things that you can try to help your daughters constipation. I am a pediatric nurse and you would be amazed at how many children a week that we see in the office for the same problem. Your Dr. also needs to be on board with you in this area, constipation is not a good thing for kids to have. When their stools are hard and large for a very long time the muscles of the rectum become stretched out and weak. It can take months of a daily plan to get her stools back to normal. Ideally she should have 1 to 2 soft BM's everyday. The peditrician that I work for starts the kids out on 4-6 ounces of either prune, prune/pear or prune/apple juice daily. You can go back to buying baby juice if need be. Her daily intake of fiber should be increased to 15 to 18 grams per day. There is a safe childrens laxative called Chocolate Little Tummies that is over the counter (ask your Dr. before starting to find out the dosing for her age and weight) The other thing that we use alot is a powered laxative called Miralax. Has no taste and can be mixed with any type of liquid. This is a prescribed laxative and should also be calculated according to her weight. The kids have had great success with this regiman and no problems occured. You really need to get your Dr. to take this problem seriously. Your daughter could have longterm problems thru out her life if is not correct when she is young. Good luck. M.

My son started having that issue when he was about 3. We talked to the pediatrician several times and didn't get anywhere. We moved about a year ago and the new Dr was concerned and sent him to a colo-rectal specialist. The nerves in his colon do not work right and he never "feels" like he needs to go. This started causing him to have "accidents" as he was literally too full and it would force it's own way out. I make him sit on the toilet for about 10-15 min per night to encourage his body to go...but per the Dr we also use Swiss Kriss and the Metamucil fiber wafers. Swiss Kriss is an herbal laxative (available at Walgreens)that he will take until he outgrows the nerve issue in the next year or two. (they say between the ages of 13 and 15)

I hope for her sake that it is not the same issue...but I wish you the best of luck.

i would get her some children or infant laxitive they have it in cholate or root bear i think it called little one well good luck

I sounds like she is holding it to much to long and that causes it to hurt also when you go. My daughter had the same problem and I had to stand there with her while she sat on the toilet and make her sit until she went so she could unterstand it is so much easier if you don't try to hold it in and just go when your body says it has to. And try offering her only water no milk or juice, because it might be causing her not to go like she should. Hope this helps and good luck.

Hi K. - My niece was about the same age as your daughter when she had the same problem. You mentioned that you give her juice, did you try prune juice? That's what her peditrician recommended.

My daughter is going on 5 and has the same issues.
I give her 1 teaspoon of Miralax daily. Its non-habit forming and it just softens the stool so they can go.
You can give more, but then if its too soft, give less.
My doctor recommended it and I have found it to be very useful.
If the problem is not fixed soon, when your daughter can go, she will not because she associates going with pain as its painful to pass the hard stool.
Try this and see if it helps.
Also, this disolves completely in any beverage, so they do not know its there!!!
Good luck!

Hi~
I have an upset toddler so this will be short. Both my younger boys are on Miralax daily for the same reason. NOTHING else helped. It takes a little while to work, though and I recommend giving enough to make bm's really soft (unable to cause impaction) and then back off to a maintenance dose!

Good luck!

Oh, yes...one more thing! Yogurt is a great way to get the natural cultures our digestive systems need. It need not be the overpriced 'activia' and such...plain old lowfat yogurt every day will do wonders!!

Hi K.:

I dealt with this situation with both of my daughters and it was very difficult to deal with. I ended up taking my older daughter to a pediatric gastro dr and he prescribed Myralax for her - and they sell it over the counter now. It is a powder and I just put it in her juice, milk, water, etc... It really helped the situation. I don't remember the exact dose so you may want to ask your dr about that.

Good luck!

My 2 year old girl was having a similar issue. She is now using Miralax daily. I will be starting her on a probiotic soon with hopes it will help with this as well as other things. Good Luck!

Hi Kristen! I have been there with my son, I know what you are going through. I work as a nurses aide, & when the residents have that problem we first give them prune juice. I would suggest 2oz 2 x a day. Your daughter might get stomach cramps if she gets 4oz all at one time. My Dr. had me give my son senacot (sp?) suppositories & that worked really well. I would first try the prune juice, as that does work, even if you need to give it more than 2 x a day I know it will give good results. LOL. Judy

My son had the same issues. I found that like me when he consumed too much dairy he would have the problems. We switched him over to soy milk, which is lactose free (since he drinks so much of it) He still eats his daily yogart and cheese and his stools are fine now. Sometimes if he eats too much yogart or cheese and ice cream he will have a "tough" one. But he has stopped the painful bloody ones. I don't know if this is why with your daughter but it is worth a try.

Hi K.,

A suggestionm maybe this could assist: make sure the water your daughter is drinking is warm. Cold, icy water causes intestines to constrict and slow down their processes. Stay off bananas, they bind. Avocado and prune juice are good to get things moving along.

Good Luck!
J.

I myself have used Miralax and it has worked wonders. It's a powder and best to mix with juice, powerade, something like that. If 2 year olds can take Tums, I would try that. When I was little my mom always gave me prunes. They seemed to work and at least I was getting some fruit. Good luck!

try oatmeal. My son ate it every day for breakfast for a week or so and it worked like a charm. he isn't an every day "goer" so just knowing that I can turn to oatmeal for a few days if he needs a little extra help has been a savior for my worries.

K.,
It still sounds like there's a fiber deficiency. Okay, I've dealt with this mySELF. I have used herbal fiber. And recently I took a vitamin or mineral supplement that holy smokes! acted like an intestinal Draino!
You're doing all the right things with fruits, veggies, water. At least she isn't dehydrated.
But I would still consult someone about it. You don't want this to blow up in your face or keep you awake worrying. And maybe it takes an MRI or something to SEE if there's something.
Take a little comfort in that if it were the other way around and she had constant diarrhea, she would get dehydrated quickly and you'd be beside yourself with not only the reason, but the constant clean up.
Good luck!

My son has had problems for a very long time...we have had several tests, a scope, and nothing was found...we went to a specialist and even to Ann Arbor for further testing...
He takes Miralax (used to be a prescription - now it is over the counter) it seems to help, but you have to play with it a little to get the dose right - too much causes loose stool (diarhea); He only takes it every other day now - but has been using it for a few years...

Perhaps something she is eating is causing her to be constipated.. sometimes dairy can cause it. Perhaps lots nad lots of water and cutting out dairy. Not sure if you're open to it, but chiropractic adjustments help my son with constipation, especially when he was little.

Hi K.
We had the same probably with my 4 year old since she was 3 years old. We tried everything and finally went to a specialist. Basically they put her on Miralax 2x per day (3/4 capful each time). Plus have her sit on the potty 1st thing in the morning and right after meals.

She is finally regular and potty trained and we no longer need to use the Miralax. I know what you are going through as we had to take her to ER/Urgent Care several times and use enemas so many times I hate to think about it (not fun with a 3 year old!).

I would definitely recommend seeing a specialist if the problem continues as he said that they will hold it in even when not constipated as they remember it hurting and then it becomes a vicious cycle. It can be heartbreaking for parents to see kids go through this so if you need to email me off list, feel free. Good luck and keep us posted.

Hugs,
B. P.

When my daughter was a baby, we used karo syrup. We added it to her bottle at the time and it kept everything regular. I would suggest at least a couple tablespoons or an ounce. Just a thought....

I have twin girls(5 1/2 years old). We have had many bouts with constipation. We saw a GI doctor for four years for constipation and reflux. The only thing that works for us is ( outside if Murilax which is over the counter and works great when dosing is correct) mandarin oranges. We buy Dole in the plastic container. You can find the best deal at Walmart. Good luck!!!

K.,

If it were my daughter I would examine her diet and make sure she reduced her carbs and increased her veggies quite a bit, things like celery, cucumbers. I would also eliminate dairy right away, everything dairy. Dairy isn't good for you, I know most people don't believe that but if you read anybody who is truly a health expert and not someone who was just schooled in a regular college and taught all the same things as every other doctor. I would seriously check out this book that I read recently, very very good and easy to read, I think it would help you a lot in many areas besides just your daughters problems. It is called "Fell's guide to health and wellness"

I know it sounds weird but like you said the medication isn't working so maybe you should go from a different direction and check out your natural options.

I hope some of this helps, oh also, lots of water, lots.

This sounds a bit like the onset of bowel-retention... it's not that the stool is big, it's that her bowel is distending as she withholds it, making it less and less comfortable to pass, setting up the vicious cycle of the whole thing over again.

Juice and dairy products (all kinds) are both binding, as are bananas, particularly when unripened (still green).

This is one of the reasons the folks in the Victorian-era used cod liver and mineral oil... it is impossible to habitually 'hold' bowels in the presence of very much of those kind of oils. With the nod of your daughter's doctor, I'd suggest adding one of the heavy (edible, that is, made from food) oils to her breakfast... if she drinks smoothies, it's an easy way to hide it, but it can be added to oatmeal and even juice, if she can't swallow the capsules. Swallowing straight oil is quite amazingly gross, so I wouldn't suggest trying that at all...

Have you tried just increasing the natural, healthy fat level of her diet in general? Fat 'greases' things quite significantly, and lots of little kids simply do not get enough. Avocado is an easy way to feed it to them, as is bread dipped in good-quality olive oil. Nuts and seeds have lots of oils in them (if she eats them ground). Some little kids really like fatty fish (like salmon and mackerel) and even olives, both of which also have a lot of natural oil.

My son now seven had the samething happen at about the same age. After some talks with our Doctor she recommended a Pedicatric gastro doctor. His name is Dr. William Belknap. His office is at South Blvd. and Dequindre in Troy {###-###-####. It does take some time to get in but well worth it. Because of my son's symptoms the doctor put him on Miralax one 17 gram dose a day. I put it in his juice and he never knew it was there. They now sell Miralax over the counter. If this treatment is recommended by the doctor Sam's Club sells it at a good price. This treatment really worked for my son and kept him regular. When we would travel and forgot it, we knew! Now that my son is older we have changed him over to daily fiber sure and try to keep track of his water and natural fiber intake. Other causes I have heard of could be a food sensitivity such as milk or bread products. Also, they say that everybodys regularity is different so her bowel habits my just be changing to every several days. One thing that was good for our son was we try to stay calm when he is struggling to go. We encourage him to read or sing what ever will get him to relax. He has learned to be very patient. As a parent it is very hard to watch your child suffer with this so take a deep breath and be encouraging. If you have not consulted a specialist give Dr. Belknap a call.
C. M

At my house we take an acidophilus probiotics blend from Trader Joes. It helps balance the good bacteria in the gut, and makes the stool a bit softer. My daughter goes better when she has a smoothie, the blender cuts food up more than your teeth can. I put a big handful of organic spinach, blend in 1 c of water, add 1/2 c frozen blueberries, (strawberries are good too) blend smooth, and a banana add more water if needed and 3 ice cubes blend again. Put it in a colored cup w/ a lid so they don't just look at the color. It's amazingly good for you and tasty too.
You could crush the acidophilus and add it to a drink.
Good luck, A. H

i completely went through this...i think my daughter was only 1 though. we ended up putting a little metamucil in her juice. you'll be happy to know that she just grew out of it though. i remember changing her diaper, and you could actually see her stool, and see that it was too big to get out. I would have to massage the area with vaseline to kind of give her the urge to push it. i even called the doctor once, and he asked..."how brave of a parent are you" i was like, why?? he said i had to help "break it up" as she pushed it out. (sorry for the gory details)
but i really only used the metamucil a few times, like maybe twice a week...and she had the problem for about 6 months, and then it just stopped.

Greetings K.,

It sounds like she might be consuming too much sugar. Reduce her milk consumption and dilute her juice. Make sure she drinks at least 16oz. of water daily. Give her steamed vegetables and fresh fruit. If you see no positive change within a week you might want to look for a holistic Dr.
Much success!

Love,
S.

I agree with the responses that your pedatrician does not understand the magnitude of this problem. My daughter(5 yrs old at the time) went thru this same thing (and is still dealing with it). Long story short she went for 6 months before we realized what was going on and during this time she could not feel when she had to pee or poop, so she was having 10+ accidents a day. Very frustrating for the child as well as the parents. I recommend going to see a doctor at U of M hospital. They have a clinic that specializes in encopresis. Email me and I will give you the name and number of the doc. They are WONDERFUL! My daugher (now 7yrs old) has not had an accident in several months. The doc's at U of M definitely helped my daugher. I can't say enough good things about them.

My daughter went through something similar just after she turned two. She was potty trained so it was a little different. I know how frightening it can be. We eventually figured out that she was just holding it in because she did not want to go. We still do not know why that is..but here is what worked for us. We began a sticker chart. (the power of sticker is quite amazing) Every time she pooped, she got a sticker. She got to pick the sticker out of the book and place it on herself. We also gave her a teaspoon of mineral oil twice a day and a lot of prune juice. Before too long, she was back to going once or twice a day and forgot about the chart all together. Seems too simple to be true but it worked so well. Good luck! These situations can be very frustrating.

A friend of mine had a daughter who had the same problem. The bad thing about this is that there are sensors that trigger us to have to go to the bathroom, if it is painful for her to go she will fight the urge which causes the bowel to stretch; this allows for back up and makes the problem much worse. I would suggest getting a referral to a specialist; I don't think your doctor realizes how serious this is. I am assuming our dealing with her Pediatrician; sometimes you just have to put your foot down and demand results. My husband told me once that just because their doctors doesn't mean the graduated at the top of their class. I had never really thought about it that way. Good Luck!

I agree with Rebecca above, your pediatrician does NOT realize how serious this is. I lived with that type of constipation my entire childhood until I was around 20 years old. It was a toxic way to live! I sometimes would have one real bowel movement, with much pain, every two months or so. I had the urge to go pretty much all the time, but it hurt SO much that when I would sit down to go I couldn't let myself.

I was diagnosed with a "lazy colon" as in, the mucosal folds in my transverse colon did not function well, therefore making the waste go through verrry slowly. My body basically absorbed every calorie and bit of fat I ate since it had so much time to absorb stuff. I was able to go so long between bowel movements because of that. I became overweight at age 10 and now as an adult I am, unfortunatly, morbidly obese.

My mom tried soooo many natural things to help me, but she just didn't realize she would not be able to.
It's a miserable way to grow up. Don't take no for an answer!

I have read all the suggestions and have a different and easier one for you. Fiber one makes fiber bars that are DELISH! They give you 35% of your daily fiber needs. I buy the chocolate ones...they also have peanut butter and caramel ones as a "treat" for me. They are sooo good that I look forward to eating one every day. They're divine. Also their cereal (the flake one) is also good with a banana on it. I think a serving of that is 50% of your daily fiber needs. I am totally regular now because of these. They are a Godsend. I tell everyone about them. They're sooooo good! (; Medication should only happen if nothing else "natural" works first. Let me know how everything turns out.

My oldest daughter had the same problem when she was about the same age. She seemed to be afraid to go and would hold it in, because it always hurt so much to go. I did discover one thing that helped her and my youngest baby who also had the same problem. I took them both to my chiropractor, and usually within a few minutes of having an adjustment in their lower backs, they would have an "explosion." By taking them regularly to my chiropractor every week or more, the problem completely disappeared within a few weeks. I also took them all off of any kind of dairy and went strictly with water and fruit juice that had no sugar in it. Now, the problem no longer exists. Hope this will help. If you want more info, you can reach me at ____@____.com. I am a stay-at-home mom of 5 children, ages 8,7,5,3 and 2. I'm lovin' it!

I have dealt with that in the past and you can try alternative approaches. Flaxseed helps and you can buy it in seed form or oil. Also selenium is another. I would approach your dr about using these first . But I have used both and they work. I actually buy my vitamins from Whole foods and selenium is part of it. Another thing you can make sure to do is water and more water. Take out the juices and drink boxes if you are using them. Corn, Applesauce, oatmeal are all things I have used. I run a daycare and had a child who was like that.

My daughter had the same thing starting around 2 also. 2 things work for us..Dr prescribed miralax I hear its now over the counter,also fletchers castoria for kids root beer flavored both of these we have to use often its the only things that help..Good luck