Constipation Causing Potty Accidents? and an Added Question

My daughter had the same problem. It was awful. Everyone suggested different things and we tried everything. Even the Miralax, and THAT was the worst for her. She had loose bowels like mud and didn't know when she needed to poop. Those accidents were mortifying for her. But, every kid is different. My nephew drinks those V8 Fusions and those work for him. My cousin's kid drinks grape juice, and that works for him. My daughter drank prune juice (just 4 oz. straight) every morning. Sometimes twice a day. Then, we started watering it down, and eventually, she didn't need it. The doctor said that their body gets so used to being constipated that you have to like reprogram and get it used to smooth movements.
And, yes, it took us forever to potty train because of all that. But, once it was solved we had a happy healthy girl that was happy to potty on the toilet.
Good luck. ;)

yes, that's a pretty common reason for urinary accidents. the fullness of the bowels creates more pressue on the bladder. i've had two friends with boys with that problem, they did miralax daily for a few months and things eventually improved. good luck.

Yes. I know it even happens to me when my bowels are pretty full I have more accidents

You can give her the Miralax everyday and it sounds like she needs it like that rather than every other. Yes, if her bowels are full they push against the bladder and I'm sure is contributing to the accidents.

My son had the same problem. I noticed the best thing for him was a bowl of oatmeal with flax seed or a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats a few times a week. Also, watermelon can really help and mandarin oranges. We used Miralax too, but I was trying to find the best dietary things so we could stop the medicine.

Sounds very typical of encopresis. In boys, it's mostly stool seeping out. In girls, it's mostly pee accidents because of the location of the bladder (the hard mass of stool inside the colon presses against the bladder in girls). Take her to a pediatric gastronentologist (think that's how it's spelled). She'll probably have to get an x-ray to see the extent of the impactation and then again after 'clean-out' to make sure it's really gone.

The standard treatment is to clean out the colon and get the hard mass out -- usually by lots of doses of Miralax for a few days. And then continueing with Miralax daily to help prevent the constipation. We've been dealign with this with my son for a few years so you might be in for the long haul if it's been going on for awhile.

Try to find out what causes the constipation and avoid common foods that cause it -- bananas, applesauce, white rice, white bread, etc. Increase the fiber - raisins, FiberOne bars (my son loves these), high fiber cereals (FiberOne has some tasty ones my kids love) and push lots and lots of water.

My son is very sensitive to dairy and for years has been limited to just 1-2 servings at most each day - often none. After school let out for the summer, we put him on a cassein-free diet (no milk/dairy at all, even in baked goods, etc) and we've seen a HUGE improvement in just a few weeks. He hasn't been constipated at all this summer and therefore hasn't had a soiling incident in 4 weeks (the longest he's gone in the past 6 years!). Going completely cassein-free is a big pain in the butt because milk is in so many things, but it's not too bad once if you ease into it. It's also easier these days to find many soy/coconut/almond-milk substitutes... he enjoys ice cream sandwiches, fudge pops, milkshakes, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, etc like the other kids.

I'm so sorry to hear that your little girl is struggling with that discomfort! The pressure on the bladder caused by the full bowel seems very plausible as the reason for the urinary accidents.

I know you didn't really ask for advice on the constipation, but have you tried dried fruit? My daughter will get constipated if I don't give her enough fruit each day and the dried fruit (i.e. raisins, apricots, etc) always works for her within an hour or two. Also, maybe probiotics would help her get some good bacteria in her gut. You could simply offer her yogurt or ask her pediatrician about a probiotic supplement.

Good luck to you and I hope your little girl is more comfortable soon :)

I also wanted to suggest Pediasure with fiber (you have to make sure it says that because some don't have the added fiber). My daughter has always been constipated and as a baby I had to put Karo syrup in all of her bottles or she would turn red and cry trying to go. It was heart breaking. Anyhow, she loves the Pediasure and if we go one day without it she has trouble going potty too. She will be 3 in Oct. so is close to your daughter's age. She eats a lot of fruit but won't touch a veggie even though we offer daily. The pediasure also helps to give her some of the nutrients that she isn't getting, although it sounds like your daughter is eating veggies so that probably isn't a concern that you have. We have the opposite problem though where are daughter will constantly tell us that she has to go, but then sits on the toilet and never goes (when she is constipated). Good luck with everything!

Make sure she is eating plenty of fresh veggies and fruit, and stay away from processed foods. Lots of dairy can cause constipation also.

Fruit Juice works well also for the constipation. Works better for my little girl than regular fruit. I also wonder if she is peeing her pants when she tries to pass gass.

I know how frustrating this can be...my daughter has been having these accidents since she was 4 and she's now 6. We've been to the Urologist and a GI doctor. They took an x-ray which showed she was very constipated. They put her on Miralax every day and increased the fiber in her diet. She still has accident's and also gets UTI's. She also went to a Peds. Psychologist which helped her get on a schedule and taught her to use her pause button to stop playing and come in to use the bathroom. She has to try to go potty and poop after eating. We also had to set the timer for a while to remind her to go.
She has had the test done to make sure her urine wasn't backing up into her kidney's.
There is also a test that the GI doctor did where they inserted a small balloon into her rectum and tried blowing it up to see if her muscles contracted...some kids don't have the feeling that they have to go poopy. The test was inconclusive because she was moving too much even after being sedated a little...if they have to do the test again they will have to knock her out.
It looks like we will be heading back to the GI doctor to see if her Miralax needs adjusted.
Her GI doctor and Urologist have both said all of this is happening because she's so constipated and it doesn't allow her bladder to work properly.
I hope things get better for your 3 year old!! :)
T.

Yes, in fact, being an older woman with slight incontinence issues, I have that problem myself. I have to pay attention to very subtle bladder signals if I'm even a little constipated.

My son has chronic constipation and yes this contributes to accidents. His bladder has become desensitized and doesn't always know he needs to go potty until the last minute. It has gotten better as he has gotten older. Doctor suggested creating a regular routine where he sits on the potty everyday at the same time for at least 15 minutes...even if he doesn't go. The point is to train the body to go at a regular time. This along with miralax and extra fiber however we can get it has helped. He did have chiropractic adjustments for a while but didn't see a notable difference with that.