Encompresis

[megsybeth]

My son has non (?) celiac gluten sensitivity. The main symptom before diagnosis was explosive, horrible, horrible diarrhea. Well this is not a crowd that probably needs me to explain =). But he also has this other extreme. His most recent doctor recommended a book "The Ins and Outs of Poop". Great book with gross name and even grosser pictures. The book makes the case that kids get desensitzed, and stretched out in the colon from having stool held routinely and need a long time to get back on track.

 

The most popular way is Miralax but I just cannot find the right dose. For one thing, he'll sometimes not drink it all and I have to guess how much he got. If I tell him to drink it, well that's not happening. But when we get him in a groove (by giving really sugary soda to get the miralax down...) he'll get such loose stools that he doesn't make it to the toilet in the morning, not formed at all. If I reduce by one teaspoon, constipated, leaking, very bad behavior.

 

I have found that suppositories work miracles but my son doesn't agree and I feel like that's something you shouldn't force. I ordered some pedialax chewables from Amazon. Yes, I'm trying to up fiber and fluids (I even sprinkle flax meal on all his starchy foods to hedge them). I know I can do better but I also want my little boy to go to school which is really hard when he is either having diarrhea or constipation.

 

Any advice?

[IrishHeart]

What about probiotics?  They are safe for children and I have to think it might help his alternating bowels situation.  Sure helped mine.

They are useful for colitis and diarrhea. I do not mean just eating yogurt, I mean something like this:

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

how old is he? Ask the owner to suggest the proper formula and dosage for him.

 

 

I know you have to put the miralax in something, but real sugary soda is probably not helping the cause. It may be making the stools too loose.

 

Can't say I blame him about suppositories. Not something I'd enjoy either. 

 

I know it is difficult when your wee one does not feel well and keeps having this problem, but this suggestion may well help.

[megsybeth]

Thanks, Irish Heart. I do give him probiotics every day. I'm not able to adjust when he gets them (some do better a few hours after eating) because there is just too much on my plate. And I'm not really sure if I should adjust the dosage beyond what is prescribed. I guess sugary soda isn't accurate, it's not high fructose corn syrup, just these sparkling apple ciders with a little juice in them. Last night I just did prune juice because he hadn't gone all day.

 

I do wonder how he can hold it. When we had to clean him out for his colonoscopy he did the "clean out" (MOM I think?) and didn't go, called doctor in the morning and she had me give him more, then a suppository in the hospital...didn't go. Of course he exploded in the room where they did the scope but the kid has some strange rectal powers when he's awake.

[stanleymonkey]

We were told 1 g for each kg of body weight. We got our four year old off miralax finally, we were told a kd should be on it at least 6 months to get their bowel to shrink and start working properly.

Soda is a diuretic, so you won't be helping matters. He seems to be having as difficult a time as my daughters were. You need to see his ped or a gastro to work out a proper dosing schedule, and a bowel management plan. The dosing needs to be followed exactly to the letter, given at the same time every day.

Giving too much could dehydrate him making the vicious cycle of encopresis worse, or not enough earning his bowel never gets a chance to heal.

You need to call your doc and be forceful about getting this dealt with now. We had a great ped and gastro, they worked with us to develop a plan for miralax, toileting and diet.

After we went gluten-free they were on less miralax as constipation was their main symptom. Patience and time means they are both doing great miralax free, if they don't poop one ay we give them a piece of gluten-free licorice! It helps!

[stanleymonkey]

I forgot to add miralax is odorless and tasteless just stick it in some broth even, don't tell him it's there he won't be able to tell. My 4 yr old never knew when she was getting hers and this is a kid who. An find a tiny piece of onion in a huge bowl of fried rice!

Holding in his poop is probably partly a control thing, so if he knows he's getting miralax he's losing control and will fight it by not drinking it. If he doesn't know.........

[megsybeth]

He's definitely being followed by a pediatric gi. I haven't done anything not recommended by them. I do think there's also a misunderstanding about what I'm giving him to drink. We drink seltzer which is pure water, sometimes add a little lemon. I also had some Martinelli's sparkling cider which had some juice in it. I think fructose can soften stools but obviously not that much or I wouldn't need miralax. Lately I'm adding prune juice to seltzer. It's not like I'm giving him a liter of pepsi . I have a follow up next week and am recording my dosing and the staining/bms the next day so hopefully we'll have something to go off.

[stanleymonkey]

Prune juice is awesome my two would drink gallons! There sa light at the end ofbthevtunnel, after 2 1/2 of encopresis our 4 yr old is as regular as clockwork,,and no stainingbetc for more than 6 months. Good luck with your little guy, I knw how frustrating encopresis an e.

[megsybeth]

Prune juice is awesome my two would drink gallons! There sa light at the end ofbthevtunnel, after 2 1/2 of encopresis our 4 yr old is as regular as clockwork,,and no stainingbetc for more than 6 months. Good luck with your little guy, I knw how frustrating encopresis an e.

[megsybeth]

Thank you for this. It's so hard because it impacts (no pun intended) where and for how long he can go to school. He hides the staining from his teachers even though he's in a preschool that's supportive. He's going to a new school in June for summer camp and then full time in Sept. I'm worried if we can't fix this he'll be asked to leave..

[stanleymonkey]

If you have medical documentation they can't ask him to leave, it's a medical condition.