Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Dealing With Diarrhea And Accidents

johalex

Recommended Posts

johalex Rookie
johalex
Posted

I got a lot of help here when my son was diagnosed with Celiac's in October of last year. He'd been having chronic diarrhea which didn't go away after elminating all sources of dairy from his diet.

Now, he is doing much better with a gluten-free diet, but it seems we still have "break-through" diarrhea. Sometimes it is when he gets gluten or dairy accidentally, other times it could just be him still healing after only 4-5 months of being gluten free.

My question is how do you deal with the diarrhea, and often accidents of an "older" child? Mine is almost 7 and we have a hard time with this. I worry that he is going to get teased as he sometimes has accidents on the bus home from school, and his sister is not very discreet about telling him if he has had an accident. :(

Has anyone had to deal with the accidents and the emotional aftermath? MY dh think he should be able to make it to the toilet in time at his age. It really has gotten to be an issue at our house and I really could use some help dealing with it.

TIA!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Smunkeemom Enthusiast
Smunkeemom
Posted

I haven't yet since my kids are homeschooled, and I don't know if it would be a good idea or not, but they make immodium for kids, maybe he could take a dose before school if he is having a "D-day" (that's what we call them in our family, no disrespect to the armed forces)

johalex Rookie
johalex
Posted
  • Author
I haven't yet since my kids are homeschooled, and I don't know if it would be a good idea or not, but they make immodium for kids, maybe he could take a dose before school if he is having a "D-day" (that's what we call them in our family, no disrespect to the armed forces)

I do have some Immodium in tablet form he can take, but that is usually after-the-fact. I think I need to help educate my dh more on being sensitive to Celaic's, I am sure that would help too.

elfkin Contributor
elfkin
Posted

Can he pack extra underwear and pants in his bag discreetly? If you put them in a ziplock bag and push all the air out before sealing (a gallon size bag), it makes it small and easy to pack. Then he has a bag to store the soiled clothes to take home as well. Also a pull-up in the backpack (kiss of death if discovered!) is good for runny days without much control. We homeschool as well, but do this for gymnastics, etc. We have even used small bladder control pads (poise) to avoid smears (sorry to be gross, but hey, it happens!), but I am thinking a boy would NEVER agree to that! :o Best wishes!

Guest Viola
Guest Viola
Posted

Oh, that is a tough one, especially when he has a sibling who can't resist saying anything. Both your DH and his sibling need to learn that Celiac D is sometimes NOT controllable. And embarrasing him will do life long damage to his self esteem.

Good luck with this, let us know how it goes.

johalex Rookie
johalex
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for your replies!

I am really trying to educate my dh on this. But, he still falls back on the thinking that Alex has some accidents because he doesn't want to stop what he is doing. For instance, he doesn't like to stop playing computer, so he'll have an accident instead of going to the tolet. Now, I know that celiac disease gives him uncontrollable bowel spasms that cause the soiling but I am still trying to convince dh 100 percent on that. Dh doesn't shame him. but he doesn't necessarily make an accident much fun to deal with. After all, who likes cleaning out poopy underwear? I don't for darn sure, but I go about it in a business-like way so as not to get my ds upset.

Does anyone have any good pamphlets or books they can recommend that I can have him read? This would also be good for his Grandmothers, who often care for him too.

I still think I need to dig deeper into making his life totally gluten-free, things I hadn't thought of like his toothpaste, shampoo, soap and even his own toaster might be the culprit.

This can be very overwhelming at times. :unsure:

  • 6 years later...
raemckee Newbie
raemckee
Posted

I am suffering from fecal incontinence. There is no warning. It may be hard to understand if you haven't experienced it.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Cara in Boston Enthusiast
Cara in Boston
Posted

It sounds like he is still being glutened pretty regularly. I would examine EVERYTHING that could possibly be the cause and keep a diary (just note bad days on a calendar) so you can spot any patterns . . . especially if other people are caring for him. Perhaps there is something at Grandma's house that she thinks is gluten-free but really isn't.

So far my son hasn't had any accidents - up until recently he has had no GI symptoms at all. We do keep a change of clothes at school and he has a "code" word to tell his teacher if he needs to go change. He also has permission to go to the bathroom whenever necessary - without waiting for the bathroom pass or something - while at school. Maybe you could ask his teacher to have him go to the bathroom before getting on the bus home. That wouldn't help in a sudden emergency, but might help a little.

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

I had to reply to this because I have this problem when I'm glutened. I can't even get to the toilet when it is just down the hall 10 yards. There really is no warning. I don't know about the volume in his case, but in mine, bringing spare clothes wouldn't be enough. I need a shower too. I get it running down my legs, all over the floor, everywhere. It makes you feel so humiliated. This child needs understanding, not teasing. My husband is also not terribly understanding, but he is getting better.

I've gotten better at telling that it is going to happen because I get a stomach ache first. Maybe you could work on that with him, and when he feels those initial symptoms you could pick him up from school so that it doesn't happen there or on the bus. The best that you can do is to have it happen at home rather than out in public. It is not possible to get to the toilet on time.

He is probably still getting gluten somewhere.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

This topic is six years old--the original poster has not visited in over three.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable. The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body. So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days. Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte...
    2. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine?
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine. Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine. Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats. Meat, especially organ...
    4. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc. Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food....
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Russ H's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

      That is interesting, and it's the first time I heard about the umbilical cord beings used for that test. Thanks for sharing!
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,870
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    KABoston
    Newest Member
    KABoston
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable.  The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body.  So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days.  Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test.  But even that test has been questioned as to accuracy.  It is expensive and takes time to do.   Because of the discrepancies with thiamine tests and urgency with correcting thiamine deficiency, the World Health Organization recommends giving thiamine for several weeks and looking for health improvement.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   Many doctors are not given sufficient education in nutrition and deficiency symptoms, and may not be familiar with how often they occur in Celiac disease.  B12 and Vitamin D can be stored for as long as a year in the liver, so not having deficiencies in these two vitamins is not a good indicator of the status of the other seven water soluble B vitamins.  It is possible to have deficiency symptoms BEFORE there's changes in the blood levels.   Ask your doctor about Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine that is better absorbed than Thiamine Mononitrate.  Thiamine Mononitrate is used in many vitamins because it is shelf-stable, a form of thiamine that won't break down sitting around on a store shelf.  This form is difficult for the body to turn into a usable form.  Only thirty percent is absorbed in the intestine, and less is actually used.   Thiamine interacts with all of the other B vitamins, so they should all be supplemented together.  Magnesium is needed to make life sustaining enzymes with thiamine, so a magnesium supplement should be added if magnesium levels are low.   Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  There's no harm in trying.
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine? 
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine.  Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine.  Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and  Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats.  Meat, especially organ meats like liver, are the best sources of Thiamine, B12, and the six other B vitamins and important minerals like iron.   Thiamine has antibacterial and antiviral properties.  Thiamine is important to our immune systems.  We need more thiamine when we're physically ill or injured, when we're under stress emotionally, and when we exercise, especially outside in hot weather.  We need thiamine and other B vitamins like Niacin B 3 to keep our gastrointestinal tract healthy.  We can't store thiamine for very long.  We can get low in thiamine within three days.  Symptoms can appear suddenly when a high carbohydrate diet is consumed.  (Rice and beans are high in carbohydrates.)  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so symptoms can wax and wane depending on what one eats.  The earliest symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are easily contributed to other things or life events and dismissed.   Correcting nutritional deficiencies needs to be done quickly, especially in children, so their growth isn't stunted.  Nutritional deficiencies can affect intelligence.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause short stature and poor bone formation.   Is your son taking anything for the anemia?  Is the anemia caused by B12 or iron deficiency?  
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
    • Scott Adams
      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      That is interesting, and it's the first time I heard about the umbilical cord beings used for that test. Thanks for sharing!
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.