Dealing With Diarrhea And Accidents

[johalex]

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!

[Smunkeemom]

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]

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]

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! Best wishes!

[Guest Viola]

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]

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.

[raemckee]

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

[Cara in Boston]

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]

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]

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