Pooping & Miralax

[Izak's Mom]

So it seems for the past month that my son has gone from one extreme to the other...we went gluten free almost 2 years ago due to chronic explosive diarrhea and all has been great, but for the past few weeks he has been all backed up - and then, it's absolutely gut wrenching to witness, he cries like he's in labor when he finally poops. I mean seriously, I think he birthed a tree trunk out of his butt yesterday and I was crying right along with him - his poor little butthole (pardon the term) was stretched the size of a silver dollar with a GIANT turd coming out and I know he must have been in agony. My personal opinion is that he's been so used to having soft mushy poops, that he feels something hard coming out and then sucks it back in - then he gets all backed up and goes 2-3 days without pooping until he has these incredibly painful movements and they're just HUGE - and after the first one, there's usually one or two more, usually a bit less hard each time and ending with mush. I've tried to make sure he gets enough fiber - he'll eat a whole can of pears in one sitting and loves oranges, but being a toddler he's getting fussier and maybe isn't getting enough roughage? I just don't know. Anyway, I called the doc who said to try Miralax, because I asked about a stool softener (I remember how wonderful Colace was after giving birth!) and I was hesitant to try it since I don't want to give him a laxative but...after this last episode, I bought some today and gave him half a capful with his evening milk. Does anyone else have experience with this kind constipation and/or using Miralax?

E

[Darn210]

My daughter is on it and has been most of the time since May. The doctor loves it because you don't become dependant on it. My doc preferred it to be given with apple juice because something about it helped attract or retain water in the bowel to keep the bm soft.

I have known several families that have used it - none of them for Celiac reasons. Two out of the three were for kids that were reluctant poopers. They would restrain themselves until it was painful to go - then because it was painful, they would restrain themselves - vicious cycle - sound familiar?

The friend of mine that sounds most similar to your situation used miralax to get her daughter flushed out (so to speak). Then she took her off. She learned that her daughter just started the cycle over. So after the second or third time that she put her back on it, she kept her on it for a while (I'm going to guess at least a month) until they established a new routine and the daughter got use to going when she got the initial urge. (They can't hold it in with the Miralax).

Another friend's daughter (and more like my daughter) had to use the Miralax until she established higher fluid (primary) and fiber (a close second) intake. We're also dealing with gastroparesis which is a slow digestive system and it seems a lot worse if she's even the slightest bit constipated.

I also found that I don't need to give the recommended dose (to my doctor's horror who tried to convince me otherwise). I figured if the bm's are daily and formed but not hard then that's all she needs. (It's about 2/3 of what the doc recommended.)

[Ursa Major]

I would say, instead of giving Miralax with milk, cut out the milk and hold the Miralax! Dairy is known to cause constipation, and could well be the culprit here.

Nobody needs milk after weaning, and (contrary to what the dairy industry wants you to believe) dairy leeches calcium out of your body, rather than putting it in. The foods highest in calcium are leafy green vegetables (cows get their strong bones from calcium out of green grass).

I hope your little guy feels better soon, this situation sounds very stressful.

[blueeyedmanda]

My coworkers daughter was just given Miralax since she had not gone for about a week after being very ill. It worked wonders and the best part of it was it didn't give the horrible cramps that other laxatives give. The girl who is was given to was about 3 yrs old. She is back to normal movements again after the 1 dose.

[mama2]

I had to give it to my daughter for pooping reasons, reasons like yours. We had used it for about 3mths off and on ... eventually her body worked it all out. My ped said it was naormal for toddlers to go through a period like this. I tried to cut dairy out of her diet... did not work for us... made no diff. The Miralax was wonderful and would use it again if needed.

I feel your pain ... would cry too along with my DD.

Hope he starts feeling better.

[Izak's Mom]

  Ursa Major said:

I would say, instead of giving Miralax with milk, cut out the milk and hold the Miralax! Dairy is known to cause constipation, and could well be the culprit here.

Actually, he's been on soy for almost as long as we've been gluten-free, so to clarify it's Silk Vanilla Soy Milk that he drinks - and only about 3 cups a day, morning, noon & with dinner. But thanks to all for the comments...especially the one about being a 'reluctant pooper' - that sounds exactly like him! He had another BM today and it was great, he just looked at me and said "I'm pooping mommy" and it was definitely mushy, but no pain, no straining and he was happy about it afterwards. I think I do need to get more fluids into him though...for some reason, he's just not wanting water or juice ("juice" = 1 part juice + 3 parts water) during the day. I've even tried to cut it with less water to make it sweeter, but no luck, although this is a relatively new behavior that I guess falls under that 'toddler madness' umbrella. Anyway, thanks again for everyone's comments.

Out of curiosity though, for those still using it, what kind of dose are you giving? Izak is just under 30 lbs and I'm giving him half a capful (half of the white inner cap, not the whole purple thing).

[gfpaperdoll]

I would take him off the soy - no one needs soy...

I would also not give him dairy.

Sometimes apple juice itself is enough to cause loose bowels. I am not familiar with miralax, but sounds like you have some good reports on it.

also check to make sure that soy milk is gluten free - some are not - because if you are giving him soy, I do not think that my opinion is going to make you discontinue it. We have been brainwashed to think that we need dairy in our diet to build strong bones - which is not true. neither do we need soy...

best to replace that soy with water or juice...

[Ursa Major]

I agree about the soy - that is even worse than regular milk. Soy is terrible for anybody (unless it has been fermented the traditional Asian way to get rid of the potent toxins soy beans contain, which takes years to do) and has been shown to cause the reproductive organs in boys to not develop properly, causing fertility problems in adulthood. The reason is, that it has a high concentration of phytoestrogens.

If you think he needs milk of any kind, rice milk (not rice dream) would be a much better choice. By the way, dairy and soy have been shown to damage the villi in susceptible people as well.

[ShayBraMom]

MiraLax is heaven sent! My son has had constipation even on Breastmilk since birth! I to nly got worse when he was older, when he was almost 2.5 yrs. old I got so frustrated and aksed for a solution form the Ped. since she diend't even wanted to sent us to a Gastroenterologist! My son had started holding the stolls in and his instestines got really stretched out which just worsenens the cycle even more! A friedn of mine told me about it and I aksed for it! I didn't want to try the suppositorys and the milk of Magnesium the Ped said I should take, I knew they where full blown Laxatives and did not work for my son anyway, just caused him to have stomach cramps! The only way his poop woul dcome out at all would be by anema! He wound out having Encompresis with constipation. the constipation would cause him to hold in his pop because it'd hurt to let it out and then in return when the gut got backed up it softer stool started to leack around the hard endpart, somethig he couldn't controll! the day I gave him miralax I gave him an anema first to get the hard part out as easy as it would get for him. The next day he produced his first bowelmovement with miralLAX (otherwise it can take up to e days for the first time to work). Miralax does not like other Laxatives make your bowles move faster, adn that's hwat makes the Laxatives addictive because the gut gets lazy! MiraLAX works solely on the basis that it makes the Stool fluffier and keeps it wetter, that way the gut itself can manage it much better and move it with ease! My son had it for over a year (without ever having to increase the doseage, it always performed the same), you just have to really give it every day! What a relieve that was for my son and us. I like you cried every time he strained so hard and cried, it would make him have cold sweat on his head. MiraLax isd awesome, adn I can recommend ti to anyone! Since your son has celiac you should cinsider though that it really is the dairy that makes him constipated and switch him to Soymilk. I know now that the constation was probably pretty sure cause by my son ingesting gluten. My daughter has both Celiac-genes and she has been constipated since aobut 2 month after birth really bad. Ever since I took her off of gluten she poops everyday often more then once! that's why I think this was hte issue with my son too! My son had an accident where he almost died in January, it affected his intestines as well which means he'll probably always need some MiraLax, but all the docs in the hospital and stuff said that with MiraLax there is nothing to worry, it is the safest Laxative out there and the gentlest one at that! Don't worry, trie to adjust the diet with less dairy, while it is not really correct that it takes Clacium out of your body versusd giving it, Milk and Dairy DOES hinder the iron-absorbtion and draws Iron out of the body! My sons first Ped. even sayd Cowsmilk is cowsmilk and should stay with the cowbabies.

[cs789]

The constipation could be his symptom for being glutened. When my son was little he had diarrhea all the time but we did not know he had celiac. We found out he has celiac when he was 5 but his main symptom was having chronic constipation to the point he was terrified to go poop. The Miralax does help though especially if this may be a new way of showing he is glutened just because it will help his body rid itself of the gluten.

[janelyb]

I am finding this thread very interesting....because of the soy people are mentioning.

We've used Miralax for years before it became an OTC. I hate the stuff because I have seen side effects in my child that are not common nor are they listed as one...slurred and speech regression, issues with sensory.....we started it back when my son was 1yr and he is 4 now. I finally got him off the miralax this summer and he was going pretty good, now all of a sudden he is backed up again and has a got a horrid rash...just like he did when he was drinking reg milk in large amount. The only thing that has changed is the past several weeks he's been drinking SIlk soy milk.

at first the chocolate silk soy milk was helping in the fact it loosened his stools now that has come to a stand still. I honestally don't know if it is the soy milk or that he might have accidentally ingested dairy or gluten????

oh I am starting a new thread to get more info on soy

[Darn210]

  Izak said:

Out of curiosity though, for those still using it, what kind of dose are you giving? Izak is just under 30 lbs and I'm giving him half a capful (half of the white inner cap, not the whole purple thing).

My daughter was about 44 pounds. The doctor figured her dose should be 14g (full dose is 17g). I don't weigh it everytime, but I'm figuring I'm giving her approx 10g - just barely over half. I have given my daughter poop lessons. She now tells me when she goes and if its the good kind (formed and soft) or the bad kind (small and hard). Every so often, I go to check for myself.

I think the test for you is if he will go when he gets the urge. I think the softer it is, the harder it is for them to hold it in. My friend that I talked about earlier was giving full doses (at least in the beginning) 'cause her daughter couldn't hold that back. And I would have guessed her daughter around the 35 lb mark. If he will go at the half a capful mark, I think that's a good place to start. As he gets use to going, you can cut it back a little so it's a little more formed and a little less mushy.

[Izak's Mom]

Thanks, Janet. He went 3x today - the first was two little walnut sized balls, the second was a gigantic one, a little mushy but mostly solid-ish, and the third was just mud. But no pain, and he told me he was going each time. I've tried to teach him to relax when he feels it coming - "take deep breaths" - so he actually says that, "Mommy, I'm pooping...deep breaths." I've also been very consciously reminding him to drink more, so I think that's helping too...in addition to his morning milk, he had a whole cup of tea (he loves the flavored herbal kind) and a sippy of water/juice. I might try to cut it back a bit to see if we just get one poop instead of three, but so far, so good.

Thanks again!

-E

[Michi8]

My 9 year old son is on Miralax because of chronic constipation. He has tested negative for celiac at this point. He has always had very infrequent, large bowel movements, even when he was breastfeeding. When he was older and toilet trained, he struggled with bowel movements and would scream in pain. His stool was always very large (more than adult-sized at 5 years old!) and very solid (and very hard to flush.) It was when this constipation lead to stool and bladder incontinence that we finally got the help he needed. Turns out that his bowel was extremely distended with stool, and his body had a hard time passing it. He has now been on Miralax for over a year to give his bowel the chance to return to normal size.

Since then, I've been diagosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) which is likely responsible for my health issues, including constipation (though never as serious as my son has experienced.) Since this is a genetic disorder, I suspect that it may be the cause of my son's constipation as well. Those with EDS often have diagnoses of IBS, Chronic Fatigue, Arthritis, etc. Some have some relief with a gluten free diet (as I have as well.)

Michelle

[mulberrymom]

  Izak said:

So it seems for the past month that my son has gone from one extreme to the other...we went gluten free almost 2 years ago due to chronic explosive diarrhea and all has been great, but for the past few weeks he has been all backed up - and then, it's absolutely gut wrenching to witness, he cries like he's in labor when he finally poops. I mean seriously, I think he birthed a tree trunk out of his butt yesterday and I was crying right along with him - his poor little butthole (pardon the term) was stretched the size of a silver dollar with a GIANT turd coming out and I know he must have been in agony. My personal opinion is that he's been so used to having soft mushy poops, that he feels something hard coming out and then sucks it back in - then he gets all backed up and goes 2-3 days without pooping until he has these incredibly painful movements and they're just HUGE - and after the first one, there's usually one or two more, usually a bit less hard each time and ending with mush. I've tried to make sure he gets enough fiber - he'll eat a whole can of pears in one sitting and loves oranges, but being a toddler he's getting fussier and maybe isn't getting enough roughage? I just don't know. Anyway, I called the doc who said to try Miralax, because I asked about a stool softener (I remember how wonderful Colace was after giving birth!) and I was hesitant to try it since I don't want to give him a laxative but...after this last episode, I bought some today and gave him half a capful with his evening milk. Does anyone else have experience with this kind constipation and/or using Miralax?

E

[mulberrymom]

Sorry about that, just learning. Our daughter has celiac and sounds very similar. When she was younger until age three she had "chronic diahrea" then when we were toilet training she changed to constipation type symptoms. Finally in 1st grade after we had tried many things and been on laxatives for 2 years we took her to Mayo Clinic and she was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. (She is adopted and has many other special needs as well.) Since then she has been on and off Miralax (mostly on). She is now 13 years old and still struggles with soiling and figuring out how her body works when she needs to have a BM. She is fianlly doing better as she is taking miralax, dulcalax and stool softners. She is also finally really following her diet. She has ADHD and is Bipolar and would sneak food. We have all gluten products locked up in a special cabinet and even in our frig. Her ADHD is finally now under control also. But back to the orginal thing about Miralax it has been a good thing for our daughter. We have been a long road with her not being able to "get to the toilet" and knowing when she had to go. Let me know if you have more questions about anything. The miralax she takes is because she has celiac and hasn't followed her diet very well, even if she had I think she would still have needed it over these past years.

[Michi8]

mullberrymom,

If your daughter is still having trouble following the diet, and sneaking foods may be negatively impacting her bowel and psychological health, then perhaps you need to remove the gluten items from your home rather than just keeping them locked up.

Michelle

  mulberrymom said:

Sorry about that, just learning. Our daughter has celiac and sounds very similar. When she was younger until age three she had "chronic diahrea" then when we were toilet training she changed to constipation type symptoms. Finally in 1st grade after we had tried many things and been on laxatives for 2 years we took her to Mayo Clinic and she was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. (She is adopted and has many other special needs as well.) Since then she has been on and off Miralax (mostly on). She is now 13 years old and still struggles with soiling and figuring out how her body works when she needs to have a BM. She is fianlly doing better as she is taking miralax, dulcalax and stool softners. She is also finally really following her diet. She has ADHD and is Bipolar and would sneak food. We have all gluten products locked up in a special cabinet and even in our frig. Her ADHD is finally now under control also. But back to the orginal thing about Miralax it has been a good thing for our daughter. We have been a long road with her not being able to "get to the toilet" and knowing when she had to go. Let me know if you have more questions about anything. The miralax she takes is because she has celiac and hasn't followed her diet very well, even if she had I think she would still have needed it over these past years.