Why Is She Still Constipated?

[JLynn1347]

My daughter is 4 years old and has suffered form chronic constipation. At one point her doctor said that she was 4 weeks behind in her bowel movements and to test it gave her mineral oil and sure enough it didn't leave her body for 4 weeks. After having her on 3 adult ex lax a day and still backing up I pushed for more testing. My father in law finally told me he has celiac and goes untreated. So they tested her for celiac. She had the endoscopy and they said she didn't have celiac though it could be said she had more folds in her intestine than a normal child her age. So we went gluten and dairy free as we had already noticed dairy causing issues. For 3 months it was a miracle worker. And now all of a sudden she still has bowel movements but they aren't really normal even though sh ehas them pretty much every day. I don't know if she is becoming more sensitive to gluten becuase I haven't checked her chap stick or hair products or toothpaste as I just became aware these could be issues. I just don't know what to do for her becuase she says she has to go but it is stuck. Granted she's only 4 but she is trying to go. Do any of you have any suggestions. Thank you for your help.

[ang1e0251]

The alternate grain foods really back me up. I don't eat too much of any grains now and I feel better than ever. Corn seems to work best for me but I don't eat much, maybe 3-4 servings a week. I used to eat grains every day and with almost each meal. I've never had a problem with constipation till then. Maybe let her be grain free for part of every day and see how she does. I know those prepackaged items like breads, crackers and similar items were the worst on me. I do pretty well with Tinkyada pasta now and then and corn tortillas or chips now and then.

[suztodd]

Hi Lynn

We are in the very same boat with our daughter. She's 5 and it took taking her results to a second GI to get our diagnosis but also we had a similar problem with constipation starting up again three weeks ago.

It may have been related to possiblly to the extra fiber I tried or the vitamins I had been giving her.

To fix the problem and get my happy kid back my GI doctor had us do another clean out using extra doses of miralax combined with enemas.

Unlike in the past where clean out never really work this has done the trick. We are keeping her temporarily on miralax once a day and hopefully won't need it. It was completely useless before we went gluten free. We'd give huge dosages and get nothing out.

Try talking to your GI but they can be very tough to have discussion with. Many folks I know have ended up switching doctors since you do need to keep asking questions. Celiac diagnosis is just the beginning. I thought it would be a magically fix after our first two weeks.

No wonder so many people are still out her talking and working together.

Hopes this helps and your little girl feels better,

Suzanne

[JLynn1347]

Suzanne, So did your first GI say she didn't have celiac but the second one said she did? Your story sounds very much like ours but I havne't taken her for a second opinion. I just kept her off gluten and she does great. Caroline was the same way and every clean out would work and then she'd be crammed right back up. It was horrible and the GI kept saying over and over that she was withholding. I kept saying that I just didn't believe that based on what I saw at home and the fact that there is no way my then 3 year old could hold it in even through 2 - 3 adult exlax daily. Without gluten, miralax now actually can do it's job properly. I've noticed that I don't think she's constipated the way she used to be but now it's that she has a little bit of hard stuff everyday to get out before the normal stuff. I don't know why but at least I seem to have figured that much out. It is so nice to hear from people who have dealt with this as well becuase I sometimes feel very isolated. I haven't even been back to her doctor because her diet's working so well Idon't even know if it matters. I know if I screw up and give her gluten or dairy she gets really bad tummy aches and has trouble holding her urine in and pooping. I do'nt know if maybe she has the beginnings of celiac just not enough to get a good diagnosis. Or maybe she's just sensitive to it. I don't really know. All I know is I'm so grateful to have her more regular that I'm thrilled to be off gluten and casein. This week my 2 year old broke out in massive hives everywhere after eating wheat so I have to take her in for allergy testing next week. THankfully it wasn't hard to keep her off wheat for the week since most everything in the house is gluten free anyways! THank you for your story. It makes me feel a ton better!

Jennifer Lynn

Hi Lynn

We are in the very same boat with our daughter. She's 5 and it took taking her results to a second GI to get our diagnosis but also we had a similar problem with constipation starting up again three weeks ago.

It may have been related to possiblly to the extra fiber I tried or the vitamins I had been giving her.

To fix the problem and get my happy kid back my GI doctor had us do another clean out using extra doses of miralax combined with enemas.

Unlike in the past where clean out never really work this has done the trick. We are keeping her temporarily on miralax once a day and hopefully won't need it. It was completely useless before we went gluten free. We'd give huge dosages and get nothing out.

Try talking to your GI but they can be very tough to have discussion with. Many folks I know have ended up switching doctors since you do need to keep asking questions. Celiac diagnosis is just the beginning. I thought it would be a magically fix after our first two weeks.

No wonder so many people are still out her talking and working together.

Hopes this helps and your little girl feels better,

Suzanne

[JLynn1347]

Angie...THanks for your tip. Caroline is not really big on a lot of the alternate grains foods for gluten free so far. She likes a brand of crackers and she likes corn chips and the pasta that's made with multiple grain sources but she doesn't like any of the breads because they aren't "squishy". I may keep an eye on her and see if she has worse days on the days she has more grains. Thanks.

Jen

The alternate grain foods really back me up. I don't eat too much of any grains now and I feel better than ever. Corn seems to work best for me but I don't eat much, maybe 3-4 servings a week. I used to eat grains every day and with almost each meal. I've never had a problem with constipation till then. Maybe let her be grain free for part of every day and see how she does. I know those prepackaged items like breads, crackers and similar items were the worst on me. I do pretty well with Tinkyada pasta now and then and corn tortillas or chips now and then.

[ang1e0251]

The point about the fiber and vitamins tweeked my memory. The only time I remember my son being constipated and painfully so, was when we started vitamins with iron. I realized what it was and went back to the vitamins without so much iron. Then he was fine again. Now, know that he does not have celiac disease. He did have sugery for pyloric stenosis so I was careful with his nutrition. Anyway the iron can be binding. It's something to think about.