5 Year Old Tummy Hurts and Now Having "Poopy Accidents"

I agree with the encopresis posts. I also would suggest food allergy testing. My son had this and was diagnosed with celiac disease (he has a severe allergy to wheat and gluten). He can't take Miralax due to allergies as well but he takes benefiber and MOM daily as well as eliminating wheat and gluten. It has made a world of difference for him. I'm about to get my daughter tested for it too, although her case isn't nearly as severe.

Good luck! It's a long process but once you get some answers and treatment, it gets much easier!

Your daughter is exhibiting classic syptoms of encopresis, and she should definitely be evaluated by her pediatrician. She probably really can not feel the poop coming.

Encopresis often starts as constipation. At some point the bowel becomes partially blocked up by a large, hardened stool. Local swelling and pressure from the blockage numbs local nerves, and the child may feel no urge to poop, nor feel it when liquid poops squeezes past the blockage and soils the underwear. Because her bowels are backed up, pressure, tummy aches, and cramps are common.

Her pediatrician will probably recommend daily Miralax and other treatment, and careful monitoring. Encopresis can be a pretty serious problem, both physically and socially.

Hi E. - this sounds like classic constipation symptoms. Kids can have daily movements and still be constipated. The soft stools just move around the hardened stuff. The "skidders" are because her colon is distended and she cant control the output. She really cant feel them coming. You may also find she has more wet accidents. All of that extra mass puts lot of pressure on the bladder.

Talk to her ped about the best course of action for her health situation. The regular course is to use something like Miralax. Make sure she is getting plenty of fiber but also plenty of fluids. The fiber cant work if there isnt enough water going to the bowel to keep everything soft. Our doc suggested Milk of Magnesia first to break up the clot and then Miralax after that to keep things soft and passable.

Sometimes the doc will do an abdominal xray to confirm constipation but you can decide if you feel that is necessary.

I would take her to a doctor (I know you are). It could be a ton of things. Not enough good bacteria, stomach flu, or fecal matter in her appendix and she could have appendicitis. When I was looking at different sites about it (I was curious about it) there was a mom in a similar situation that her daughter complained of stomach pain at random times and it would be okay later. For them it turned out to be appendicitis which is detectable with a CT scan. I'm not sure if it would explain the poop accidents, but the random stomach pains fit.

I know you don't have very long before you talk to the doctor, but it might help to keep a diary of symptoms. How often does it happen, what foods she ate that day, etc. Maybe there are tests the doctor could do to see if she has a food intolerance like dairy or wheat?
Does she take any medications that could cause side effects?(My son takes ADHD med that gives him stomach aches). Does she drink soda or eat foods that typically cause gas? What about acidic foods such as coffee, chocolate, citrus, or tomato? How much fiber per day?

I started having Irritable Bowel Syndrome after taking strong antibiotics. I had a colonoscopy to rule out other problems. Then my doctor told me to avoid caffeine. Yogurt and bananas make me feel better.

My daughter had the exact same thing! She was 8 though and we had already gotten rid of the dairy since she was three. Her dr did say it was the encopresis. I felt so horrible! Anyway, she sis give her Miralax and the stomachaches got much worse. I took her to a chiropractor who does kinesiology allergy testing. I was at my wits end and was referred my a couple friends. We found out that my daughter was sensitive to gluten. After a few weeks of being gluten free no more stomachaches or pooping. That was just over a year ago. The chiropractor also showed me some excersizes to so with her to stimulate her colon to go back to the right size.

sounds like encopresis, my son had problems especially at age five, I left a message with my pediatrician, describing symptoms and he sent me straight to a specialist

Google "abdominal migraines." my daughter was diagnosed with this around age 5. She didn't have poop issues but her tummy would hurt for hours and would only go away after a night if sleep. I had never heard of this but my pediatrician said it's common in girls. We discovered she had low blood sugar and solved it with frequent small meals and extra snacks.

From experience with my 4-year-old, I would guess she's constipated. Take her in on Monday to the doctor and have them do an x-ray. You might be surprised by what you see. Sounds so much like my daughter!!! She now takes Miralax daily and when we got off schedule, the problem came back. Once we got back on the Miralax, problem solved again! Good luck :)