Anyone Else Encounter Normal Diarrhea in a 3-Yr-old for Weeks on End?

I know its a little late, but my daughter had diarrhea for 8 weeks, 5-8 movements a day. I took her to a specialist and he told me she had "toddler diarrhea"

Could be some kind of allergies.
Or maybe these are just normal stools for her, as long as she's not getting dehydrated. My husband always has very loose stools that some people would call normal diarrhea. And I'm always constipated. One of the kids is always constipated, and one of them tends to have the loose ones like dad. So there's a chance it's "normal". Be on the lookout for other symptoms though & you definitely can't let her get dehydrated - that's the real danger with diarrhea.

S.

I would cut out sugar and see if this makes a difference. I have found when my kids have excess sugar they will have diarrhea. It's worth a try for a couple of days anyway to see if it makes a difference.

I would ask your ped to take a simple blood test to check for celiac disease. My daughter had endless diarrhea and vomitting. To find out that she has celiac disease and she has had it since she was 19months old. Once we put her on a gluten free and wheat free diet the diarrhea and vomitting had stopped. If you google celiac disease it will give you alot of information about it. If you need more insight I would be happy to talk more.

C.

Agree with all the others that say diarrhea is not normal, and many of their suggestions (parasite, virus, etc.) are very good. An out of balance intestinal tract can cause diarrhea, too. Good bacteria is killed off by antibiotics. Primadophilus Jr. (for children) can restore good bacteria and is available at health food stores. It's in capsule form, which can be opened up, sprinkled on food, and mixed in. Kids don't even know they're taking it that way. It may not work, but it's something you may want try as you go through the process of elimination.

I'm an RN who works as a elementary school nurse. A common cause of prolonged diarrhea in young children is intestinal parasites such as Giardia or Clostridium. These are very common infections that are easily passed from child to child at day care centers, preschools, and just about anywhere young children have contact with each other. They are diagnosed by taking a sample of a childs bowel movement to a lab for testing (gross, but it's the only way to find the little bugs since they live in the intestinal tract.)Your friend should contact her Dr's office and ask about this possibility. 4 weeks of diarrhea isn't normal.

My friend babysat a little boy who was healthy except for horrible diarrhea that actually gave him even worse diaper rash. It turned out to be food allergies. Has your friends daughter been tested for allergies?

The same thing happened to my 2 1/2 year old. About 4 weeks went by with constant diarrhea. They never figured out what it was. It caused multiple staph infections on his bottom. So whatever it was, it was wicked. What did help was taking all sugar out of his diet. Sugar increases diarrhea. My Ped's office calls it the "McDonalds" diet. High in fat and grease and it will slow down the diarrhea. I am not big on fast food but you could also switch to whole milk since it is high in fat, tons of yogurt (Get lactinex at CVS you have to ask for it, just mix it in the yogurt, it helps bulk up the poop). But we did that for about 3 days and the diarrhea tapered off. Good luck!!

sounds like an intolerance. I'd try taking dairy out first and seeing if it helps. A lot of kids now a days are intolerant to dairy or wheat.

Until you can figure out the cause, acidophilous will help. Other ladies suggested similar things. It's natural and does not contain drugs. It's also my understanding that you cannot overdose. Whatever your body doesn't use, it simply flushes out. I buy the Nature Valley brand (I'm pretty sure that's the brand) from Walgreens (although other places sell it). They're strawberry chewables, so the kids don't mind taking them. And acidophilous is a probiotic, which helps boost your immune system. Your friend can give her daughter one or two of the chewables after each BM until it subsides (which shouldn't take but a couple of rounds).

My son did this as a baby, none of the doctors thought there was a problem, that it was "normal" . It turns out he was allergic to the formula, then the soy formula worked for about 2 weeks , then he developed an allergy to it. So we went to the really expensive hypo-allergenic formula and he cleared up and was great!
I agree with the Mom that says it could be food allergies.

My son also has allergies, asthma and eczema, A.D.D, ....but he deals with it and is a very active 12 year old.
I would suggest changing the diet and see if it clears up. Food allergies and intolerance of lactose are serious problems for children.

It could be rotovirus. It is nasty! Both my kids had it when they were younger. They kept getting infected at daycare. It takes weeks to go away and it is a realllllly smelly diarrhea. Did your doctor say anything about that?

It just needs to run it's course but you need to be very vigalant about cleaning and not contaminate any surfaces. Wash hands veryyyyyyy good because it can be realy contacougus.

If you are on well water and have had repeated flooding over the last few months, as most of SW Missouri, it would be a good idea to go to your local health department and have your water tested for coliform and e coli bacteria. It only cost $10.00 and if you do have bacteria in your well they can tell you how to get rid of it. These bacteria are indicators of other pathogens that may be in the water that could be making the child ill including Giardia (parasite).

Hi B.-
Has your friend taken her daughter to a pediatric gasteroentologist? My daughter developed diarrhea as a baby when I introduced solids and it took us 6 months to figure out what was wrong. We saw many doctors some of whom were not helpful at all and also told us she was fine and to put her on formual (she was nursing). After everything it turned out to be ulcerative colitis that was caused by food allergies. She ended up having a upper GI test as well as a colonoscopy. In the end, we did not take the doctor's advice which was to stop nursing and give her heavy steroids, and instead found a wonderful alternative chiropractor who spealizes in food allergies and basically saved our daughter. Anyway---they need to find the cause of the diarrhea. There are some basic things which could be causing it: either food allergies which creates a colitis type of condition, lactose intolerance (does she eat dairy, ie. milk, cheese), or a parasite. If she has not already been tested I would have her tested for parasites which I think any doctor can do, and if that comes back negative then try eliminating dairy is she eats it. If she is lactose intolerant then eliminating the dairy will stop the diarrhea. Also, there are blood tests for food allergies that you can have done to determine if there are food allergies and then eliminating those foods will stop the diarrhea. I highly recommend these two places for treatment for allergies and parasites (Cardin Chiropractic in Overland Park and Dr. Alain Salas in North Kansas City--The Pain and Stress Elimination Center). They both work with allergies or parasites or lactose intolerance and take some insurances. More than likely her problem is one of those three things. Hope this has helped!

Did they check her for Irritable Bowel Syndrome? My sister has that.

B., you do dnot say the age of the child. I would think more of some type of infection/virus rather than food allergy unless she has started a new food in the diet. If she does not loose weight with the diarrhea the pediatrican may not worry. A. B

Hi Bridgett! Three weeks ago, I thought I had come down with a stomach virus that caused diarrhea, stomach cramping, and a low-grade fever. Everyone I talked to, got over it in 2-3 days, but it was 12 days for me. I took immodium to manage the effects. On day 12, I finally went to the doctor who then sent me to get a CAT scan of my stomach, because it was very tender to the touch. The CAT scan showed that my whole entire colon was infected. A culture of my stool was taken to show that I had a bacteria infection called C-diff and VRE (Vancomyacin Resistant Enterococus). It happened because I had previously taken some antibiotics to get over a chest cough, and it killed all of the good bacteria in my colon in return. This bad bacteria, which is held in balance by good bacteria in the colon, began to colonize and release toxins. VRE means it is a bacteria that is resistant to regular antibiotics. I was put in isolation in the hospital for 4 days. It only spreads through the feces, but can live on surfaces up to 17 days. It seemed like simple diarrhea to me! I never would have thought that this is what really happened. There are only two anibiotics which works to get rid of this. Vancomyacin and Flagyl. Flagyl is the cheapest. I have to take Flagy 3x's a day for the next 5 weeks. Someone told me that you should always take a pro-biotic with a prescription antibiotic, to keep the good bacteria in place. This is found at the healthfood stores. I hope this helps!

that is definitely not normal; your friend needs another doctor's opinion.

I totally agree with what Barbara E said. She is the nurse. Anyway, my son had this when he was age 3 and he was at a daycare center. Our doctors office did have the tests run and unfortunately for us, everthing came back ok. I always questioned the "sanity" of the center and when I removed my son, lo and behold, he stopped having diarrhea. So, I agree that this is definitely not normal and I would have your friend have her doctor run the tests on the BM.

I agree that the diarrhea isn't normal...however, if the child is an infant, runny poop is normal. If the child is older and is eating baby food or solids the diarrhea is a sign of a virus. Tell your friend to get a second opinion.

This happened to my daughter when she was 4 years old. She was also eating, sleeping etc. normal and didn't seem bothered by the diarrhea but I knew it wasn't good. I took her to a specialist recommended by my pediatrician (I forget what kind of doctor the specialist was- sorry) She had me collect samples (not fun I know) which ruled out anything such as a gluten allergy. She said it was probably dairy and to take her off milk, yogurt and ice cream. She was allowed to have dairy in other foods. I just bought Lactaid milk and it wasn't a big deal. Sure enough, the diarrhea stopped right away. She is now 6 years old and is on all regular dairy. I just gradually began giving her small amounts and it didn't bother her. Her doctor said she may or may not outgrow this so I guess we got lucky.
Hope this helps your friend.

There is something called "toddler diarhea" which onset is normally 15-28 mos. I am sure there could be some variations of that. Perhaps it is just a virus. Maybe it is toddler diarhea. I had a cousin that had it, and then my son did. They did all sorts of tests, and found nothing. He was diagnosed with toddler diarhea and I was told he would outgrow it by 5yo. We had an awful time with potty training because of it, and my mother discovered that if we put him on the potty to poo in the morning, he had no more accidents. HTH

you might have her monitor what foods she is eating...some foods cause diarrhea or loose stools more than others

Another posibility if none of the other tests come back positive is toddler's diarrhea. My son had this for amost a year and a half. Some children just don't build enough fiber to bulk their bowel movements. With a pediatricians backing and suggestions we tested for everything and then began a reginmin of metamucil to help his body learn to build fiber. Granted it wasn't fun getting a young chid to take it, but after about 6 months the problem had resolved itself. I wouldn't do this without a pediatrician backing it up though and it isn't always the esaiest thing to get a pediatrician to listen. But as parents we are our children's best advocates. Good luck.

Good Morning B.
Does your daughter have a lot of fiber
in her diet? If she does this will cause
diarrhes too. A friend of mine uses Tums for
kids when her kids get the diarrhea it does
work. Also you can go to the health food store
and ask them and they can help you too.
I would have her eat lots of yogurt to put the
good bacteria back in her system. Hope this will
help you .
Have a great day B. K.

My son did this when he was younger. Doctor said the same - healthy, etc. We just treated it with diet restrictions. (No juice, more bananas. . .) It went away on its own after 3 weeks or so. The bad news is that he did this once or twice a year for 3-4 years! I had to send a doctors note to school so he wouldn't have to miss 3 weeks at a time. It is very frustrating, however good to know that there is really nothing wrong. It was just his body's way of a good cleansing, I suppose. (He has "outgrown" it now.)

Hi, my son had this but had what is called Roto-virus. He was having about 20 blow outs a day though! He got severaly dehydrated and was actually hospitalized. If she STILL isn't any better i would personally get a second opinion! JMO!
M. H

Hello,
Is she teething, I know that some children that are teething have diarrhea so that may be another reason for it.

My son was about 4 to 5 when he also got diarrhea that wouldn't go away. The first time I took him to doc, doc said he was all right. I took him back a few days later and had them do a specimen for parasites, etc. and that was the problem. She might want to suggest that to the doctor (insist if necessary) since it's easy enough to do and non-invasive to the child.

I would have that little girl checked for food allergies. I have a friend who's baby suffered from explosive diarrhea all day for weeks. The poor baby underwent several tests until they finally came up with a very rare allergy to carbohydrates! YIKES! Daily and ongoing Diarhhea is a big sign of food allergies....I'd have her tested. GOOD LUCK to your friend and her daughter!

My daughter if 3 about to turn four. Back in October of 2007 my daughter had diarrhea for weeks and then came down with pneumonia. After being put on all the antibiotics, the diarrhea returned. I wonder if they have tested her stool? Does the child complain about her tummy hurting? My daughter did and they tested her stool. My daughter has had issued with her digestive system up until this day. Not to scare you but she ended up with C-Dif, which is short for chlostridium deficile, you may have to check the spelling. My daughter's diarrhea comes and goes now. We took her to a specialist and the best he could say is that it is something that comes and goes. She has been put on antibiotics 2 times in order to treat it and it continues to come back. We took juice out of her diet and added more yogurts. We've seen improvement but it still comes and goes. It's not a very pleasant thing to see your child in discomfort. It's not life threatening, but as a mom it's a tough to deal with. I work with a company that provides natural ways to deal. I recently found out about their product and I will be trying it next month!! If I see improvement, which I expect because there have been children with the same story as my daughter that have been relieved. Definitely have to add each other as friends to keep up with the little ones progress! I feel her pain, believe me.

I would be curious what tests they did at the doctors? I had a child once that had these symptoms and he had giardea which is a parasite.

But the basic answer is no this isn't normal and I am surprised a doctor wouldn't be investigating more.

Suzi

Hi B.-

There has been a really nasty virus going around lately-- my 3 year old had it. Hopefully, that's it.

I had 3 immediate thoughts when I read your email:

1. A food allergy. It's not uncommon for people to sometimes develop an allergy to something they've eaten before. You might want to keep a log of what she's eating and play around with that to see if the diarrhea stops.

2. Does she have sinus or seasonal allergy problems? If so, perhaps she's getting some drainage into her stomach, which can sometimes cause diarrhea.

3. Finally- Worst case scenario... perhaps she should be checked for irritable bowel disease. I have crohn's disease and when I was a child I used to get diarrhea for weeks at a time. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 30 and by then my condition was serious. It's often overlooked in children and is not easy to diagnose. http://ccfa.org/

I'm hoping it's one of the first 2 (or even the virus).

B.,

My 4 yr old daughter (she has Down syndrome) also suffers from chronic diarrhea at times. We have had every test known to man to find out the cause. We even had a EGD (scope) done. Everything came back "normal". Very frustrating!! The doctors chalked it up to "toddler diarrhea" which is something she'll just outgrow.

My suggestion to your friend is to feed her daughter white rice with lunch and dinner. Also, there's an all natural supplement that can be purchased at any drug store through the pharmacy - lactobacillius (I probably spelled that wrong). It is in granule form and is tasteless. I mix my daughter's in with some applesauce. It has to be refrigerated. Your pharmacy should have it, or can order boxes (10-12 packets in a box). All it does is to help the body get all bacteria levels evened out. It has helped my daughter. It's worth a try

I hope this helps. Good luck!
E. D.

This happened to my son last year when he was 5. I took him to the doctor who ordered stool samples, bloodwork and x-rays. They found nothing. It turns out that his problem was Splenda!! Find out if the girl is eating candy or anything sweetened with Splenda. My son was drinking the Red Diamond Sugar-Free Tea, (sweetened with Splenda). Once I got him off the tea, it took about 2 or 3 weeks for his system to clean out and he has not had the problem since. GOOD LUCK. :)

this happened to my son too. he ended up having a mild milk allergy. we switched him to 8th continent original soy milk original flavor and he is completely better. It was so bad they did a stool sample and took blood and test him for Celiac Disease. And all it ended up being was Milk!

My cousin's daughter had the same thing and they told her not to worry about it but it remained for several months and they finally did some more testing and found that her blood sugar was high and she is diabetic. There is not any diabetes in the family but that seems to be the mystery with Type 1 Diabetes. So she might have her checked just to rule that out. Good luck. T.