Comstipation

Updated on May 24, 2010
S.P. asks from Bradenton, FL
12 answers

Ok I have a almost 4 year who has decided that he is now going to hold his poop...Sorry but you all are moms so hopefully my terminology is not too offensive..lol Ok so back to the poop...He decided when he went to his dads house for his dads 3 days that he was going to poop there so we had to give him a suppository...he had but no choice but to relieve his bowels....last week he pulled this again except he held it so long that he had a hard time when he finally did release it. Ok so now with the Dr.s, dad and mom being overwhelmed and worried he is on Miralax twice a day, milk of mag twice a day....and any other fiber content his father and I can get down him....but since is body had been stressed out with the constipation he is now having fevers......Not beginngers at this....we did prune juice, lots of water, vegetables, fiber, fruits, no dairy....Me being a Pharmacy tech I hate putting chemicals into him, Oh...and now he wont take the tylenol because he's over it too....anything that I am missing??? Oh...warm compresses on the stomach, and warm baths too we have tried...HELP

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So What Happened?

hey guys, thanks...Im going to try a bit of everything.....I will let you all know in a week hows he doing...by then he will already been at his fathers and daycare so we can see if we can get something started....thanks again!

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S.S.

answers from Miami on

I would be willing to bet he is full of yeast! You need to look up the biomedical treatment for yeast. Mostly kids who have autism/Asperger's have this but any child can develop it from processed foods, antibiotics or simply not having enough good flora in the gut. You need to get him on a good probiotic and possibly a yeast killing drug like Diflucan. You need to see a biomedical dr or homeopath to have his levels tested. Miralax is one of the worst things to give. It causes problems.

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M.C.

answers from Washington DC on

Wow. That's alot of stimulates to throw at a kid. My daughter is 3 1/2 and going through the same thing. It got so bad that she once tried on and off for 8h with little result. She cried that it was too painful. She hadn't gone in 3 - 4 days. Our pediatrician put her on Miralax 2x a day. We mix it in with her dinner time drink. Make sure the liquid to mix ratio is per directions. Hubby made the first glass, was getting ready to hand if over. I didn't think it was enough liquid. We measured it, and sure enough it was half the amount of liquid that the directions said to use.

I don't think I would do the Milk of Magnesium too. For me that would be too much stimulant, esp. if its within the timeframe of having given the Miralax.

If he's started having fevers, it could be that his body is reacting to one of the treatments or foods, or that perhaps there's an internal issue with the constipation. If the fever continues for more than 1-2 days, or spikes above 100, I would take him to the dr. or urgent care for an xray to make sure that there isn't a blockage.

If he's running a fever, but won't take the Tylenol, use the Feverall suppositories.

For the fruits, make sure that you aren't offering fruits that counteract. Apples, prunes, watermellon, cantalope loosen things up, but bananas tend to tighten things up.

Also look at your daytime routine for counter-efforts. We were offering our girl all of this 'go' stuff, but then she was having a banana with breakfast and a banana as her bedtime snack. Once we changed her bedtime snack and started the Miralax, she's been doing ALOT better and going at least once a day. Yesterday she said 'Oh Mommy, it doesn't hurt anymore', and gave me the biggest hug (once we washed up!)

Finally, keep a written record of everything he's eaten, medicines given, etc. This will be helpful in not only keeping track of what's what, but helping the doctor see exactly what you've tried instead of just what you remember and help make any needed adjustments.

Good luck
M.

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R.W.

answers from Tampa on

Have you actually talked to him and asked him why he won't poop? It could be something mental and not physical causing the issues. Then it could be a physical problem and not mental. Like maybe he doesn't like the sound when his poop hits the water in the toilet. A lot of kids are afraid of falling in also. It also could be something he eats causing it. But my guess is something has made him afraid to use the toilet. Instead of pumping the meds down him try the Fiber Pop Tarts, and other high fiber foods. I feat Mini Frosted Shredded Wheat to make me regular.

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R.A.

answers from Boca Raton on

There is seriously something wrong that a 4 year old needs assistance with bowel movements! You're giving a 4 year old medication. You have to look at his daily diet. He needs real food, not chicken nuggets and all sorts of processed foods. Great that you don't give him dairy! His regular diet needs to be no processed foods and only fresh foods: whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, barley, etc (not bread that is not grains) and lots of fresh veggies, lots of green leafies, much more veg than fruit and some nuts, seeds, beans, stuff like that. Worried about protein??? so much protein in all mentioned above, quinoa is the highest protein of all grains, really rich in it and Americans are consuming way too much protein anyway. Worried about calcium? also found in the greens, nuts and you can pour some tahini over his veggies or make a dip with lemon juice and herbs. Mash up some beans in this and give him some carrots and celery, great lunch idea.
Another thing it sounds like you've recently separated? Children sometimes hold their poo when they are in an emotional situation. It's their form of control often without knowing it.
Giving a child something that will force out their poo is serious and invasive and could cause serious problems when he's older. So can leaving in bowel movements. One eats 2-3 times a day therefore should have that many bowel movements a day. All those toxins stored in the body is unhealthy. But giving something to a 4 year old will cause his bowels to become lazy and it could be very serious later on in life....
Make sure he drinks water every day, not just when he's constipated.

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J.B.

answers from Fort Walton Beach on

Lactose intolerance. My oldest did the same thing when she was two or so. The doctors put her on laxatives which I refused to give her for an extended period of time. I agree that my children only get medicine that is necessary. I would try to cut out as much dairy as possible and use Lactaid milk. I would say no cheese, yogurt, ice cream (especially). Baked cheese snacks such as goldfish and cheezits should be few and far between. Try that for a week and see if it helps. Also give him a dose of mineral oil every night for that week to keep him from being able to hold his stool in. This product coats the stool so that it can't be held in. It took both the removal of dairy and the mineral oil to help my daughter. After holding it for so long and the fear of pain when she went, the mineral oil was the only way to help. The lack of dairy helped to soften her stool and the mineral oil showed her that going wasn't as painful as she remembered. I hope this helps.

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B.S.

answers from Fort Myers on

you can go to a mother earth store and buy Aleo Vera JUICE. Mix 2 oz (the size of a shot glass) in with some apple juice. give him that in the morning and at night. it normally takes like a day. it will help with any belly aches too. I have a quart in my fridge. it doesnt taste all that great, but if you mix it with some juice its not that bad. I costs like 6$. worth a try. and very "NATURAL".
keep an eye on that fever. he might be causing himself a nice little infection. If he becomes impacted, its not going to be a good thing. try the Aleo Vera. trust me... it works!

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J.M.

answers from Sarasota on

Give him milk and yogurt. Try a smoothie cup half milk and half danimal. I don't know why people say no dairy. It always helps my daughter. Trying something different may be your key :) Hope this helps

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R.C.

answers from Tampa on

CASCARA SEGRADA it is a capsule that you could pull apart and mis the herb with a nice yogurt or something if he cant swallow capsules yet...

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D.A.

answers from Tampa on

My daughter had an issue with not wanting to poop. Her Pedi told me to try rewarding her when she poops. Reward were just cheering and telling her she did a good job. (Not candy or toys) It seemed to work. The Pedi said the child may not want to poop after a parent or caretaker has a 'yuck' reaction to the child pooping. The child may remember the one time reaction and decide to hold it in. Good luck!

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K.S.

answers from Miami on

oh thats tough. When my daughter had constipation we gave her this cornsyrup stuff they sold for babies just for constipation. put her on her back and let her bycycle her legs and massaged the stomach area where it sits. We also stayed away from the brat food - Breat, Rice, Apples and Toast. All which make it constipation worse.

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K.M.

answers from Tampa on

Hi,
What is he eating? Check with WestonPrice and that may help with food that will nourish him and restore proper GI function.
Lots of probiotics, lots, because maybe it is not him deciding, but his body no functioning properly?
The other things you are doingseem very correct.
best, k

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L.C.

answers from Boca Raton on

My advice is that you need to talk to him about this 'not wanting to poop' thing. Someone obviously must have said something to him or he may have watched something that gave him fear to poop. You definitely need to make him understand that its normal and perfectly safe to go to the bathroom. With that being said, I would give him lots of juices and water. Try not to give him too much fiber because too much can cause damage to the intestines. Good luck.. I hope everything gets better!

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