Does anyone else have problems like this? My five year old will frequently have a tiny bit of stool in hjs underwear. I think it's because he's trying hard NOT to have a BM (he usually waits a few days then has a Large stool.) My husband thinks he's doing it on purpose since he never has diarreah and usually strains to go, how could he be having accidents? He eats lots of fiber (fruits and double fiber bread and oat bran and fiber bars) and drinks water. If we cut back on fiber he will get constipated, I do'nt think it's a big deal but have to convince my hubby its not on purpose. any experience or advice?
OK now I'm totally stressed! He just had his yearly physical and I mentioned it to the nurse (or P.A.) and she wrote notes but the DR. didnt ask about it. I never heard of encopresis but I googled it and I'm sure that's it. Called his pediatrician who wants him on Miralax and wants me to make apt with a GI ! SO GLAD I mentioned it here and you all responded! and of course my husband feels awful about telling the poor kid not to do it. but that's what motivated me to deal with it! I hate the idea of giving laxatives to a little kid, but I did. And I researched fiber and found our there are two diff kinds-soluble and insoluble, so now I'm making sure he gets both. Between today's high fiber diet and the Miralax I cant believe he's running around playing.
thanks for the advice...we'll see what happens next...
I would start with a visit to the pediatrician. If all is OK, then I would try to
have him go at a certain time every day (some kids are predictable). He
may need something mild on a daily basis.
This is encopresis. Our son has had it off and on for years. Diet doesn't make a huge difference. Same with the laxatives, suppositories, mineral oil, fiber. We found it was essential to get our son on a consistent poop schedule. He now goes right before taking his nighttime bath. The more the child goes, the easier it is to poop and the less painful. We had to give our son a major bribe at first to go, but then the fear subsided as it stopped hurting to go and now he just knows to go. He often goes on his own, too.
Talk to your son's pediatrician for a plan of action.
he may avoid going for several days because it hurts to go. here is some additional info on constipation:
http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/svc/alpha/c/colorectal... pg 2 of the handout shows the cycle you are talking about of retaining stool, having a larger/harder stool, getting cuts/fissures, pain and then retaining stool again.
Also if he will let you I encourage you to try massage - it really works! (http://www.liddlekidz.com/massage-for-constipation.html)
good luck!
I agree with Denise P; this sounds so much like ENCOPRESIS. It's a condition in which a large, hard stool builds up in the bowel because of constipation. The pressure actually numbs the surrounding nerves, and the child can't tell he needs to poop, and may have no urge at all. But because the body needs to keep ridding itself of waste, new, soft poop squeezes past the blockage, resulting in soiled pants. The child feels little to none of this, and has no ability to control the leakage.
Once constipation reaches this stage, it has become a medical issue. It can be tough to work through, and may take weeks even with a pediatrician's guidance. But do have your son checked out. His doc will probably want you to give him Miralax, and possibly include judicious use of glycerin suppositories to get things normalizing again.
We had a similar problem and went to my son's doctor. The doctor said that he was holding his bm and recommended we use miralax once a day to soften his stool and make it easier for him to poop. My son was so backed up (not pooping for close to 7 days) that his tummy was getting big and he wouldn't eat. At that point, we had to use ducolax enema to clean him out and then started using the miralax to keep his daily stool soft. My son also eats a lot of fiber too (sometimes too much fiber isn't a good idea either). Once my son saw how it easy it was no longer bm retention. We are still on miralax (it is not addictive) but my son sometimes goes more than once a day. I suggest to take your son to his pediatrician and don't give him miralax unless your doctor tells you its what you should do. My son takes a small dose of 1 tbs per day. Hope this helps.
Google "encopresis" and see if you think it applies. Talk to your pediatrician about treatment. It's very common at that age.
I certainly don't think it is on 'purpose'. Children typically are so engaged in their play that they don't remember they need to go until the last moment. People should have a bowel movement daily but since your son is a little apprehensive about going daily, that little poop is the part he can't hold back until tomorrow.
My seven year will not go poo anywhere except at home. Once when we went to Disneyworld for ten days when he was four and he did not poo until day 7 (not good). Since that trip, he is slightly better but can hold it for extended periods of time to avoid going.
Good luck.
our ped suggested a tablespoon of mineral oil every day to clear it up and make it easier to go. worked like a charm. my grandchildren for whatever reason hate to go. when they are here first thing we do is give them mineral oil and they go.
We have the same thing. My daughter always had unusual bowel patterns - mainly from her holding it in. After consulting with our pediatrician and a pediatric gastroenterologist we now give her a small daily dose of Miralax and she is regular. Good luck.
My husband ended up in the hospital with certain bm issues. There we found out that eating too much fiber can have the same effect as not eating enough. He stopped eating the double fiber bread and switched to cheerios and activia. Try increasing the fruit juices. For my husband, there is a condition call diverticulitis that runs in his family. There is a specific diet that is recommended. As soon as he started following this diet and cut back on all of the fiber things went back to normal.
Have you talked to his pediatrician about this? He may need to have some tests run to see if there is a need for a daily supplement like Miralax.
Talk to the Pediatrician and let he/she know what is going on and get advice from an expert. You might want to try some of hte new Yogurt products like Activia for your child or something with pro-biotics to better regulate him. Have you explained to him that if he needs to go it is not good for his body to hold it. I would start with this approach and go from there. Hope this helps.
