Older Child with Encopresis

Try using FiberOne cereal with 50% of he daily dose of fiber. This should keep him regular. I suffer from constipation myself and this is one of the only things that helps me stay regular. It will help bind everything together so that he has one poop, not leaky poop. Good luck.

I had a friend whose child had this - even at age 14 the child was wearing adult diapers, having bathroom emergencies & accidents, and more. She was doing what you are doing and it just wasn't working. They did every doctor, every specialist, behavior modification, and on and on - such that the child's life revolved around intestinal issues and bathrooms! The intestines were so messed up that the child never got the "signal" to go to the bathroom, never knew when she was ready to go and never knew when she was really "done" either. No fun at all.

The challenge is to find something that will restore the body's natural balance and not be something that you "dose" him with every so often. He can't tell how impacted or clogged he is, and you can't either. Drugs are going to treat the symptoms and not the problem.

We have found fantastic results with a research-based food science company called Reliv International (www.reliv.com) - I'd love to share more info with you. You can put your child on a couple of delicious and balanced shakes a day with a fantastic fiber product (both soluble and insoluble fiber at the same time), and establish the balance that is supposed to be there. Within a few weeks, you should have relief for your child! No drugs, a U.S. gov't patent, and total safety, developed by a science team headed by the country's top expert in pediatric nutrition, Dr. Carl Hastings (he worked on the development of Enfamil and ProSoBee infant formulas and also was hired by Weight Watchers to oversee the nutritional make-up of their food line). Reliv gives you a lot of support - it's so opposite of buying a product off the shelves and trying to go down this road by yourself. I would love to help you help your son, and yourself!

R.,

This is from a natural/alt health perspective, but it's possible your son also has candida/yeast overgrowth which can case the smearing. An easy thing to do is limit the sweets and perhaps use a product like Candex that you can get at the health food store. We had this with our 9 yo who has some other neuro issues, but it went away with treating the yeast. Most docs think systemic yeast doesn't exist, but do a little research and YOU decide, you're the one cleaning! Good luck! M.

I don't have personal experience with this but I am a nurse. I would take him to see a Gastroenterologist if you haven't done so already. After you give miralax you say he leaks frequently; does he have a large bowel movement first, or does this happen after only a small movement? watery leakage can be a sign of impaction (large, very hard stool stuck in the colon). He might need a regular, daily, aggressive bowel regimen to get him on a predictable schedule, for a long enough period of time to shrink the stretched loops of bowel. I think a pediatric Gastroenterologist could probably help you with that.

You need to see a specialist a GI doc will be able to come up with solutions to your childs needs. They will take into account diet,lifestyle, and meds. My daughter was like a different child after we took her to a gastroentrologist. We thought it was a behavioral problem but it was not.

Good Luck
E.

Try probiotics, I use Udo's choice or Jarrow's. This is a LIFESAVER with any kind of intestinal issue. You can pick up at Wholefoods. In short, probiotics are good bacteria your colon needs (also found in yogurt, which you can try to give your son everyday). Probiotics will help with diarrhea, constipation, food poisoning, vomiting, strengthening immunity (when your body is not spending all its energy trying to clear toxic buildup in your gut, you'll end up stronger and healthier). Good luck!

We use Kondremul, you can ask at the pharmacy or order it at drugstore.com. A small amount every day for a month or so should help without leakage. It is emulsefied mineral oil and tasts like marshmallo fluff. Too much will probably cause leakage, but our daughter used to hold it to, and this was a great help.

I am a wellness consultant - he needs to drink lots of WATER - not fluid - water. He also needs lots of fiber foods- apples, carrots, melon, any fresh fruit and veg. Also sounds like his intestine (gut) needs some things to help get to a normal state. One is enzymes and the other is probiotic. These are safe and natural. My granddaughters age 9 & 7 take them. I can help you obtain them if you wish.
Hope this helps,
K.

Once your child gets to the point of having the encoparesis symptoms and occasional dose of Mirolax isn't going to help (and neither is fiber). We have gone through the same thing with our daughter and she is 9 now. I made the same mistakes as you did until we started going to a GI specialist. I was amazed to see HOW MUCH poop she had inside her when they did an Xray and insisted we had been taking the Mirolax (just not regularly). The GI doctor explained what happens physiologically inside the bowels and explained that everything is so stretched out because of this impaction that she honestly cannot feel anything anymore and has no idea when some of the poop sneaks out (and I understand the every half hour thing). They had her take a medication - I can't remember the name of it but it's the fizzy drink you take the day before a colonoscopy. We stayed home for a full day and honestly she lost 4 pounds and her little distended belly shrunk before my eyes. Then she has been taking the Mirolax every single morning ever since. This was one year ago and she is on a good routine, no more accidents, but the occasional staining in her underwear. The doctor said it can be up to 3 years from the time we starting the correct treatment until she is fully able to stop taking the Mirolax (daily!). We were seeing him every couple of months for awhile and now are down to every 6 months. They also ran a ton of blood work when we first started going to the GI doctor to rule out any lactose intolerance or allergies or other disorders that might be causing it. So my advice is to get a referral to a good GI doctor. We use Dr. Zella out of Mass General.

When your child won't eat fiber he won't be able to poop... sad but true. try my favorite trick for my nephew: make "rice krispie treats" using half high fiber cereal & half rice krispie cereal. We use raisin bran. He thinks its a treat & you know it will help him poop. give him a couple every morning for breakfast.
it will help if used regularly.

Hello R.
I can totally relate. My daughter is 9 and still has encopresis issues and it is so frustrating. About 2 or 3 years ago now she had an MRI done which showed she had a fatty phyllum - basically an attached spinal cord thing (ok I can't remember all the technical terms - sorry) which was putting the pressure on the lowest nerves which affect the bladder and bowels. In Feb 2008, she had spinal surgery to detach it and it has been almost a miracle. She still has 'accidents' but now they are much fewer and far between and much smaller. She also takes daily fiber (We've found the chewable Benefiber works great) and that also helps and hasn't been on the Miralax in a long time.

Has your son had an MRI? Just wondering, what did it show if he has had one? I am not saying that surgery will be the thing for you and your son. Its just what has worked for us.

God Bless and I will say extra prayers for you and your son.

Hi R.
I was chronically constipated my entire adult life. I have no idea what life was like as a child-because parents in the 50's ad 60's didn't have the resources like we do today.
So I may have been this way since a child. It does not go away.
I have had great results and am now Effortlessly relieved of my constipation due to Reliv's Fibrestore product. Safely and effectively without leaking and trauma.
Love to share
J. h