Question About Encopresis...

Hi! We spent 6 frustrating years searching for an accurate diagnosis, answers, treatments, anything that would remedy the situation that was affecting the physical and mental health of our daughter. 95% of encopresis sufferers are boys. It is a mid childhood disorder that can wreak havoc on self-esteem, as well as, inhibit physical activity. Encopresis has been linked in some cases to gluten allergies. Honestly, we never had a successful Dr. visit as our daughter would not discuss her symptoms. That does not mean we did not find a solution that enabled her body to release the compacted, dry, fecal matter that she had been holding onto for so long. A pediatric dietitian prescribed Miralax & Glycolax daily, both are flavorless and non-gritty and can be mixed into juice or water. Results and relief begin within days of starting the regimen. Softening agents combined with laxative enable proper clean out of the colon and we realized quickly that retraining control is actually regaining control in a positive healthy manner. We have been encopresis free for 2 years now and have a vibrant, active, athletic 14 year old. I hope this helps. Ask me anything!

Yes! We went through it and had we not found a specialist when my daughter was 5, we'd probably still be dealing with it. Our regular Pediatrician missed this diagnosis on many many appt's. Children's hospital didn't even "go there" when I brought it up on an emergency visit when my poor daughter hadn't had a real bowel movement in 18 days - they just treated our symptom, did an enema (which produced no bowel movement) and sent us on our way. Long story short, I called my daughters school the next morning and said we were taking a few weeks off to try to get her figured out. I thought maybe just being at home would encourage a bm. Well, I got so lucky that morning! The admin. woman that answered the phone had heard of this, knew of another student that was going through it, called that Mom and got me the number to the dr. she was going to. We called they took us right away, knew exactly what was going on (Encropresis). The Dr. put us on a 5 day aggressive clean out and I'd say about 6/7 days from that appointment my daughter was making normal/regular bowel movements. That was nearly 2 years ago! Now, you HAVE to stay on top of it, especially if it's been going on a while. It takes quite some time for the colon to shrink back to its normal size and even then one or two days backed up and it will stretch out. So I'm sure the dr. will recommend Miralax for maintenance issues - don't miss a dose. Make sure he takes it daily. Also, a healthy diet with lots of water will keep him on track - once he's been cleaned out and all. No amount of fiber will clean him out if he has been this way for awhile. He will probably need the same treatment my daughter did. If his Ped. only suggests a diet high in fiber, water - you know the usual, PLEASE ask for a referral to a specialist!

By the way, I just read through the responses you received thus far. Please don't do anything w/out talking to your Dr. or specialist - notice I didn't tell you how my daughter was cleaned out - I don't know if your son has the same thing and I don't want you to do anything too drastic unless the dr. recommends it. But I did want to say, no over the counter laxatives. Miralax is a non habit forming laxative - anything else, you really don't want to be giving. The process here is to first see if he is full of stool (xray), second, get him cleaned out, once cleaned out he needs to get in the routine of using the bathroom everyday at the same time - usually 15/20 min after a meal (breakfast is a good time) however some kids prefer to poop in the evening. Either way, to help him go daily he'll most likely be put on a non habit forming laxative like Miralax and then you need to make sure that he has that bathroom time everyday where he isn't rushed and make sure he is eating right.. try to steer clear of fast food, processed food, etc.. A well rounded diet with lean meats, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds and healthy fats is the way to go.

Feel free to email me if you have any specific questions.
Best wishes,
M.

I can respond not as a parent but as a second-grade teacher. A former student was diagnosed with encopresis at a young age. He eventually was referred to a specialist and underwent surgery.

In the classroom, he was allowed complete freedom to use the restroom whenever needed and had several water bottles stored to encourage hydration. The school nurse was well aware of the situation and he had a care plan and bathroom contract on file.

Good luck.

He'll order xrays. and then have changes in diet, maybe a laxative, and then there will be more xrays to see if he is "cleaned out". part of it may be psychological, it may also be diet. cut out all white foods. and push the fruits, veggies, whole grains and water. Pears have lots of fiber.

This is such a problem and when they get older there is even less control you have over knowing when they are going or what the problems are. Anytime I see something like this I refer moms to www.tacanow.org and read what they are doing. This is a support site of familes with autism helping families with autism and I am NOT saying your son has autism but a lot of children on the spectrum DO and these parents have tried things to work with their children who have little or no communication ability as to what is wrong.

I will agree with the prior post about gluten being a possible culprit. When there is a problem with the gut you will usually find yeast and /or something called leaky gut. This is that the food is not processing correctly and actual food particles are able to pass through the intestine and into the blood stream. It may be as simple as introducing the right kind of enzymes to help break down the food and a probiotic to help with good bacteria in the intestines. Does your son have attention problems? Had frequent antibiotic use? Eczema? Distented belly? These are all symptoms of gut issues. Has he had any vaccinations this year (12, 13 is when they want to give boosters, add in a couple of others ones, tetnus) as vaccines have been the cause for many with gut issues because of the ingredients in them inflamming the immune system and know the immune system thinks of gluten, eggs, soy, yeast, etc. as something to fight and therefore inflammation showing up in the gut, lungs (asthma) or other areas. If this is the case, check out:

Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders, by Dr. Kenneth Bock

The Vaccine Book, by Dr. Robert Sears

For my daughter, making sure she is getting lots of omega 3's (2,000 mg to 4,000 mg) and a probiotic and we've taken all food allergens out of her diet. You are going to want to request a stool panel to check for food absorbtion and yeast (at the TACA website, look at the specific tests but OAT is one of them) and also a blood test for food allergies. We like ImmunoLabs in Fl.

I am so sorry your son is going through this. I really feel for your sweet boy. Some people (not just children) need to feel assured of their privacy in order to make a BM. Is it possible for him to have his own toilet at home? I would also recommend putting him on a high fiber, mostly raw, vegan diet? It would not hurt him to eat raw temporarily. Raw food has a high water content and it will make anyone go potty. I hope he gets better before school starts. Lots of hugs for you and your little man.