help--son's toiletting habits (TMI)

[Ipsey]

I'm sorry to have to ask this, but I'd appreciate any insight.

 

My son, 8, is regular in his #2, but they are HUGE! I'd say tonight's was not quite 3 inches in diameter (didn't measure LOL). Poor kid. It takes him about 10 minutes, and he's sweating by the time he's done. He doesn't appear to be getting any fissures over them, but ... I worry that it's a matter of time. 

 

We've begun giving him drinkable fiber, and we thought that might help, but it seems to just make his trips to the toilet go faster (he used to take a book and sit for 15-20 minutes). 

 

If I Google this problem, it takes me to scary places on the web. Please help, hive. :)

 

Thanks!

 

 

[Amy in NH]

Some sort of food allergy?

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Yeah, that needs addressing if it's a constant thing. Does he get enough water? That makes a huge difference. Is he on any medications that might contribute? This used to happen to DD when she was taking one of the OTC allergy meds--Zyrtec, I think, but it could have been one of the others. Poor kid, she developed a phobia of flushing the toilet for awhile because it would clog every single time. 

 

It sounds like he needs lots more fiber overall and maybe a stool softener if you get desperate. Do you have any papaya enzymes in the house? They're yummy and easy to take, and I noticed a softening effect when I was taking them for acid reflux for awhile. They didn't help the reflux, but they did help in another way :D Magnesium can also have a softening effect as well.

 

:grouphug:  Don't be scared. It's pretty common in kids, IMO. Just address it calmly and matter of factly and it will be OK. 

[Farrar]

The families I know where this happened, they had to change the child's diet. I think I'd try that first. Have you ever tested for food allergies?

[catz]

One more thought is adding probiotics.  I think the food allergies are something to look at.  But I have IBS.  I was not dx-ed until I was an adult but I most certainly had it as a kid too.  Sugar consumption is bad.  Watch the processed carbs.  Balance meals.  Adding a little ground flax to smoothie or yogurt or muffins can be good.  Softeners and some fibers are just irritating to me as is Miralax. 

[Tsuga]

Probiotics and more water can help. Sugar is bad but let's be honest, you seem to be paying attention so I doubt you have a ton of sugar to cut. If you do, cut it. Otherwise, add more nuts and fibrous snacks.

 

If that doesn't work in two weeks, I agree that you need to see a doctor.

[Catwoman]

Will he drink prune juice? Will he eat sweet potatoes or yams?

 

How are his eating habits? Is he getting enough vegetables? (I only ask because my friend's ds had a similar problem and it turned out he was eating way too much rice and because he was a picky eater, he wasn't getting much variety in his diet. Once he cut out the rice and started eating different foods, his problem was solved. I remember my friend said that cooked spinach helped a lot.)

 

My first instinct would be to assume the problem may be a result of what he is (or is not) eating, rather than an allergy. I would try adjusting his diet to see if it helps, before seeing a doctor about it.

 

One last thing -- is he an active kid? Increased physical activity may help if he tends to be a bit of a couch potato.

[zoobie]

I think I'd call the ped. They can do a quick x-ray to check whether things are blocked up in his intestines. There's a book called It's No Accident that one of my best friends is using with one of her kids (under doctor advice). They're at the enema-every-day-for-a-month-stage. Urg.

[Pink and Green Mom]

We had that same problem when my son was younger.  He was used to holding it in/waiting till the last minute to poop and thus the doctor (a specialist, not regular pediatrician) said the intestines could stretch if that was the case over a long enough period of time.  The remedy was to use Mirelax and to drink more water.  I think we used it every other day (or even every third day) to help soften things up a bit.  After a while it went back to a more normal size.  By a while I mean maybe 6-8 months? 

 

Good luck to you and your son.

[Ipsey]

Thanks for all the ideas. He's got a Dr. appt in the next few weeks, so we'll mention it then.

 

Meanwhile, based on your ideas, we'll start having him drink more water, eat more veggies (he does pretty well with all veggies, but doesn't mean we can't do more), and well keep up with the fiber drink. Also, we'll make sure he gets probiotic yogurt every day. 

 

I'll let you know if everything comes out all right ;)

 

Thanks!

[Ipsey]

The families I know where this happened, they had to change the child's diet. I think I'd try that first. Have you ever tested for food allergies?

We've never tested for allergies. Huh, that hadn't occurred to me.

[Ipsey]

I think I'd call the ped. They can do a quick x-ray to check whether things are blocked up in his intestines. There's a book called It's No Accident that one of my best friends is using with one of her kids (under doctor advice). They're at the enema-every-day-for-a-month-stage. Urg.

 

Oooh! How ghastly. Poor thing.

[marbel]

I was like this as a kid/young adult, and so was one of my kids.   I still have problems if I am not diligent.

 

You have gotten a lot of good advice.  Keep in mind different things work for different people. 

 

Miralax makes us sick.  Stool softeners make me feel (sorry) leaky.  Psyllium seed is often suggested (not sure I saw it here) but it makes me a little ill too.  I've found dextrin (brand name Benefiber but availalbe as a store brand much cheaper) to be a great thing.   But maybe that's the drinkable fiber you mentioned. 

 

Tons of water, exercise, and berries (especially blue) seem to help most around here, along with the dextrin.

 

I saw a mention of probiotic yogurt.  I haven't looked at that in a while, because we didn't like the taste of it, but I remember it had a ton of sugar, more than regular yogurts IIRC.  We tried a lot of different probiotic capsules and the one that worked best for me is the Walmart Equate brand.  No kdding.  Don't know why. Must have just had the right stuff.

 

It can be a long struggle.  :grouphug: :grouphug:  to all of you. 

[JFSinIL]

My adult son with autism barely eats maybe three apples a week, that is it for fruit/veggies/fiber.  He takes a lot of vitamins....and his morning glass of juice is mixed with Miralax (generic version). 

[DesertBlossom]

I took my DS off miralax bc I didn't think it was helping the overall problem and I didn't like how long he'd been on it.

 

Now I've got him on a really good probiotic, a cup of prune juice in the morning, and digestive enzymes twice a day. Every couple days I give him a magnesium supplement. He also quit drinking milk except when it's in something. We seem to be able to achieve the same "pudding-like" consistency the GI wanted.

 

Also, I read that adding fiber supplements sometimes contributes to the problem because it adds bulk. Which is why we haven't done that.

[DesertBlossom]

Also, if you're worried about the sugar in yogurt, you can buy probiotics in capsule form.

[wapiti]

This can be a complex issue; depends on the person.  It is important to keep on top of this on a daily basis.  The causes can vary widely from the obvious (food sensitivities) to the not-so-obvious, e.g. intestinal infections (germs, parasites), lack of peristalsis due to nervous system issues (general sensory-motor issues; tethered cord).  Accordingly, I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all answer to constipation.  I recommend paying attention to any other clues you come across, anything out of the ordinary, even if it would seem unrelated.

 

In our house, things that help:  magnesium citrate daily, aloe vera juice (tsp or so in a liquid), probiotics (specifically, he recently started L. plantarum), certain supplements that address yeast (occasionally, depending on other things he's getting)

 

Things that have not helped:  fiber, inulin, Miralax, and the "wrong" probiotics for him

 

Food-wise, dairy and gluten are common culprits. For yogurt-based probiotics, most of my kids like Lifeway Kiefer as it tastes like drinkable yogurt, though obviously it's also dairy.

[Minerva]

Also, even though lots of people have already said this, WATER! The more fiber he eats the more water he needs. My dd eats a lot of fruits and veggies and needs extra water to help digest it all. Once we realized that she needs more water than the average person, her potty problems went away.