Ananda Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 My ds11 has been having poop problems off and on for a year or two. He has loose uncomfortable poops especially in the morning. The problem tends to improve over the course of the day. So his first poop of the day early in the morning tends to be a problem, and by lunchtime he is fine. He has no nausea, everything is intestinal. I have the impression that it has gone away for months at a time, and then come back. Last year he kept telling me he was constipated when he meant he had diarrhea which added to the confusion. As far as diet is concerned, he is my best eater. He eats his fruits and vegetables and what not. I keep eliminating foods that seem to cause major problems. Spicy food, fried chicken and taco bell are currently on his never list. Avoiding problem foods and eating healthy definitely helps, but does not solve the problem. I am a single mom so don't always do home cooked meals. I do try. He eats oatmeal, fruit, frozen waffles, cold cereal or school breakfast. He eats a school lunch. Dinner is often a good home cooked meal, but several times a week may be restaurant food, pizza, mac & cheese etc. Lately I have been giving him probiotics. When it is bad I let him take a Imodium. The other factor is anxiety. He has always been a child prone to worrying, and being overly sensitive. He is also my child who doesn't readily tell me when he has a problem. His father died 1 year and a half ago. We did a family grief support group, I haven't noticed any trouble grieving. But there is a definite correlation he never had trouble before his father died. I put him in public school last year. On the balance he likes it and doesn't seem to have any problems there. The counselor did a group for children who were stressed, and that seemed to provide him an outlet. If it weren't for the bathroom problems I would say his anxiety is not needing treatment. The bathroom problems are causing significant anxiety though. He worries about pooping his pants, and scheduling his bathroom breaks, and taking too many breaks. I have contacted his teacher and she has agreed to be liberal with bathroom access. He has extra pants in his backpack. There is a correlation between anxiety and bathroom trouble, but I don't know if the anxiety is causing the poop problem. Or is it just when he is having trouble he is anxious about that. So do I take him to the doctor with vague symptoms? Do I try to get him in therapy or anxiety drugs? I just want him to feel better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 I'd bring him to your pediatrician or family doctor. Bathroom issues are definitely up there with things that need to be addressed medically and in a timely manner. There are a lot of different things that might be at play, and a good dr will help narrow down the causes. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 I would start at the pediatrician. When he reported that he was constipated, did he use the wrong word, or was he feeling constipated AND having diarrrhea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ananda Posted January 25 Author Share Posted January 25 He was using the wrong word. It is always diarrhea, or at least loose uncomfortable poops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholastica Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 Definitely take him to the doctor. There are various things that a person can be intolerant to that can cause this. One of the many is fructose intolerance. It causes diarrhea when one ingests too much fructose. It is easily dealt with by eliminating all sources of fructose and high fructose corn syrup. Most people can tolerate the fructose in whole fruits because it has the fiber intact to take it through the digestive system. There are many other possible intolerances and food allergies that could be the culprit. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ananda Posted January 25 Author Share Posted January 25 I made him a doctor's appointment, so hopefully he can help. He and I are just so frustrated. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 Don’t be surprised if it is constipation after all. Many kids that are constipated end up with diarrhea. The second most common issue is probably a food intolerance like fructose. It will likely take a while to figure out, so it’s good to go to a doctor. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 Dairy was the issue for one of my grandkids. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toocrazy!! Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 I think definitely the dr, to see what they think, but for me personally anxiety does affect my gut for sure. And once it starts, it’s kind of hard to get it back into a regular rhythm. I was having issues for a couple months and tried several different probiotics, and surprisingly culturelle worked for me almost immediately. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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