How long will it last?

[weezer47]

Hi my son who is 5 has been suffering with a blockage and subsequent leakage for around 7weeks now. The doc prescribed movicol which did nothing but made him soil more. She referred to a paediatrition who we saw on tues and he is now on 4 sachets a day and 5ml of dulcolax. Today he has literally been dirty all day with very loose stool. Just asking how long should i expect it to be like this? The dr was less than helpful and has since left me wondering what should i do as he cant surely carry on like this until the follow up in 10days time! Any advice greatly recieved from a very stressed mummy and a distressed little man 😔

[MabelsMama]

Hi,

Does he still have a blockage and what you are seeing is overflow soiling where very loose stools leak round a hard mass or is it the mass that is coming out? Sounds like he still has a blockage to me. Is he straining but nothing much coming out, just leakage?

If this is the case I think you should maybe push the doctors for an enema, which although they don't like doing solves the isssue really quickly and it wasn't as bad as I had imagined when my daughter had one a few weeks ago. We got a referral from the GP to our paediatric assessment unit at the hospital. She is still on 2-3 sachets of movicol a day which is keeping everything really loose as she has been withholding for 2 years. She is going every day at the moment which is amazing and such a relief but she was suffering for 3 weeks with no bowel movement, apart from overflow skid marks, before they did the enema. They tried a suppository first but that didn't work.

I know it is so stressful when they can't go to the toilet and seeing them suffer is so hard. I hope you can get a resolution soon. X

[weezer47 in reply to MabelsMama]

Its now very runny. Last night there was a large piece and we have had nothing solid since. Before it was more like hummus (sorry!) and smelly. I am hoping that this means we are all clear?! Thinking of reducing the meds tomorrow as surely there will be nothing left after 24-36 hours of liquid?? Its slightly thinker than water. We have been sitting on the toilet blowing raspberries on arms and trying to do farty pants to try and go too. Just hope we can get back to some kind of normal soon. Thanks for all your advice i really felt very lost before i found this community! 😊

[squizita in reply to weezer47]

That sounds like the blockage. Ours was like gritty hummus (TMI!).

[squizita in reply to MabelsMama]

But he hasn't even had a full clear out dose? 8 sachets is the full dose - an enema is when that hasn't worked. Sounds like too little is the issue.

Also soiling occurs from too much movicol. From past experience I marched off demanding more, turned out I needed less and the realistic expectation that children post clear out don't just spring back but soil from numbness often.

[Jfraser1]

I feel your pain 😣.

It sounds like he’s going through disampaction, I had to do this with my son and was told to keep on the high dose of Movicol until he was passing brown water. It took a few days of continual soiling and mess, I put pull ups on to help with it. Once he was passing liquid I reduced Movicol to 2 Sachets as a maintenance dose.

I would suggest doing something similar as 10 days on 4 sachets of Movicol and Dulcilax is a lot. You want to avoid dehydration. You’ll know yourself when to drop the Movicol but expect lots of poo until then as the blockage needs to be cleared.

It will be worth it I promise, hang in there 😘

[weezer47]

Its now very runny. Last night there was a large piece and we have had nothing solid since. Before it was more like hummus (sorry!) and smelly. I am hoping that this means we are all clear?! Thinking of reducing the meds tomorrow as surely there will be nothing left after 24-36 hours of liquid?? Its slightly thicker than water. We have been sitting on the toilet blowing raspberries on arms and trying to do farty pants to try and go too. Just hope we can get back to some kind of normal soon. Thanks for all your advice i really felt very lost before i found this community! 😊

[Jfraser1]

Your right, sounds like he’s clear! How are you going with the reduced dose?

I had the same with my son and disampcted him 1st of July, found a good maintenance dose of 1 & 1/2 sachets per day. 6 months later I still have to sit him on the toilet every day to have his poo but I’m just glad he’s not constipated and not getting the chance to withhold! They say it can take a year for the rectum and lower bowel to recover and regain tone and sensation. We have a lot less accidents now, the occasional smear in the pants when he’s trying to hold it.

It’s very frustrating, I can’t wait to be ‘normal’ again too lol but I find this forum so reassuring and supportive knowing that we are all going through similar battles

Xx

[squizita]

Sounds like he is on a clear out - the dose SHOULD give the runs for a few days, until runny with no lumps. Then gradually reduce the dose (1/2 a sachet every 2 days) until you get soft, formed poo.

You may well still get accidents, the gut is all bruised and stretched so the signals don't return - and the child is scared of anything to do with poo so holds on.

They are likely to be on some movicol for months, until all stretching is gone and essentially they have pooed like a regular kid for ages. Then slowly wean them off - but not too early, I did that and we were back to mess and panic! Once they are maintaining though, stools are not runny and there is much less soiling (gradually - took us about 3 months!).

[weezer47]

So i took him back to a doctor on tues as wanted to confirm he should come off the meds. She agreed 5 days was definately too long to be on that high a dose. But after a few days of relative calm and clean (some small poos in the toilet) he is back to soiling alot and its the same consistency and has a strong smell. We are nack at paediatrition tomorrow. Concerned that he will just suggest the same again. At a loss as to why this is happening as no chance of a blockage and would have thought it have firmed up by now and movicol out of system? Any advice greatly recieved