I am at my wits end. My daughter has suffered with CC for 2 years. On Movicol since diagnosis. Been in hospital more than a handful of times for featal impaction. Is normally put on IV fluids and anti sickness as she continually vomits for up to 5 days during a bout of constipation. Doctors think the vomiting is caused by anxiety and stress and is probably physcosymatic not caused by being bunged up. I am a single parent. Her father and his partner hinder medical advice and can't manage her constipation. So I have had to get a social services referral to help my daughter when she visits. I have had to put up with verbal abuse and slanderous accusations from her dad regarding her constipation as it's always my fault not just "something she has" like children have asthma etc.. I work and she goes to school and both are becoming harder and harder to maintain. She's on 2 sachets of Movicol a day at the moment. We increase if she has failed to poo every other day. But even if she has poo'd a bit everyday we still get symptons and issues. Her diet is balanced. Lots of fruit, good with veg, good at taking on fluids.. cereal, 50/50 bread etc. I am literally out of ideas. Please help me. I feel like I am drowning.
Chronic Constipation 8 year old daughter: I am at my... - ERIC
Chronic Constipation 8 year old daughter
HI
its awful not knowing where to go or what to do , my son has suffered since around aged 7 and is coming 14 , hes has never vomited though. reading your comments I would think if she is that badly constipated 2 sachets are not enough . I did this many times 2 sachets never got good results and gave up , tried different things diet , stopping different food groups . syrup of figs and so on. He was blocked and constantly leaking , the smell was so bad but he blocked it all out and ignored the need to go. He would hide the soiled clothes and tissues he used to wipe it away ,
After being put under a different consultant she explained it in detail and around this time last year we started yet another disimpactation going up on the dose until he cleared out , once that happened I was told to keep the dose high and see how it went . we started with 8 a day .
Months after we still experienced leakage day and night , I couldn't see a end to it all. but she told me to keep going , it did slow down and the leaks became less. the last 4 months he has been on 5 sachets a day with one senna at night. For the last month he has been perfect even though not going every day .
So although every one is different I would say don't give up it isn't a overnight fix and the bowel needs time to come back to normal so they can feel the signal to poo .
its no ones fault though as you will see reading through this great site .
good luck x
Thankyou. She's been vomiting again all day today. Pedatrian thinks this is physcosymatic vomiting caused by anxiety not constipation. She always says it's her fault etc.. which is heartbreaking. I always reassure her it's not. I think after this bout of vomiting has settled I will try 4 a day for a while and see how that goes.
Pls don’t feel alone, you aren’t. Your post made me cry. I’m also at my wits end. My son also has bouts of vomiting associated with his constipation and has been in hospital 3 times recently. He’s on 12 sachets currently. It’s taking a massive toll on his mental and emotional health as he has outbursts of anger where he loses control and attacks my daughter (who’s 5) and me, his dad (we are separated) and anyone who is there at the time. He told me the other day he wishes he was dead sometimes. He had a big outburst yesterday on the beach (we are on holiday) because my daughter accidentally headbutted him and as soon as he experiences extra pain (he seems to be in constant pain) it triggers a switch in his brain and he becomes extremely aggressive. He also has trapped wind, he can only fart upside down (odd I know) or when he’s in bed late at night. I think the most important thing is to have support. I’m phoning his hospital psychologist today as I’m so worried about him. I’m also going to phone his paediatrician and ask her to contact his paediatric gastroenterologist to try to speed up his appointment (he’s on a cancellation waiting list currently). He’s had school nurse support so I’m going to call them and see if they will go and visit him in school. He’s also under the local continence service who have written to the gastroenterologist on his behalf. And we now have a private chiropractor who definitely helps with the pain. I’m preparing myself mentally for the fact that he cannot continue like this and he may need something like a stoma. I hope you have some support and your daughter is under a gastroenterologist. My son developed gastritis, caused I’m sure by the high doses of pica sulphate he was put on following enemas (he’s had 8 or 9 altogether) and is on long term omeprazole, one of the symptoms is vomiting/reflux. I had to fight to get him referred to gastroenterologist and if I’m not happy with the next apptmt I will push for referral to GOSH or Evelina. Apologies for the long response. My heart goes out to you and I can honestly say it’s realky really hard to cope with, stay strong xxxx
Just to let you know I'm thinking about you. Take care
My daughter also has outbursts and moods and can be quite difficult at times. I am worried all of this is affecting her mental health. She always blames herself 😢 I am a single mum so I am also worried about my job and paying my mortgage. All this just adds to the stress. I will definately push for a gastroenterologist appointment. We are under the peadatrian but I think you are right about maybe the vomiting is from acid reflux when she gets worked up about not being able to poo as it's very frustrating. And like yesterday we had to cancel a day out so it's affecting daily life and her childhood. Its not fair on any of our kids. I just want to cry.
I think having the right specialist support is really important. I got my paediatrician to refer my son for clinical health psychologist at hospital coz of his pain and the impact on his mental health. I got the gastroenterologist through contacting PALS at the local hospital and getting my GP to refer him. PALS also helped me with getting his first apptmt brought forward. I’m cutting short our holiday now after taking him to hospital yesterday for 4 hours, nothing they can do here really other than another enema at another hospital 50 mins away. He doesn’t want that. So doing the big drive tomorrow and trying to get him admitted into the hospital where he gastroenterologist is based. The omeprazole has definitely helped my son. I also put him on a low fodmap diet and took out gluten and dairy for a time. Gradually reintroduced gluten but he mainly stays off dairy apart from the odd ice cream. Pls let me know how you get on. You can apply for DLA for your daughter. I haven’t done it yet for my son but I should have. I’m in the process of financially separating for my husband and that feels like a lot of paperwork already! Keep me updated on your progress via private msg on this site if you like. I do relate to much of what you are experiencing xx
Can I ask what is PALS? We are now in another cycle of not being able to poo and vomiting. Thankfully no vomiting over night and she had a good night's sleep. Gave her a dose of Califig to see if I can get it all moving quicker and she's managed one weetabix this morning which might push it round. She is missing first day of school and I am having to work from home which I cannot unfortunately do all the time. I didn't know I could register for DLA? I will look into that. Thankyou. I am just hoping we get some movement today. Love to keep in touch. Not sure how to private message. Be good to chat off here. Xx I hope you get your boy sorted out x
PALS is patient advice liaison service, based at hospitals, I’ve private msgd you on this site ☺️
Hello,thank you for your response,my son is 9 and few times I found his pants with poo hiden,talked to him,explained to not be scared,today found again..I get so angry I feel bad now,I dont know if ita same issue...or he just dont go on time..i am feel lost
bless her , the medicine is disgusting according to my son , so we always get the orange flavour and I add orange squash into the water (total ml ) he says that helps abit with drinking it . Sadly its a long process but eventually things start to return to normal . Not her fault at all its more common than you realise when you find this site. so much support and just reading others posts and comments can help you through it knowing your both not alone too !
So my daughter has had problems after being in hopsital for 9 days (2018) with suspected Eating Disorder (she was 12,nearly 13,had started periods) she never mentioned pain in her tummy and it only got worse once she left hospital,shes 15 now and its still going on,we were given Lanzoprazole as she had heartburn,Cosmocol and now take Buscopan for tum pain,though this is changing again,she doesn't sleep,she was very frail but has since lockdown been using my cross trainer and gained muscle,which i think has helped her mind if nothing else,she says im 15 but feel 80,she missed a lot of year 9 but did best to catch up and is in lockdown doing year 10 and will continue into the summer holidays,i just want year 11 to go smoothly,with her getting some sleep at least,im sure that is the main thing,no relaxation,my heart goes out to you all on here,as Kiera has only ever felt sick but has never been sick with this,its all very stressful and as i always say everyday is different because of her mental well being.
I was one of those children who had chronic Constipation and ended up with various investigations and a ton of laxatives. I agree it was psychological as there was nothing physically wrong with me and it was the fact that I was unhappy at school. The pain and cramping would go at the weekends and would then return on Monday, that bad it was too painful to go to school. I would suddenly empty my bowels in public after a week of not being able to go to the toilet and would fill up the bowl on occasions. I now require medication to control the anxiety (Venlafaxine). Serotonin cells are mostly in the bowel and this is where stress hits first. When stressed, guess what happens? I end up with symptoms and the sudden urge to empty the bowels or be sick. It’s not her fault and she may be anxious about something. Or just had a chemical imbalance as I have. Mines a lifetime issue and have learnt to live with it and manage the symptoms.
Please remember you are not alone. Just remember people who don't have to undertake this issue find it hard to understand and grasp. Try to keep persisting and eventually they do start to get an idea it is a medical issue.
I have come to learn sometimes.it is better to keep them on a higher dose of movicol and keep them slightly loser. To be honest one of my mistakes was keeping the movicol to low. We are now on 7 with picolate.
My son has been sick a couple of times with it. It has tended to be when he has worked himself up and he was feeling to full at the same time.
My heart is with you. Just remember you are a brillant mum and you can just do your best.
Thankyou. I think once i have the vomiting under control again I will double dose her to move things round and then increase to 3 / 4 and see how that goes. I think the vomiting may be to do with anxiety. Getting worked up and frustrated over not being able to poo. I will try and push for a gastroenterologist appointment to see if they can prescribe something for acid reflux. I was on emeprezole before I had my gallbladder removed. I'm just worried about the phycological affects too.
Hi if she isn’t sorted yet get them to prescribe sodium picosulphate if she’s not already had it, it’s the only thing that’s ever worked for all 3 of mine
Dear Allyem1976. You and your dtr are having a hard time. We all know how frustrating it can be. The bowel /stomach and emotions are connected. You have heard of the saying ‘I had a gut feeling’. If my girl is worried or anxious her bowels get worse. Some Avenue u could try- continence advisor? Have u done this? Physotherapy- specializing in bowel. Helps with massage etc. her diet is good but something in her diet could b affecting her motility in the small bowel. Have u tried FODMAP?. Before u do any of this try and get her cleaned out. Make sure you use the Bristol stool chart so u can have a reference. It’s hard and time consuming but u can’t give up. My girl had bowel problems that I couldn’t manage for 13 years! We tried it all and now she never soils but she is on adult Movicol a day. Keep up the good work. Good luck
Hi. Im not medically qualified but had same issues myself as a child. Recall 6 months of conscription..had prunes to stout beer. Tried the lot.lack of Iron. Fibogel. And lactolouse was prescribed.
Coffee which is known to have resultsof course if child is young then with caution but i was about 4-5 when this was an issue. Grown out of the stage by 10. But loads of fluids and odd shandy or stout or coffee worked. 
Hi, my son is exactly the same- and the same age. I don’t have any advice unfortunately but just want to say you are not alone 😊
Hi allyem1976.
I just want to say that you are not alone and I feel what your going through . I am in a similar situation with my 11 year old daughter. It's coming upto a year. No medicine seems to be working for her now as it did previously. We have tried disempaction this time round and under instruction of the peadiatrian done 21 days on 12 sachets with just type 4 poos. No loose or watery stools at all. Changed her laxatives and tried them all. Lactulose, senna, sodium picosulphate, biscodyl, and docusate. It's as if her bowels have gone to sleep.
When she had a bowel movement it would trigger pain all over her body, especially her thighs and down the back of her legs, it's as if the pushing is pressing something on her spine.
Then she's in this pain a good part of the night, only sleeping at 3 -4 o clock, then getting up at 7 to go to school.
I've made a decision to stop all medication. Don't know if I should have but I'm going to let nature take its course. She's had 2 bowels movements on her own type 5 in a week. I've also started her on some food supplements that has high doses of your everyday fruits and pro and prebiotics. All natural. Sometimes I think we just need to take a step back... each case is different and in most cases movicol works when you get the dose right according to the comments on here but for my daughter even 12 isn't working. Still on the waiting list to see gastro at Manchester till then it's just trail and error. My daughter is like many on here being affected psychologically too. Says she doesn't want to live. That she can't do this any more.
Wish everyone the very best and hope our kids get past this and go onto lead happy normal lives.
Thankyou for replying. The trouble is Alana gets impacted without any form of medication and we have 2/3 days of constant vomiting until the poo decides to move itself.
Unfortunately this means 2/3 or more days off school and I miss work. Two things that impact seriously on our daily lives.
There has to be another way. We all cannot continue to live like this.
If she's not using medication she gets blocked and if we use medication it boarders on runny/upset tummy and then when she visits her dad's house he does nothing but tell her off for accidents. And then when I intervene I just get a barrage of abuse from him.
It's just horrible for her emotionally and physically and equally for me. I am literally unable to cope anymore.
Hello all!
I am a child health consultant practicing overseas. childhood constipation is becoming the public health problem throughout the world in recent times. The common causes are 1. use of highly refined food in the day today life 2.reduction in the use of whole grains 3.usage of dairy and bakery products 4. less sleep &more usage of electronic media 5. less hours of physical activity 6. Getting up late in the morning 7.avoiding the traditional diet of the geographical area .8.reduction in the consumption of liquids especially water.
all this lead on to reduction in the amount of fluid ,fibre ,activity ,sleep which finally ended up in constipation .so number 1 thing we should change is change in the lifestyle.- go to bed early ,get up early, do some physical exercise as per the age, drink plenty of fluids ,take whole grain products eat traditional food apart from taking the laxative- whatever the medicine you are prescribed for a minimum period of 6 to 12 months. the Bowel takesat least three months to get adjusted ,gets back its rhythm. then you need to increase the fluids,fruits, vegetables. Life style modification .
You can reduce the amount of laxative after atleast 3 months. after six months age of usage may be taperedas per the response.
one good book I will recommend for the mother's to read is the "INS and Outs of poo"
by us physician Dr.duhamel
available in the Kindle.
all the best mums
Hi I just read this and then I read this about Movicol, hope it helps xx
To treat constipation you can take two sachets up to three times a day, depending on how bad your constipation is. The contents of each sachet should be dissolved in 62.5ml of water before taking. To treat faecal impaction the usual dose is 16 sachets a day, all of which should be taken within a six hour period.
Hi my daughter had the same problem when she was small so use to give her warm orange juice with a bit of water ,prunes use to blend them and give her a few spoons or a medicine called LACTULOSE it was quite helpful.
Pl read the post
Hello all!
I am a child health consultant practicing overseas. childhood constipation is becoming the public health problem throughout the world in recent times. The common causes are 1. use of highly refined food in the day today life 2.reduction in the use of whole grains 3.usage of dairy and bakery products 4. less sleep &more usage of electronic media 5. less hours of physical activity 6. Getting up late in the morning 7.avoiding the traditional diet of the geographical area .8.reduction in the consumption of liquids especially water.
all this lead on to reduction in the amount of fluid ,fibre ,activity ,sleep which finally ended up in constipation .so number 1 thing we should change is change in the lifestyle.- go to bed early ,get up early, do some physical exercise as per the age, drink plenty of fluids ,take whole grain products eat traditional food apart from taking the laxative- whatever the medicine you are prescribed for a minimum period of 6 to 12 months. the Bowel takesat least three months to get adjusted ,gets back its rhythm. then you need to increase the fluids,fruits, vegetables. Life style modification .
You can reduce the amount of laxative after atleast 3 months. after six months age of usage may be taperedas per the response.
one good book I will recommend for the mother's to read is the "INS and Outs of poo"
by us physician Dr.duhamel
available in the Kindle.
all the best mums
Hello fort I’d join this group as I have no support from Pediatrics constipation clinic or dieticians so at a loose end my daughter is 8 and suffers with chronic constipation we was doing so well until few weeks ago when the soiling came back and today very mud like poop happened again we been so careful as she dairy allergy also so pretty hard on food wise also allergic to fish and cucumbers weird I know but every time I call drs all I get is up her movicol she on 4 packs a day already she having to have paracetamol every with tummy back and headaches but still getting kicked to the back of the list Iv tried pals which only made me two appointments which is this coming month I’m at a loose end now and don’t know what else to do I hope you guys can help me seeing as we all have this common situation with our babies xxxxx
Definitely call the ERIC helpline (it can be difficult to get through but keep trying) or I believe you can send them an email? Speaking with one of the amazing volunteer consultants at ERIC was so helpful both practically (as they gave me fantastic, clear advice) and also therapeutic for me - to be heard, believed and understood.
I feel exactly the same as you , single parent of three children and my eldest is the one with the bowel troubles . Have been referred to pead who didn’t seem to know what to do other than prescribe laxido. I feel like it is More of a emotional cause because Of not being with his dad , rather than a physical problem or perhaps it’s the two Together . I just don’t know what to do anymore and he’s soiling his underwear several times a day . He’s 8 . Xxx
Hey just checking how are things going for you two?
I've only just seen this so things may have changed for you but my 6yr old son was prescribed sodium picosulfate by his paediatric gastroenterologist and it's so much more effective than the Movicol sachets which didn't really help my son. Its 5-10ml twice a day for 2 days and then every other day. If this is something that you haven't been offered then I would certainly request it.
Hi Also looking for advice /support as at my wits end and can't see it getting any better at mo! my 6 year old son has had troubles with constipation for over a year he currently takes movicol but I find it difficult to get the balance right of how many sachets he should take. I find it causes a lot of accidents and mess and then he has trouble going because the stool is too soft. Once been we still have the accidents for a week after. I don't know if there's anything that is more immediate effect e.g. Medicine that will make him go the next day and not have so many accidents? How does he picosulfate work?
Any advice appreciated
Hi there, we never found the Movicol effective but accidents are generally an indication that there is still a blockage too (if it's "leakage" at least anyway). The sodium picosulfate is much stronger and therefore more effective, it can work in 6hrs but recently it's been the next day for my son. You may still need to try different doses as it can cause a bit of sickness (when this happened to my son once though he was completely fine as soon as he had vomited). So now I use a lower dose in case of sickness although he probably does need a slightly higher dose to be best for the constipation! So it is still a little trial and error but because of the nature of the condition I think that's unavoidable I'm afraid. Best of luck x
Thankyou for your reply did you get the picosulphate following a hospital visit or is it something the local GP can prescribe?x
My son was referred to a paediatric gastroenterologist by our GP and it was prescribed by them. The GP wouldn't generally prescribe anything that strong without further advice. X
Hi,
I’m new on here also looking for support. Although I think I’m at the stage where I’m accepting my daughter is probably always going to be like this.
She is 8, has CC since she was 2. Her rectum is stretched, so she can’t feel the need to go for a poo. She takes one sachet at night along with 2 5mg of bisocodyl which helps contract everything and she gets a tummy cramps so will then try to go to the toilet, however her poos are never properly formed. So she loses a lot of fluids.
She is under GOSH, she’s had a few stays there where they dis impact, give her the tablets to see how it all flows, she’s had the camera etc. Things have got easier in terms of no more explosions, but she still leaks and she gets UTI’s (currently on second infection in a month).
She hates it, she says she wishes she had normal bowels.
It is a lonely place, people around me always say she will grow out of it, how can she not feel it, if she wets at night and we are staying with family then I get a lecture about how much she drinks (where they need educating), it’s very hard.
Stress doesn’t help, it sounds like it is hard for you at the moment. If your ex partner isn’t on board then that doesn’t really help at all.
Definitely keep pushing the consultant, if you feel something isn’t right then go with it. It might be common but it doesn’t mean you can be left to it. It’s very hard work.
My daughter has so much time off school, always looks pale and poorly. Wish they could wave a magic wand.
Sending lots of love and hope things have settled
Xx
It sounds as though your daughter has it much tougher than my son and I know how difficult and upsetting it can be for him so I can't imagine how your poor daughter must feel at times. At least she has a very supportive mum who is doing her best for her but it's difficult to know what that is sometimes isn't it! I hope she does improve/get better, even if just some. X
Hi there! I know exactly how this feels because I went through it as a kid. My diet was also perfectly balanced so everyone was confused, my diagnosis was also anxiety until just after Christmas in 2017 when I was first admitted for faecal impaction. I had to have surgery to remove it, I had always been a very sick kid, I would throw up at least twice a week and was always off school. My paediatrician sent me for blood tests and an endoscopy on the suspicion of Coeliac disease, I came back positive and have been on a gluten free diet ever since. Trust me the diagnosis was magic and I feel so much better, I lost so much weight and I'm more active. I still get constipated sometimes but remember, with movicol you can take up to 12 sachets a day if it's really bad (and she's on adults). I really hope this helps!
Having been constipated for all of my childhood and most of my adult life (now 53 yrs old), I'm pretty sure my bowel movements were governed by mental health as a kid. it's important to rule out medical problems, Coeliac etc but definitely worth looking into therapy for your child. My son is just showing signs of digestion problems (which is what led me here) and i know he is stressed, eg: living in two homes, Covid etc. Also I had a friend (an adult) who used hypnotherapy for his constipation and never looked back, he's now convinced it was caused by stress and depression.
My daughter is also 8 years old and has been constipated 5 years. I'm also at my wits end and feel so awful for her we literally try everything lots of fruit veg etc she can literally go a couple of months without movement! She was upto recently under a pediatrician but they just wanted to keep her on laxido which to me is making her worse because it's making her bowels lazy. I've been researching and came across food intolerances and my daughter ticks all the boxes for gluten intolerance so my next move is to get in touch with her gp and demand tests as I am so fed up of been passed from Piller to post. You need to push for her to be put under a consultant and maybe look at food intolerances? Just a thought and I hope this will help 😊
hello. Ive just come across your comments on here about your daughters constipation, I know it was posted 4 years ago so I just wanted to check in and see how she’s doing now? I really felt for you and your daughter when I read your message. I hope you managed to find something that helped a bit more and she’s doing a little better today.
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