Could she be constipated??

[Iamskiff]

We’ve been battling wee accidents fir nearly 3 years now..... just when I think things are improving it gets worse. I’m in contact with a continence nurse and due to see her in a couple of weeks. Our last app we started oxybutinin for overactive bladder which was disasterous after 10 days -accidents got ALOT worse and she started having soiling accidents aswell. We stopped meds and have gone back to our usual routine of 6 drinks a day and sitting on the toilet 30 mins later but were no further forward and I feel like we have hit a wall with it. Too scared to try other meds now. Accidents vary from 3-6 a day and has a care plan in place at school. She has never had a problem with pooing. Goes every day. No straining. Type 4/5. But she is EXTREMELY windy. Everyday. She also has a bloated looking tummy which she has always had. She complains of tummy ache every now and again. Could she be constipated???

Any experiences/opinions welcome!!

[ClarabellaSimpkins]

This is my daughter completely, she presented 3 years ago with wet accidents. Went on oxybutinin which helped for 6 months then she started soiling and hasn't stopped since. I read a book about constipation and wetting and asked at a kidney scan for them to scan to if she was constipated. She was. She poos every day and it looks normal but she is constipated. I am very angry a doctor never considered this and we are waiting for a gastro appointment to try to find a way of dealing with the constipation as movicol and senna don't seem to help. I would definately push to see if she is constipated.

[SallyandPaul]

Just wanted to say I completely agree with Clarabella. Despite there being poo there everyday she could well be still constipated. The bowel then presses on the bladder causing the accidents. I found the wetting accidents worse for everyone to deal with than the poo ones. Good luck I hope that you get sorted soon.

[Helen36]

Hello - it’s another ‘yes’ from me. It was the wetting that made us realise my daughter was constipated too. She had been constipated in the past and it turns out it had stretched the bowel so it presses on the bladder (which then irritates it causing the overactive bladder). I was also told there might be a little pocket in the bowel that was blocked and pressing there, but other poo passing normally. We did a disimpaction which got us on the road to recovery and we saw a big improvement after that in terms of wetting. It’s so common that the clinical pathway for wetting is to treat for constipation first before trying other issues. Good luck xxxx

[Iamskiff]

Thanks for all ur feedback!

I’m jus really baffled that after seeing specialists for such a long time that apart from asking if she’s constipated it’s never been looked into more. Surely doing a dispaction regime first n foremost at least to rule it out would have been beneficial before starting on bladder meds??

We’ll be going down that route for sure!

How long would the regime take? Would I need to keep her off school for it? I’m assuming I would?

Thanks so much for all ur reply’s x

[Helen36 in reply to Iamskiff]

I’m really baffled too tbh as it’s usually people on here asking why they are being treated for constipation when it’s a wetting problem! Have you looked at the ERIC website? They have lots of great information on there about wetting and constipation and how to go about doing a disimpaction. It can take a week or so to do, depending on what’s going on inside and definitely make sure you are talking to a medical professional about it when you do it. I’d start by asking the specialists why you haven’t been treated for this - as there might be a good reason. School is a tricky one, you might find she’s ok for the first few days but then want to keep her off - it all depends how she goes with it. Xxx

[Qwerty-2019]

Can I suggest to stop cows milk if she takes it? My daughter had constipation die to milk allergy, it took 1.3 years to get the diagnosis.

[Qwerty-2019 in reply to Qwerty-2019]

And she was very windy

[Iamskiff]

Tried dairy free a year or so ago for 3 months cos she also suffered with a lot of snot, nasal congestion etc. Made no difference to her bowels tho (as in pooed a normal poo daily, normal consistency and was still windy) and still had accidents

X

[Frustratedmum1]

Gluten could be another factor to consider?