Help me please!

[Amy-Leigh]

Hi. I am literally at a loss. I've never been in this position before, although I'm told this is relatively common, I'm having a hard time managing it.

My daughter who is 5 passed a hard stool 5 days ago, which has obviously caused her pain, and since then has refused to sit on the toilet or try and have a poo. She is really not well from holding it in and I've been given laxido which is the same as movicol. I have given x2 on first day x4 on 2nd day and x6 on 3rd day and will up it to x8 tomorrow.

She has had 3 days of this and still nothing. She is now holding in her wee 'incase she does a Poo'. She is occasionally going to the toilet but sometimes just wetting herself.

Will the laxatives force a movement? Will she have to sit on the toilet in the end? She is so scared of it hurting again and she is so poorly from keeping it in, she's been in bed with it for the past 3 days. There's no chance of her getting to school. She's irritable and doesn't want any affection. She just wants to be left alone and it's breaking my heart. Its so not like her to be like this and I know its because shes in discomfort... There is no way she is allowing this poo out!!!

Does anyone have any answers to my questions or tips.

Thanks.

[SallyandPaul]

The laxatives should force a movement which shouldn't be painful. How about using a child's glycerin suppository,this usually works within 30 minutes.

[Amy-Leigh in reply to SallyandPaul]

I think if it doesn't shift soon we will have to. If she was able to do her normal activities I wouldn't be so bothered but she's in bed and not wanting to do anything at all. Which is totally out of character for her. She has no interest in anything. Totally preoccupied with holding in her poop.

[Emily-vb]

It will come out eventually if you keep giving the movicol. Is there any chance you can take her out and have a little run around? The movicol will make it soft so it won’t hurt. 5 days is not too bad, it will come out. Make sure she does take it so it does not become hard. Good luck. It is heart breaking. Xxx

[Amy-Leigh in reply to Emily-vb]

Hi. Thanks for your reply. She's doubled up in pain with it and just stops and lies down on the floor so I've got no chance of her running around unfortunately. I just can't wait for it all to be out so she will feel better.

[SallyandPaul in reply to Amy-Leigh]

Bless your hearts,lets really hope that something happens today. She ought to have some sennakot as well. Good luck xx

[SallyCal]

Our daughter also got very grumpy, stopped eating and didn't want to do anything when she had been holding her poo for a few days. A warm bath helped her to relax and stimulate the need to go but she did get wise to this and refused baths eventually. This was before we had the macrogel medicine. It will come and it will be soft and your daughter will need lots of praise. It can take a little bit of time for them to forget that poos don't hurt so stick with the Laxido for a while until she is happy to go everyday and is not scared anymore. Best of luck. Xx

[Amy-Leigh in reply to SallyCal]

Thanks sallycal.

My daughter has been up all night getting up to hold it in. She has the need... but She is determined not to sit on the toilet or go anywhere near it. She does not want the poop to come out and there's no telling her. I'm not sure how long she is able to do this but she is not giving up.

[SallyCal in reply to Amy-Leigh]

I really.hope she goes soon as I know it will be a massive relief for you all. I am assuming you have tried talking to her about it. We couldn't reason with our daughter, she would say that she will never poo ever again despite me telling her it was normal to poo and everyone does it. We did have a reward chart at the beginning which had some success, so you could try that. Ultimately the Laxido won in the end with our daughter but it was on the walk home from school as she just couldn't gold it anymore despite her best efforts. Xxx

[Amy-Leigh in reply to SallyCal]

There's no rationalizing with her. I've tried everything... offering to take her to the toy store, sweets, rewards, the lot. My little one can't even get out of bed to walk far. I have got no idea how she's managing to keep on holding it.

[Emily-vb]

I second Sally. A warm bath helps. My daughter used to go 8 days, by the 8th even though she was standing up it was coming out. Keep the movicol and yes to senakol if you can get it. Keep it nice and borderline runny so she forgets and can’t really hold it. Beware it might go the other way and you will have lots of poo. Bless you. Let us know what happens xxx

[Amy-Leigh]

I will. So far she just keeps standing up and pushing her bottom against the wall to hold it in. She has not slept all night by trying to do this. She will not give in. My fear is she will never try and poo again. She won't even sit on the loo to pee anymore. I hope this does stop.

[Jocksbar]

Hi Amy- Leigh, I had the same with my daughter. The main problem being that she had opened a fissure and her bottom bled so every time she went it opened again. You should have heard the screaming every time she went to the toilet.

I used 10ml lactulose twice a day and senna in her hot choc at night. You have to make her sit for up to an hour on the toilet. Try three times a day if you can, I left her sitting with the iPad. When she feels it’s coming I put Vaseline on her bottom to help it slide. Also rocking back and forth on the toilet and holding toilet paper on her front bottom seems to help as it’s something to push against.

The main thing is they have to sit - the quicker they do it the less time they have to sit. Also explaining how much better they will feel. Warm baths, running about and lots of fruit and veg - no beige food!!

Good luck, I found this site more helpful than the doctor!!

[Amy-Leigh in reply to Jocksbar]

Thanks for your help. I don't think she will even go near the toilet at the moment but I will keep trying xx

[Evskie]

Always re assure them. My son was the same I followed what the doctor has said about increasing the movicol on the first day was 6 then next day is 8 then next day is 10.There was a lot of overflow but he was still in pain because there was a big poo trying to come. After 7 days of agony my son sat in toilet and the big one came out then we have the runs for 2days almost watery. I stopped giving movicol for 2 days until his poo was back to normal.At the moment I gave him 2 movicol a day. Also I made a routine by making him sit in the toilet for 5 minutes every morning as soon as he gets up. Apparently having a routine helps. My son now managed to pass normal poo every morning. Also increased water intake. It also helps fruit and vegetables.

I hope your daughter will be ok soon.

[Amy-Leigh in reply to Evskie]

Thank you. I hope she will manage to pass the big one. Currently she will not have any attempt to poo at all and gets very irritated by me trying to convince her to give it a go. Her bum is sore, inside and outside so this doesn't help matters.

[Porgysmum in reply to Amy-Leigh]

How did this resolve please? At the end of my tether with my almost 4yr old son in very similar situation. He's been on movicol for a few weeks with soft successful clearouts BUT has been withholding for 6 days now.

He screams and jumps around in pain when the urge comes but refuses to sit on potty or loo (or just to do it in his pants). He will however sit on the loo afterwards but not actively try.

He's also refusing a warm bath as he knows it's harder to hold.

[Amy-Leigh in reply to Porgysmum]

Oh I feel for you Porgysmum. Had your little one been a witholder for a long time? My daughter just started one day because it hurt. But it made her so unwell, thankfully now she is going when she needs. She was very impacted and the disimpaction was successful but it literally forced her to go. Then once she felt better she realised she needed to not hold on to poop again. The 'poo to poo land' story worked wonders with her also. And now she talks about poop as if it was her friend. Do you have that story? I really related it to her so she could feel like she wasn't alone. It was the most stressful time I've been though so I wish u all the best. At one point my daughter wouldn't sit on the toilet at all and would just wet herself. But I started small and just praised her for everytime she went. Explained I wouldn't allow her poop to hurt her again and that the special Medicine was going to make sure of that also. I used 'special' numbing cream for her bottom also. It was tough but a good ending. Just got to get the maintenance dose right now as I'm petrified of it happening again. Xx

[Porgysmum in reply to Amy-Leigh]

Thanks for replying, it's reassuring to know your daughter is ok x

He's been withholding on and off since he was a baby really! Until he was weaned, he wouldn't poo in his nappy.

He will go absolutely fine for a while, with praise and no issues whatsoever. Then bam, back to holding.

He's seen a paediatrician who's put him on the movicol.

Before then we tried lactulose, but that just seemed to make him windy, and glycerin suppositories when he got badly constipated, but how the hell do you use them on a (ridiculously stubborn) child refusing to let you?!

[Amy-Leigh in reply to Porgysmum]

Totally! My daughter would not have let me near her to do that and would have made me feel absolutely awful for it.

The doctor said the best way is to tell her about how much she is missing out on because of it and when she realises it no longer hurts she will go. And he was right. I am sure if it does become hard again she will no doubt start withholding again. She has never enjoyed going for a poo ever since potty training but usually just needed a little promting. She's even started going at school which is unreal!!

I found lactulose was awful and made her really smelly!! Movicol has certainly helped. Just feel lost with how to manage the maintainance dose now! Xx

[giul8bruce]

My specialist recommended Movicol + equivalent of dulcolax for children as Movicol by itself was not giving any results, only caused soiling. It sounds as if your daughter may be impacted. you are not alone here you will find plenty of supporters. Unfortunately as my daughter is having too many accidents due to medication I have resorted to buy her nappies for bed wetting (to cope with the various poo accidents) otherwise she was messing up to 10 knickers per day.. and she feels much better as easier to change in case of accidents. I guess I m lucky she is only 5 ...