Toddler Constipation - born premature...help!

[MrsRG]

Hello!

My daughter was born at 28 weeks, weighing just 2lb10. We spent 4 months in intensive care and since birth her main problem has always been around her digestion and bowels.

She was born dairy/lactose intolerant so was put onto Neocate until she was 16mths. Since then she has been on Alpro soya for children (dietician recommendation)

We have a weekly battle with chronic constipation. Trying to pass ginormous stools that cause her such pain and often result in bleeding.

She screams and screams in pain, she stops eating completely and won’t even sit down so therefore won’t go in the car so we end up housebound for days until the poo is passed.

I have paid to be seen privately and she was tested for coeliac, she isn’t.

They have put her onto a large daily dose of sodium picosulphate. Sometimes it works, more often it doesn’t and we still have a weekly episode of screaming and tears, which is so heartbreaking to witness.

We are in the midst of a bad episode and I just do not know which way to turn, I feel alone and that I’m doing something wrong.

Please...any advice?? I want to help her so much.

Thank you xx

[RuthRosetta]

It sounds like her laxative dose isn't high enough, despite it being a large dose if your daughter isn't producing a poo everyday. My daughter's consultant said the right dose is whatever dose means that my daughter poos without distress and produces a meaningful poo everyday (not just little nuggets). It's so distressing watching our little ones in so much pain you just want to swap places with them right? Sending you a big hug xxx

[Helen36]

Are you on a macrogel like movicol as well as the sodium pico (SP)? It sounds to me like you need a stool softener like movicol to hold water in the bowel and make it easier to pass, possibly starting with a disimpaction if you have read about those. The SP makes the bowel contract so if there is something hard in there it hurts as it makes it move.

How old is she? It sounds like you need more professional help and ongoing support from a specialist to get to the right dose. Xxx