Hi I'm new here, my 4 year boy has been soiling his pants 4-5 times a day. We saw the Dr a few months ago who said he wasnt constipated, however I wasnt convinced.
He used to do rather large poos in the toilet every other day, but hasn't for a while now.
He has a good varied diet and is active and happy in himself.
I'm worried there could be long term damage if not addressed soon, however in the current climate not sure what to do next
Thanks
Soiling is a clear sign that they are backed up with poo. You need to ideally disimpact him. You can use the Eric guide on disimpaction, take it to your Dr and request the large volume of movicol you will need to do this with.
Thank you I will call GP today.
Is there an alternative to Movicol? I dont how easy it will be to get him to drink it.
There are other types of Osmotic laxative but they all require high volumes of liquid when consumed. Movicol is by far the best of them.
I’ve spoken to GPs and school nurse many times over the last 2 years re my 5-year old who soils constantly. (Only a handful of times has he pooed on the toilet and when he does it’s usually started in his pants, basically he always goes in his pants). The possibility of poo being ‘backed up’ has never been mentioned. They say he’s not constipated and he never complains of tummy pain, says nothing hurts. Sometimes it is just several almond-size ones in a day though, but more often small/medium poos, sometimes days before a large one. Though his diet doesn't vary much. Sounds like you’re saying small ones mean poo is backed up behind them - can this happen without constipation?
Soiling is a very clear sign that a child is impacted and needs to be cleared out. Even though someone may go regularly does not mean that they are not impacted. the best form of action is to disimpact. Unfortunately Drs and School Nurses are very poorly educated in this type of thing, hence why we are here on the Eric website where they have a much better understanding of the issues our children go through.
I spoke to my GP this morning & he has prescribed Movical for a week & to check back in with him afterwards.
Reluctant to prescribe more, just kept stressing the importance of diet. Whilst I agree with him, sometimes, as is clear from this website , diet isn't always the answer!
No and neither is one week on movicol, That will just act as a sticking plaster and never resolve the issue. I would go back to the GP and request that you need to disimpact and will need large volumes of movicol to do it with. You can take the following with you too eric.org.uk/pdf-a-parents-g.... they should also be following the NICE guidelines which most of them clearly dont. Unfortunately you have to go pretty tough on the Drs otherwise they continue to brush it off and the problem worsens. Diet alone will not solve this.
I will see how it goes next week, if no improvement , I'll ask for more Movicol .
I did mention the guidelines on ERIC but still preferred to revert to the 'diet ' as key!
I would be seeking a second opinion from a dr that follows the correct guidelines.
Hi DJC1102
It does sound very much like constipation and the only way to help your little one is to carryout disimpaction. It sounds scarier than it is but it can be messy I'm afraid. I would revisit your gp, ours is currently doing online triage and sending any prescriptions directly to a pharmacy of your choice to ensure you all keep safe and distanced. Gradually increasing and then slowly decreasing movicol worked for my little boy who suffered from chronic constipation for years which then resulted in withholding behaviour for a long time. We are 5 months clear of any issues/medication after 2.5years of trying everything under the sun to help him mentally and physically overcome his struggles thanks to regular movicol aided disimpaction alongside small maintenance doses daily for 2years +
Looks like you have recognised the signs early enough to hopefully avoid any longer term habit forming behaviour off the back of his discomfort.
Good luck to you, this is much more common than you may think and you are not alone in this struggle ❤️
Thank you, I do need to push the situation more with the GP who I will contact today.
Glad to know there is hope!
Nothing against GP’s as they do an amazing job but I’ve found just a lot of ignorance when it comes down to believing that my child is constipated. If they can’t feel a massive blockage they’re not constipated which is not true.
Your situation sounds exactly what is happening with my daughter- the lockdown change has created our second impaction since Christmas. Only this time I knew the signs earlier and we’ve been on disimpaction with Laxido for the last 6 days.
Get a prescription online GP like LIVI with Laxido - it’s dissolved in water then I add a little juice to make it more palatable.
FYI ask them to give you enough for the treatment. Laxido for example comes in a box of 30 sashets and you need at least 38 to treat a 4 year old plus some to ‘bring them down gently’. Don’t be like me and have to go to the pharmacy again a week later!
Good luck!
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