First post - 3yr old withholder

[Gwigs34]

Can't believe I've just come across this board. We have struggled for years now with bowel issues. Little girl 3.5yrs. We started to struggle with constipation more regularly from 18m onward, prescribed Laxido which maintain things to a certain good standard but not an amazing help. Had a few bouts of fecal impaction. Put alot of the constipation down to excess cows milk intake (she wad still having bottle morning and night) and seen a huge improvement once reducing that. Got to potty training last year and failed hideously with poos. Thought she was constipated again so managed with Laxido but too much and we would end up with explosive poo and sore bum so literally no help. Realised more so this year that shes a withholder. Her grunting, red faced, shaking behaviour wasn't constipation - she was desperately trying to hold it in.

Now we are trained day and night for wees. Still struggling with poo. She won't entertain a nappy anymore. She has a big poo probably once a week and the rest of the week is wither nothing at all or letting tiny little bits of poo out into her bum and then having to be took to the toilet. She jumps up and down to get it to fall out. Shes off the toilet like a shot once a tiny bit is out - I'M FINISHED. There's literally no rhyme or reason to her ways. Sometimes her huge poos are completely soft and normal. More often than not the little tiny bits she lets out are soft but overly sticky and won't fall out in the toilet. She needs to be wiped and knickers changed up to 10 times a day.

We are at our wits end. I've thought about asking for a change of laxative to a stimulant one to make her tummy NEED to go? Any idea guys.

[Bambie83]

When I was first told my daughter was impacted I was really shocked because she was pooing pretty regularly, I assumed she was just being difficult.

But then I spoke to Eric and they said if there was a blockage then she might be pooing but it’s just seeping out the sides around the blockage and stretching her bowel! I was amazed and felt awful that I had assumed she had control over the soiling when it’s almost guaranteed she couldn’t feel it by this point!

I guess I would start with looking at maybe disimpaction and see if that might help with the withholding.

Once the poo might not be causing her any pain she will possibly sit on the toilet longer. I found party blowers and bubbles really helped (they use the right muscles for pooing). But you need to try and make it a more fun place to be (as hard at the sounds).

[Robinia]

I would be tempted to try a disimpaction with movicol and introduce a stimulant alongside like Senna and then go for a low-ish maintenance dose of movicol and Senna. Then look at supporting good toileting behaviour.

[Gwigs34]

Thank you both for your replies! I really appreciate your help. We were at our wits end ... the overflow was horrendous. I called our GP on Friday and they did indeed suggest disimpaction. So we are on 4 today .. GP suggested get to the second 6 day and then call back to update them and check progress.

Fingers crossed this works. She's been asking for pull ups back on to poo in which at the moment I'm fine with as long as she's going. We've had a couple larger soft poos over the last 2 days. But I will definitely finish the disimpaction as I'm desperate to move past this.

Fingers crossed for us!