Child Constipation - How long does it take to get back to normal?

[Sarah500N]

I'm looking for encouragement or advice from other parents whose children had constipation. My 5-year-old son was just treated for constipation. He used to poop every day. Like clockwork. Then last week he went 4 days without pooping, and starting complaining that his stomach hurt really badly. We started him on MiraLax, at the direction of our pediatrician. It didn't work fast enough, and my son was still in so much pain, so we took him to the Emergency Room of a child's hospital.

They did a suppository first, with little success. Next they did a rectal enema, which got a lot of poop out. My son said he felt better, and we went home.

The next day he pooped several times, all very watery. I figured it was normal after the enema. Day 2 he had one poop that was loose, but not overly watery. That seemed fine. But Day 3 - no poop at all. And today is Day 4 - no poop yet.

He's still taking the MiraLax twice a day, so I'm shocked he isn't pooping every day! I'm worried something is wrong inside that we can't see. They did a urinalysis at the hospital and it was relatively normal. Still, I just wish he would get back to the daily pooping!!!

[Yaleamanda]

It's possible you haven't completely cleared him out, you need to see rusty water looking poo for a few days before you can be completely sure the blockage has passed. You bet need to increase the osmotic laxative and add a stimulant to the regime. Regular daily poos may not come straight away. Encourage regular toilet sitting after every meal to help, check his diet includes plenty of soluble fibre, not insoluble fibre as this is no good. Ensure he has a good fluid intake as well.