Son seems very lethargic - day 12 disimpaction

[Rebeccarhubarb]

My son (4.5 yr) is on day 12 of disimpaction with laxido (6th day of 8 sachets). I've just listened to ERIC podcast which suggested that children successfully going through disimpaction would have a great appetite and loads of energy. My son is so much more lethargic and grumpy than usual. The process seems to be going ok, although we're really struggling to get him to drink enough alongside the laxido. Should I be worried about his overall wellbeing with continuing with the disimpaction? We've had one rusty water with bits stool (Saturday) but haven't replicated since. Hoping disimpaction is almost here but have been advised to keep going until we get several consecutive rusty water stools.

[sosie16]

We are in the exact same boat and also unsure what to do. We've had the odd watery looking nappy poos (she's daytime trained but wears nappies to bed so seems more watery towards the end of the day) but never consecutive and always quite thick again by the next morning. She also looks quite bloated in her belly and doesn't have a particularly good appetite. But we are on day 13 tomorrow and now missing school so I'm desperate for it to be over! We started giving senna 2 days ago which seemed to really help shift things yesterday but not much poo today! Eric say you only need 2 watery poos but I think they need to be consecutive (not sure about that bit though). My daughter withholds so I don't think I'm gonna get 2 watery consecutive poos cos she holds it in for so long! I personally think my dauhhter is shattered from it because it's been a bit of an ordeal and we've basically been at home, on the toilet for 12 days. That's gotta take its toll right? Certainly has on me!

[Pebbledash]

I'm no expert but if he's lethargic make sure he's drinking plenty of fluids other than the medicine. Could be a sign of rehydration.

[ERIC-Charity Partner]

If you have concerns about your child's well-being during disimpaction please seek advice from a health care professional. That is correct that it should be 2 consecutive watery stools, one after the other and a large volume to ensure the bowel is clear. NICE guidelines recommend introducing a stimulant laxative at day 14. You can discuss the use of stimulants and dosages with your health care professional. Stools should be reliably soft before using a stimulant laxative. 6-8 cups of water based fluid should be on top of the Macrogol laxative fluid intake and will help things progress.

[Rebeccarhubarb in reply to ERIC-Charity]

Thanks so much for the advice. Could you tell me if this picture (apologies for the graphic content) shows the sort of poo were looking for to transition to the maintenance dose? It's mostly water with a few floating bits and a small pile of bits which have sunk in the toilet bowl.

Poo in a toilet

[Mum_of_two_ in reply to Rebeccarhubarb]

Hello, did ERIC-Charity confirm whether this is what we're looking for? Thanks

[Rebeccarhubarb]

Afraid they never responded... I think we did move on to maintenance after that or shortly after... He hasn't had a poo accident since but a few occasions of mucus accidents..we're still scratching our heads a bit! If you're not on there already theres a FB group called Movicol Mummies which has lots of helpful info (and often pictures).