14yo having regular accidents

[Fairymum24]

Ever since he was out of nappies he has always had the odd accident. I never worried and just assumed he would grow out of it. When he was around 9 his accidents were far few and between so I assumed he was past it. However in the past year or so he has been frequently messing his underwear. It’s now out of control, where he soiling and wetting himself very often at school and at home.

Been to the doctors twice and both times have been inconclusive. He he’s had urine and blood tests. We were told he was constipated causing poo to ‘leak’ into his underwear, and he was wetting himself due to pressure on his bladder from his bowels. However he poos regularly throughout the day. I have seen his logs a few times now when he makes it to the toilet and comparing them to the NHS stool chart they are more often than not healthy looking, so I don’t know if constipation is the issue.

I think sometimes he leaves it too late and does a small a bit before using the toilet or maybe he won’t wipe properly, but other times its far worse. The other day I walked into his room where he was sat playing on his playstation and noticed a strong whiff (it’s a mothers instinct!) I checked his underwear and he had badly pooed in them, and was sat playing normally like nothing was wrong. I was furious!

Has anyone experienced anything similar or have any advice?

[Houx]

hello,

I’m sorry you and your child are experiencing this, it’s so frustrating and upsetting. Although my child is much younger than yours this sounds exactly like her experience, I strongly recommend requesting a course of laxatives from the GP so that you can carry out a disimpaction, lots of children will poo regularly and often pass poos that look normal whilst they are constipated. This helped us tremendously and we’ve had to do it twice before reaching a maintenance dose which works well for our daughter and keeps her going regularly without accidents (something I’d thought may never happen!!)

eric.org.uk/childrens-bowel...

Have you asked the school for a school nurse referral? They can also be of support and offer advice around bladder and bowel issues.

I know it’s incredibly frustrating when you find your child has been sat in poo but they genuinely cannot feel it leaking when it happens and are more able than we are as adults to become distracted. I’ve had to teach myself not to get cross when this happens as it can cause the child to become more anxious.

I wish you the best of luck x

[ERIC-Charity Partner]

Dear Fairymum24 , large poos are a sign of constipation. Soiling is also a sign of constipation as well as foul smelling poo. Have a look at this eric.org.uk/advice-for-chil... best wishes, ERIC