Ds's bowel troubles...

[KarlaB]

Sorry if this is gross, but I need advice! :\

Youngest ds has not pooped since Tuesday or Wednesday. This is a little guy who usually goes 2 or 3 times a day. He had diahrea last week when he was sick and then seemed to get back to normal, but now he cries and tells me his bottom hurts. I know he has to go, but for some reason he says owie and won't go ~ cries when I ask/tell him he needs to go. Do I take him in or is there something I can do at home? :( I have heard to put a thermometer in his bottom with vaseline to give him the urge to go...should I try it??

[AnnW]

Have you tried giving him apple juice? I have heard the same thing about the thermometer also. If he is in that much distress, I would try it, just be careful not to put it in too far.

[darlene]

You might want to try glycerine suppositories....pediatric ones are available over the counter at drug stores....maybe even Wal-Mart?
Oranges are a good thing for him to eat....warm tea does wonders too.
The pediatrician that we saw for ds actually said apple juice is not such a good idea....it acts as a binding agent and might make problems worse. Try some prune juice instead.

Our ds has had bowel problems since before he turned two...he's now seven!

:)

[Diane]

Do you have any prune juice... maybe some mineral oil, applejuice(or sauce??) I don't think it would hurt to try the thermometer either... It sounds like he needs something to happen quickly... maybe some kind of a laxative? If something doesn't work real soon I'd call his doctor and see what he say's. Poor kid... I hope something happens soon. :)

Diane... :wave:

[Lynda/WA]

If he had diahrea, he probably got dehydrated. That can cause constipation. I'd avoid apple juice for two reasons. Apple's can cause gas. It was on of the things on my list to avoid when breast feeding. I don't remember if that held with apple juice as well or not. But, I wouldn't want to add gas in with constipation. Second - if he had diahrea he may be a little sensitive on his bottom. Apples have acids. No OJ either if he's sore! I'd go with Darlene and Diane's suggestion of prune juice. That's what old people use! Maybe watered down or mixed with something else if he doesn't like it. Water would also be great.

I would try and get a bunch of fluids in him. Even popsicles if he gets sick of drinking. And I'd lay him down and *bicycle* his legs. DS had really bad constipation when he was about 1 1/2 and I did this. That can help for gas as well. Something about the instestines kinking up. He can do various movements like that (bicycle and waist bends) while on the toilet. Just don't make him force to hard.

I don't think the thermometer (not mercury type!) would hurt. And child laxatives or glycerine suppositories would probably be good.

[PamE]

I second the glycerine suppositories. White grape juice is also great to get things moving. It's more easily digested than prune, apple, or red grape juice. Hope he feels better soon!

[RCT]

poor ds....dd used to have really hard bowel movents...and the pediatrician told us to use mineral oil...tsp in a 8 oz glass of choc milk did it for her....good luck and sorry your ds is going through this...

[KarlaB]

Thanks for all of the ideas gals!

I bought child suppositories last night after trying the thermometer and talking to a nurse....they did nothing. Tried one last night and this morning. :\ I called our nurse this morning and she said to try prune juice, but I know he won't drink it - I have a hard time getting him to drink any juice - he is a huge milk drinker. He has been drinking more water, so we'll see if that helps. The nurse said to call her later to let her know if he goes and we'll go from there. He has been clingy all morning and cries "owie" all of the time and walks on his tip toes....I know the the poor little guy has to go. :\ I also tried the "bicycle" thing and he cried. :( Thanks again everyone!!!

Silly question - where would I get mineral oil? Drug store? Nutrition type store?

[KarlaB]

A successful afternoon!! :yippee: Another nurse suggested a baking soda sitz bath...we tried that and then I sat with him in the bathroom with him for 45 minutes....lots of crying, but he finally did it.

Thanks again everyone for all of the wonderful tips!! I still need to make sure he is on a non-constipating diet and will use the ideas you gals gave! Thank you!!!! :thumb:

[Diane]

Originally posted by KarlaB
A successful afternoon!! :yippee: Another nurse suggested a baking soda sitz bath...we tried that and then I sat with him in the bathroom with him for 45 minutes....lots of crying, but he finally did it.

Thanks again everyone for all of the wonderful tips!! I still need to make sure he is on a non-constipating diet and will use the ideas you gals gave! Thank you!!!! :thumb:

:yippee: Way to GO!!!!! :yippee: I'm glad everything came out alright. :biglaugh: I'm assuming that he's feeling a lot better right now. :) Glad to hear it.

Diane... :wave:

[Amy]

Coming in late, but glad he had a bm!! I used the thermometer trick all the time on ds when I first started him on rice cereal. If he has more problems, try a small circular motion aftert inserting it. It makes the anus contract and feel the urge to poop. Im really surprised the suppository didn't work either. That works like a charm in our family.

Hope he has a happy poopy future! LOL

[RCT]

:roll: glad to here he had some success today...what a relief for you both....the mineral oil, I bought it at the local super market...but I am sure you can get it at the drug store or most anywhere....we stayed with it for a week or so straight to make sure she stayed soft....she had hard stools for almost a year off and on...she is fine now...sometimes just finding the right food for bm's is the trick...good luck....

[Lynda/WA]

I'm so glad he's fine now. Guess that baking soda is great stuff. I buy it bulk and was really glad for it this summer. I'd say we stepped on a half dozen bees. I'd just soak the whole foot on a layer of baking soda with water. I think its good for sunburns as well? Must be some soothing stuff.

Will he eat dried prunes? That may be a nice snack item. I know I like them. Help keep him regular now that the worst is over.

[KarlaB]

He struggled a little last night, but hopefully he got it all out - I think he pooped 7 times btwn 4 and 8! LOL!

Renee - I am going to look for the mineral oil.

Amy/CO - Thanks for the extra thermometer trick. I'll remember that if there's a next time, but let's hope not! :)

Lynda - Yikes about the bee stings! :nervous: The nurse said the baking soda would relax his bottom - I kind of doubted it after the suppositories didn't work, but I do think it helped. :) I am going to try prunes with him to make sure the rest of the week goes smoothly.

Thanks again everyone!!

[Leigh]

I am really late getting in on this, but I am so glad that things turned out okay. :)

[Ryleigh]

Glad to hear your ds is feeling better!!
my ds had that problem when he was about three. we tried everything we could think of. Their was no way I could get him to drink the prune juice. A friend of mine recommended something she had used with her kids. I don't remember the exact name, but I could try and find it if you need it again. It is a jelly, that you can spread of his toast. Tasted just like strawberry jam. It even comes in those little packs like you get jam/jelly in at a restaurant. (ds thought that was lots of fun... he just thought he got special jam, because he wasn't feeling well - dd was a little put out taht she didn't get special jam until we explained to her what it was for.) In just a few hours, he was on his way to relief.

[KarlaB]

Ryleigh - LOL about your dd thinking she was missing out. :) We are still working on getting ds back to normal. I did get him to drink prune juice mixed with 7Up, but it did nothing. :tearhair: I would love to know what the "magic jelly" was if you can think of it. :)

[Ryleigh]

I'll check it out for you when I go to Wal-mart tomorrow. You can buy it right off the shelf.

[darlene]

Karla, the "jelly" is called Lansoyl (sp?). We tried that with ds too. Must have improved since he used it, cause it just tasted like thick oil then! :lol:

Try making some matrimonial bars (at least that's what we call them)....you know the kind with an oatmeal base and top with a cooked date filling in the middle.

Our ds takes 1TBSP of mineral oil and 1 tsp of Senokot (a liquid laxative) every day on Dr.'s orders.

Good luck with your ds.

:)

[Diane]

Just wondering how your ds is doing... is he okay now or is he still having problems? Hope he's okay. :)

Diane... :wave:

[KarlaB]

Thanks for the info gals! I gave him some laxative drops for kids on Friday, Saturday and today.....finally did the trick tonight. I am really hoping this is the beginning of the end of this problem. He has been miserable, clingy and cranky. :\ Thanks again!! :)


Darlene - How old is your ds? I went to buy the mineral oil and it said to ask a dr if the child was under 6, so I bought the kid laxative drops. They didn't seem to be very effective until now, so I would still consider trying the mineral oil. Did you dr say how long you should give the two laxatives to your ds? Do you mix it with anything? Thanks so much for the help!! :)

[JAK]

I'm sorry to hear that your ds is still not back to normal. I would call the dr about the mineral oil before you give it to him. Just to make sure it's ok. Good luck!

[KarlaB]

Jen - I agree. That's why I went with something geared for little one since I was at my mom's and couldn't talk to my dr first. I don't want anything too harsh for him or that would cause tummy cramps on top of everything else. :\ Thanks! :)

[darlene]

Originally posted by KarlaB

Darlene - How old is your ds? I went to buy the mineral oil and it said to ask a dr if the child was under 6, so I bought the kid laxative drops. They didn't seem to be very effective until now, so I would still consider trying the mineral oil. Did you dr say how long you should give the two laxatives to your ds? Do you mix it with anything? Thanks so much for the help!! :)

Hi Karla. Ds is now 7 and has had problems since just before he turned 2. When we last saw the pediatrician....1.5 yrs ago....he had prescribed the oil and laxative 2x per day. After about 6 months we cut it down to once/day. Because of ds problems, his bowel is actually stretched to the size of a fist instead of about the size of a quarter. He had a barium enema done (not fun :\ ). The dr. said it will probably take around 2 years to get back to normal. I should be making another app't with the ped. for him again.

Ds just has a glass of milk with the meds. He is so used to them, it doesn't phase him. We just tell him that we are "oiling" our little machine! :lol:

Hope your ds problem is just temporary!

:)

[KarlaB]

Darlene - Thanks so much for the info! Sounds like you have had quite a battle. I am hoping we can get this under control soon and hopefully your ds will be back to "normal" again soon, too! Thanks again!!!! :)

[Ryleigh]

Originally posted by darlene
Karla, the "jelly" is called Lansoyl (sp?). We tried that with ds too. Must have improved since he used it, cause it just tasted like thick oil then! :lol:


:)

We've tried this too. I agree that it tasted just like oil, but it worked, that's the main thing. I just put it on his toast with a little regular jelly over top and he ate it ok.

The 'better tasting' stuff was called Dyalax. I asked about it at the Wal-mart pharmacy and they told me that they can't get it anymore because the company that made it was bought out by another bigger company and they took it off thier production line.
I don't know why, especially since it seemed to work so well.

They suggested the mineral oil, as many others here have said. They also suggested that if he had trouble taking it, you could stir a spoon full of it into a pudding cup and let him eat the pudding. Chocolate masks the taste pretty well.
Good Luck.

[KarlaB]

Ryleigh ~ Thanks so much for your help!! This is still a battle for us this week and it has been great getting help from everyone!! Thanks so much!!!! :)