struggling to poo.

[bill preston]

a friend at works young son has been struggling to poo for about 2 years now.

however, when they take him to the doctors they get a medicine that breaks down the poo and makes it easier to come out?

perhaps i am wrong but this poor lad is 8 and screams blue murder when he is in the motion and he is in terrible pain when he is built up.......... you would of thought the doctor would refer him to a specialist or something?

have any of you been through this?

PS........ his parents do care for him but perhaps they are being to polite?

[LoftyLottie]

I know of a child who had a similar problem at that age. Nothing helped him except the sort of medicine you described. He would go about once a week or every ten days, regardless of what he ate in the way of roughage. It was just the way he was and I believe it was a family tendency. I don't think there was anything medically wrong with him at all.

[redcrx]

is the child on medication for any other illnesses as some have such a nasty side affect.

His parents should try not to be polite and push for some sort of dietry advice in the first instance. Im not saying that they are not feeding him properly but they may be able to get some handy tips to stop the constipation from a dietician.

Lots of fluids, some kids dont drink as much as they should, can help. Ive also found sweetcorn to help immensly when ive suffered when pregnant

[cazzz1975]

yes, there is a medicine that does it, my son has the same problem (faecal impaction) and has been prescribed "movicol" this stuff is wonderful and my son has changed from being upset and in constant pain to being happy and relaxed.

please please nag for a referral, he shouldnt be going through this misery.

[joannie10]

a friend of a friends son had what sounds like a similar problem from and early age. I am sorry I was not directly involved so cannot give exact details but there was a delay in getting to the bottom of it so eventually a big part of the problem was the psycological effect it had on the child ie.......going to the toilet became a huge issue due to the pain he associated with it. I understand the boy is doing fine now so will get sorted I hope but they must push to have it looked into.

[barniclebill]

Story of my life.

[bensmum]

One of my sons had this problem when quite young. Going to the loo became such an issue that he wouldn't go and became "bunged up". It was such a problem that he was eventually referred to a paediatrician who admitted him to a childrens ward for 3 weeks (he was able to come home at weekends). They sorted out the physical problem and he also saw a psychologist for a while. He was on 2 lots of medicine for months afterwards which did the trick (I can't remember what it was called) and eventually the problem was resolved. Perhaps your friend should ask their doctor for a referral as it does seem to be an ongoing problem.

[mrs_overall]

My eldest boy had this problem for a while. Even when he wasn't constipated he was too afraid to have a poo in case it hurt. On the recommendation of his paediatrician I gave him a spoonful of lactulose daily to ensure his stools were soft & he didn't get 'bunged up'. Sorting out the physical problem was easy, but it took about 6 months to sort out his phobia of having a poo. (I think he was about 3 at the time). The consultant told me it's a fairly common problem, particularly with young boys.

[Lonnie]

My daughter is severely contispated, she's 23, (Autistic)m I know this boy isn't, but the only thing that helps, as cazzz has rightly pointed out, is Movicol, but you can only get it on perscription, so have a word with your gp.

[Whoever]

If he can be persuaded to eat them, I can recommend lots of beetroot, preferably in the form of beetroot and cream cheese sandwiches, or some other easily eaten recipe. . Beetroot seems to have a very effective anti-constipation in the "bathroom department" and if the problem can be cured in a natural way through diet change, it may ease the problem.

[grasscarp]

I knew of a child with this problem. Eventually a doctor had a look at him, and found a fissure. The poor kid had been suffering because of that and so was avoiding "going". Has this child been checked over for a physical reason?