Constipation (Sorry about the bathroom talk.)

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My son has always had gastro issues. He had pyloric stenosis at 2 months and had to have surgey for that. (The muscle emptying the stomach to the intestines closes and must be reopened.) He also had reflux for about a year until he was walking good. He potty trained normally. However, he did have lots of constipation as a child. His BM would be a very large, round ball. We tried all kinds of things to relieve it. Finally Glycolax helped him and we used it for a while until he seemed to be better. He has always from time to time said he has a rash from pooping and it hurting. Since he is well past the potty training stage ( He is almost 9.), I will admit I haven't paid much attention to his bathroom habits beyond flushing and hand washing reminders. There have been a few times when I have noticed if I walk by and he forgot to shut the door all the way, he will still sit on the toliet like a frog to poop.

He complained of another rash yesterday, so we talked about this. I thought he might be waiting too long and procrastinating going to the restroom, but he said he isn't and that it just always a large ball and hurts. I am thinking about having him checked over, including celiac. Not because I want to jump on the gluten free/autism bandwagon, but he does have a NT teenage cousin and an uncle that was diagnosed with it 2 years ago and his grandmother suspects she has it, but refuses to be tested.. He doesn't drink milk anymore and he loves raw veggies such as carrots and spinach and I only buy the really good whole wheat bread. I have even been giving him probiotics to see if that might help. I mentioned it to his endocrinologist at our last visit and all she did was give me the eat more fiber line. He is on HGH shots due to being IUGR at birth and never having any catch up growth. I know growth issues can also be from celiac and they never tested him, thinking his smallness was only because of his low birth weight. I am thinking about taking him to see a gastro doctor, but then again I hate dragging him to another specialist. The reason I ask you guys is to find out if there is something else I should consider? I apologize for the subject matter, but I feel so sorry for the boy I had to ask.

Both my kids (one AS and one NT) and even our cat have constipation issues. I wish I knew why. Is your son taking any anti-constipation medication right now? That stuff usually takes care of it for us (well, the kids, anyway ... the cat doesn't get any ).

Given the severity of the issues you seem to be experiencing, I would definitely look into alternative diet ideas and test for what you can. Talk to your son about it; he is old enough to be a part of these decisions that affect him.

one word: oatmeal. if he doesn't like it: tell him, too bad lol.

From the descriptions of your son's stool, I would say that he is definitely constipated. A common sign of constipation is large, hard, round stool. This means that transit time in the intestines is severely slow, causing the fecal matter to have time to pack down, as well as the any moisture in the intestine having enough time to leave the bowel and re-circulate in the body. This causes a large, heavy, hard stool that is difficult to pass.

I will share what I do, and maybe this will help your son. I have added Aloe juice to my regimen. If I don't move my bowels within 2 hours of waking up, I drink half a glass of Aloe juice. This can be mixed in fruit juice, or added to tea. What the aloe juice does, is add moisture back to the intestine, as well as act as a mild laxative. Or, half a glass of aloe can be taken right before bed, giving it time to moisten the bowels for a good morning defecation. I also add 1 teaspoon of ground flax seeds to smoothies, or salads. These help with constipation, too. You are on the right track, giving probiotics to your son. This will keep the bowel ecology healthy. Be sure he is drinking lots of water, not just juices and sodas. Insufficient moisture means the body will draw water from the intestine to recycle, and cause a hard, dry stool. Salty foods tend to add to the problem. Hope this helps!

Especially with his medical history, I think you should see a doctor about it. A pediatrician might be able to help, but a pediatric gastroenterologist might also be a good idea. We've got an assortment of gastro issues in our family and right now and sometimes constipation is more than constipation, sometimes he just needs to drink a LOT more water (some people need more than others to stay regular in my experience). Some folks just need to suck it up and eat the oatmeal. I hope that's all it is.

Last edited by Kiley on 15 Jun 2010, 2:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

If you have family members with celiac then it increases the odds that you or your children may have celiac or some gluten issues. If you are worried about celiac then make an appointment with a gastroenterologist or a nutritionist. I found out with my daughter that they had waiting lists that were far longer than I felt comfortable with. You can always cancel apointments if you feel you don't need them. Do not go off gluten before having the celiac test.

The celiac test is a blood test and can be done at your pediatrician's office if you don't want to drag your kid to too many specialists.

If you think it is food, but are not really sure (or are sure it is food but maybe not positive it is gluten etc.) write out a food log. For at least 2 weeks document what your child ate and at what time. Also document any symptoms that you believe are associated with the food and times. (Like rash, constipation, stomach pain, etc.) You could look the log over yourself, to see if there are patterns, and you can bring the log with you so the doctors have some background information when they start reviewing your child's case.

From what you wrote you have clear concerns. I know it's probably a stupid question, but have you talked about this with your pediatrician?

Is your son mature enough to talk about this with you and help keep up the food log?

Thanks for the help. I do plan on talking to him before we go to another doctor. The kid will probably be okay with it. Between regular doctors, dentists, specialists, 2 broken arms, ER visits, OT apps, and social skills class. He doesn't even complain about going anymore unless he is getting a blood draw. This is why I wanted his endo to do the inital bloodwork to see if we needed further testing, because they have to draw blood everytime he goes has an endo appointment.

I had never heard of the aloe juice. I will look closer into that. He usually only drinks water. The only time they get a soda is if we go out to eat and he can have Capri Sun in his lunch at school. We still have an unopened bottle of Glycolax that I got back out today. As for oatmeal. That will never fly. My son doesn't have a whole lot of food issues, except when it comes to mushy foods. He won't touch jello, pudding, mashed potatoes, etc. His twin won't either. They never have liked that stuff. I think it is from all the reflux they had as infants. I pick my battles and since they willingly eat many types of veggies and fruits, I am not going to battle over some mushy foods. Other than mushy foods, he is actually my best eater of the kids.

Interesting about the salty foods. I am not big on salt, but this son wants to put it on everything.

Of course you should mention aloe juice to whatever medical professional you are going to see.

I just looked this up. This is a laxative, right? The reason I suggested the aloe juice, is that it adds moisture to the bowel, and most commercial laxatives steal water from elsewhere in the body to add to the bowel, basically worsening the issue. Because if the person is not getting enough water, it is just forcing water elsewhere, and the person is still not getting enough water!

When a person is dehydrated, they tend to crave salt, because it makes them drink more water. And, I think the advice about seeing a pediatrician is excellent, especially since you have a family history of celiac.

I just got a call back from our pediatric gastroenterologist, and not to hijack your thread (I'll start another one later), but he's having my son come in for testing to see if he has a dysfunction of the bowel that causes him not to move his food along as quickly as he should.

My son started having extreme constipation a while ago, and we've been treating that through the pediatrician with miralax, lots of water, etc.

My son started having all kinds of pain, so we got bumped up to the ped. gi guy, only one in our region. He found a problem with eisinophils attacking his esophagus. That's now under control, but he'll have to watch it all his life, but he's still having pain, and can't eat as much as he'd like to. He eats a lot, but has to stop because of stomach pain before he feels full. He's also bone thin, so this isn't just a case of needing to wait to feel full (like so many of us!), he really does need more calories.

Now, he's supposed to go back in for more testing, and I don't remember the name of the thing the Dr was talking about. The phone was breaking up so I just got the gist of it, and that we need to come back. They'll check his thyroid and stuff too. He totally could have hyperthyroid, that would make a LOT of sense.

Anyway, don't ignore constipation when normal home remedies aren't enough. It's *usually* not anything more than poor eating habits, change of weather/dehydration...but sometimes it's more.

Does your son like watermelon? My son was having a lot of constipation issues, and usually if he eats lots of watermielon, it helps. There were times when I think my son was holding it because he didn't want to go at school. Then he would get backed up and we would run into problems. Of course your son is probably too young for coffee, but that works wonders for me! LOL! Hope you can find answers soon!

Never to young for coffee! It's way healthier than soda pop! It always works for me - that's why I rarely drink it when I'm out and about!