Terrible constipation/ stuck poo (TMI)

[Feathers]

This is such a horrible subject but my DD suffers from constipation and has been on movicol for a couple of months now. (Just one sachet a day to help her after her bum was bleeding from hard poos).

Well last night she was straining terribly then started crying, we went to help her and see and there was a massive poo stuck there, far too big to come out. Honestly we had no idea what to do so I googled (as you do) then tried a warm bath, tummy massage, a little vaseline around the area to try and assist and nothing. She sucked it back in rather than go. I gave her 2 sachets of her movicol rather than one to try and help.

This morning I woke to the sound of her crying and went in to see her and the poo was barely out. It took me and my OH, him holding her as I pushed her legs up with her screaming as she managed to push it out. It was an awful awful experience. She was shaking and traumatised (although she has recovered fully now).

My question is should I take her to the doctor now the blockage has gone? Or just hope that now I've upped the movicol dose it won't happen again? Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[MoldyVoldy]

Awww poor baby That's awful.

I'd take her in just to make sure upping the dose is ok and maybe even for the dr to have a quick look at her bottom to make sure all is ok.

Good luck, mama

 

[Bernie]

Poor little girl how horrid I would phone your Dr up and tell them whats been going on incase she may need an appointment with the Pedatrition. How long has this been going on for? Both my girls suffered with constipation and my DD2 is on Movicol but only half a sachet but seems to suit her fine shes been loads better since being toilet trained and she now 3 years 9 months. DD1 on the other hand had problems when i weaned her on to solid foods and was passing stools which looked really big which where hard eventually she grew out of it things got better with both my girls when they started using the toilet. As far as Movicol goes sounds like your doing the right thing increasing the dosage but deffinatly get on the phone to your Drs. That deffinalty needs sorting out as consitpation can put pressure on the bladder and causing water infections which im only to famiular with as DD2 suffers with them

 

[Feathers]

Ah yes we've had several bad UTIs over the years unfortunately. She's been constipated since she was a baby, amongst other issues, but this has definitely been the worst yet!
The doctor when we got movicol said to adjust the dose as needed, and until now 1 sachet a day has done the trick. It worries me that things can get so bad whilst she is taking this for it though!

Unfortunately toilets and pottys make her scream when she sits on them (she loves playing with them otherwise). We do have issues with routine changes etc so I expect that will be a battle, but that's a whole other thread thanks for your responses ladies. I feel better that there's no blood, she's eating and doesn't seem in pain now and I'll try contacting my doctor (easier said than done).

 

[XJessicaX]

DD2 gets constipated. I had to manually evac her poo when she was about 10 months old poor love, horrible experience. She eats really well and I think possibly is taking on too much fibre.

I would ditch the Movicol. We use lactulose which comes in a big bottle, is much cheaper and also it tastes like sugar syrup. Just give her a spoon of that a day and she wont have a problem again. x

 

[Bernie]

Lactulose is another one to try yes but i found that not very good at all with Olivia. When i spoke to my Dr about Lactulose she said she didnt like it as it can make them windy with stomach cramps. But she may be fine with it all kids are different at the end ouf the day. Sounds like she may need to be reffered to have a peadiatric appointment. Both my girls did although Millie had to go coz of her water infections which again calmed down when she was potty trained. Deffo speak to your Dr hun

 

[Feathers]

We did have lactulose but it wasn't helping at all so we were changed to movicol. Her next consultant appointment is September so I guess I could try and get that moved up. I can't speak to my doctor today but I might get her an appointment for tomorrow just to check.
Thanks ladies

 

[caz_hills]

Glad youhave an appointment. It's awful seeing them in so much pain I hope she is ok x

 

[messica]

My daughter had severe constipation that started even when she was EBF. Despite our best efforts, it got so bad she actually came close to developing a condition called mega colon for awhile.

If I were you I'd definitely bring her in. Even though she was able to pass it and you're not seeing obvious damage on the outside, she could very well have damage on the inside.

If she gets one that large again I'd strongly recommend you bring her in and not encourage her to try to pass it on her own. There are things doctors can do to help reduce the size without damaging her lower colon and rectum (which could eventually save her from getting to the point of incontinence - which is what'll happen if she continues to pass movements that large). Worse yet, often times that buildup can actually become toxic to the body/bloodstream and that requires monitoring as well. It really does warrant medical treatment if it's causing her that amount of pain and discomfort.


Definitely not a fun one to deal with, I remember those horrifying moments as a parent all too well and sympathize with you

 

[cat lover]

Poor thing i would def go to the dr x

 

[Bevziibubble]

I would definitely make an appointment with the doctor. It sounds so painful for her, poor girl
I hope it gets better for her soon

 

[sheldonsmommy]

This may be really obvious and something you've already tried, but oranges and grapefruits or anything with lots of fiber can help keep poop really soft as a preventative measure. Even those little mandarin oranges. My son doesn't have issues with constipation but even a couple of those things gets his poop to almost diarrhea.

 

[Feathers]

Thanks My DD does have some eating issues (has done from birth) but she's actually best at eating fruit and veggies! Doctors tomorrow and he can look her over and see if we need different medication or to have the Paed appointment moved nearer. It's one thing after another sometimes

 

[george83]

My lo has been through pretty much the same thing, when he was younger we used to go through this frequently. My gp wasn't interested in the slightest and we only ever got anywhere by seeing an out of hours gp. My son also has a really good diet with fruit, veg lots of fibre etc etc and nothing seems to make any difference. I would try increasing the movicol to hope that helps for a few days. i hope you manage to get somewhere with the doctors,

 

[the why bird]

Oh poor little thing, how horrible for her.

When you see the doctor, one thing you could ask about is glycerin suppositories. They aren't an every day thing, but for those times when poop gets stuck. They sort of suck water back into the rectum and soften the stools so they can pass painlessly. They work very quickly, too (like fifteen minutes). Obviously check with the doc because it might not be suitable for your particular child.

 

[Feathers]

Thank you ladies DD saw her GP this morning who had a good feel of her tummy and she's had her movicol upped (and a plan to keep upping for a few days) before moving back to the maintenance dose in the hope this will clear it entirely.

She's been crying every time it's nappy change time today (hasn't had a poo since- I think she's holding it) and is obviously worrying about a repeat. The doctor did say that as we raise her dose she won't be able to hold it so this should help things. Fingers crossed!

 

[Bevziibubble]

Fingers crossed increasing the dose will help and the medication will start working soon. Poor girl

 

[MrsHedgehog]

I know how you feel. Our LO has suffered with constipation since weaning despite having a healthy diet. She was on a medication called Dicopeg which I think is the equivalent of Movicol here. It didn't really work all that well and she was still able to hold it for 4 days or more. We used a glycerin suppository when things got really bad which meant she was able to go with a bit less pain. We turned a corner when we potty trained. After she first pooped in the potty she has pooped every single day. We're now off the medication and things are so much better. We also give a probiotic tablet every day which I think has helped and our pediatrician recommended Activia yogurts, the kind that have cereal in them. They seem to have helped keep things moving too although LO isn't that keen on them. A few spoonfuls seem to be enough. I hope that things are resolved for your LO soon. It's awful watching them go through so much pain for something that should be so simple. I suffered so much stress and guilt over it. I felt like it was my fault like I wasn't feeding her properly or something. Now that it's over I can see though that it was nothing that we were doing or not doing, just something my LO had an issue with. Good luck! x x

 

[Lynzeigh]

If this happened while on movical, I would see the doctor to be safe, I would have thought the movical would have prevented the hard poo. Poor lo, I know how you feel though, my son is over 2 and still suffers constipation so severely, but he now takes movical and it has helped him poo everyday with ease. You feel so helpless when they are in so much pain