For 3-4 days Natalie has complained off and on of her belly hurting. She'll hold it and want to just lay around for a while, will act like she can't get comfortable. Then she'll say that she has to poop and will try with no results. More tummy complaining and straining, then maybe one hard stool. I'm thinking okay a little constipated maybe. I tell her to wait awhile and try again, give her half a cup of apple juice or oj/tangerine. Within an hour, she then has a blowout, complains of tummy pain and feels fine afterward. She's ending up having one bowel movement per day, loose, so I'm thinking it's not constipation.

No appetite the last 3-4 days either - literally not eating much of anything at any meal (her fave foods) and very little for a snack. Complains off and on of tummy hurting, even not poop-related. Lastnight she ASKED to go to bed and complained of tummy aches but did not have to go to the bathroom or feel like she did.

This morning she was fine, actually ate a good breakfast, and now is asking to watch a movie because she doesn't feel good. She holds her tummy and says it hurts and lays down.

I'm getting a bit concerned, although in general she seems to be fine, playing throughout the day, busy as usual. Then it will just come on it seems, not enough to make her cry just to complain and try to get comfortable.

Any ideas? I guess I'll wait another day or two and then maybe see the ped? I hate to go in when I feel like it's hard to tell him what's wrong. Calling in to the nurse is a waste, believe me. That's why I'm asking you guys!

By Trina~moderator on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 - 12:00 pm:

Don't assume it's not constipation. My DD had similar symptoms a few months ago. I took her to the ped. and x-rays revealed moderate constipation. I was surprised because she was having daily BMs! Our ped. said it was just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. LOL! It's a good thing I took her in when I did, because he said the next step would have been encropresis. Besides more fiber and fluids he advised Kondremul (mineral oil that's more palatable). At first enough to totally clean her out and then 1 TBSP a day for 3 months. We did this and were able to wean her off. She's back to normal now.

By Dana on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 - 01:58 pm:

I agree w/ Trina. We had bowel issues w/ DD at a young age, and there was a ton of stuff stuck in her intestines. It took us years to get her regulated. I say go to drs, if only rule it out. Constipation is nothing to take lightly at this early age.

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 - 02:25 pm:

She's having loose stool, because that is what is oozing around the harder stool. You should still probably take her in and have her looked at.

By Kaye on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 - 08:24 pm:

I hate going to the doc...so if it were me I would up her fiber. You said she is only having 1 loose stool a day, well one a day isn't bad, but it shouldn't be loose. So I would figure out a way to move things down there differently. If you give her something for constipation and it gets worse then I would take her in. However, I wouldn't let this sit for much longer, permanent nerve damage can occur and it will set the whole potty trained thing out the window!

By Reds9298 on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 - 09:40 pm:

Hhhmmm..I don't know what to think! *I* don't think it's constipation, but you guys are usually right so I'm not ruling it out at all! Today she had one normal bowel movement and one diahrrea, 1 long episode of complaining, ate a little better. Complained of being hungry and thirsty shortly before bed. I'm going to make sure she has lots of water tomorrow. I want to increase her fiber, but honestly she just hasn't had an appetite so I wasn't sure I could guarantee that.

What would you suggest (that she might possibly eat!) that would be high in fiber to help things move IF that's what it is? Her only vegetable these days is green beans, and she's sworn off fruit in the last few months as well. We're going through the I-eat-the-same-thing-all-the-time-because-I-don't-like-anything-else phase as it is. What she really wants is milk and that is going in the wrong direction.

If I take her in, how will they determine if she is really constipated, x-ray?
Thank you

By Dana on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 - 09:50 pm:

It didn't matter how much fiber I gave my DD once the blockage was there. If I were you, I would go to dr regardless and wouldn't wait for fiber to work. If you've ever been constipated, you know how awful it is, and painful. Eating is dreadful, pain is ongoing and the discomfort is on your mind EVERY second that passes. She needs relief without seeing what works.

And if it's not constipation I would want to know ASAP because it sounds like she is really suffering.

You and she will feel so much better when her tummy feels good again. From my own experience and many days in tears watching my DD suffer for 2 yrs, I urge you to see a ASAP.

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - 08:25 am:

If they xray her belly, they will be able to see if she is full of poop. It shows up and dark stuff, on the xray.

By Rayelle on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - 01:57 pm:

A similar thing happened when my dd was 4. She began having what I thought were accidents, but it was from constipation. If they get really blocked, there is some that leaks out. The dr knew she was constipated by felling her tummy. She could feel it was hard. They gave her miralax, which is now over the counter. I think you should take her to the doc to see if they think that's the problem and if the miralax is ok for your dd. My dd would have hard bm's and "blowouts" as part of this cycle. I was confused , like how could it be constipation if it seems like diarrhea? But we got her back to normal. I had to slowly decrease the amount of miralax she took, which jsut mixes in with her drink. Hugs to your dd!

By Kay on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - 03:12 pm:

My rule of thumb is, if you as a mother have worries, take it to your pediatrician. I know that my stance comes from the nightmare we had with Amy and her ultimate diagnosis of Crohn's Disease, but I went through a lot of second-guessing myself, thinking that had I taken her in earlier when she had the 'poop' issues, we could have circumvented the dangerous, downward spiral she experienced.

I truly am not trying to scare you, but it's so much better to just put a call in to your doctor to be sure. (BTW, Amy is a healthy and happy 16 year old now. )

By Ginny~moderator on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - 05:25 pm:

Kay, good rule of thumb. It's mine, too. My dear mother was one who put off seeing a doctor about various issues until she was in so much pain she couldn't put it off, and as a result her condition was often much worse, required more extensive treatment, and for a couple of problems she incurred permanent nerve damage.

It's just not worth the risk. Make an appointment. None of us are doctors, and even if one of us was a doctor, none of us is seeing, hearing, and able to evaluate your dd in person - only her pediatrician can do that.

By Debbie on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - 10:36 pm:

Speaking as a mother of a ds who had encopresis, take her in. This is something that you definitely don't want to mess with. They knew my ds had blockage just by pushing on his tummy. It took my ds a long time to get over this. I always say better save then sorry. Constipation can lead to a terrible cycle, you don't want to get in. If she starts associating pain with bms, she will start to hold it more, which will lead to bigger problems.

By Reds9298 on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - 10:57 pm:

Thank you for the great advice and for sharing your experiences. Today was the first day since Sat. that she only complained once and it was brief. She did have a lot of gas though, and only one small but normal bowel movement. I will keep everything in mind that you all have suggested and continue to watch her. If it continues through the weekend, I will definitely take her in on Monday. For now, I'm also trying to keep her off of any foods that are constipating. She ate pretty well today and was often hungry, probably making up for lost time over the last few days.

I'll keep you posted and THANK YOU!!

By Reds9298 on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - 11:10 pm:

Hhhmmm...I just did a search for 'encopresis' since I'm completely unfamiliar with it. It doesn't sound like her. She had one leak in the last 4 days. She did have constipation problems as an infant(milk), and then again later on whole milk and yogurt a little before 2. We went to 1%(what we drink anyway) and she hasn't had any trouble since. She has a max of 1 yogurt per day, if she wants it.

From the articles I read, it sounds like pooping is an issue for quite some time before diagnosis. She's gone poop on the pot from day one and never had any emotional issues with that, and only the milk problem that we solved. I'm thinking now that she may have had 2 yogurts ina day around a week ago (my mom babysat). She had 2 yogurts around 1 1/2 and she became very constipated, but it was obvious constipation then. We had to give her a suppository, cut to 1% milk, and only 1 yogurt, lesson learned.

I'm just thinking this through. Thank you!! The articles make me think we should not overdo milk or yogurt (she doesn't eat much cheese). She LOVES milk, and I really haven't been cutting her off lately so I may need to watch that.

By Debbie on Thursday, May 17, 2007 - 07:42 am:

Deanna, I don't think, from what you described, that she has encopresis yet. But, it doesn't necessarily take that long for it to happen. My ds first got constipated while we were on vacation. The combination of his schedule being off, just potty training, and not eating his normal diet, started things. By the time we got home, he had some blockage, from not going daily. Encopresis can start from a child going through one period of constipation. They get into a cycle of associating pain with bms, so they start to withhold them. Once this starts, whether it goes into full blown encopresis or not, it is a hard thing to stop. At their age, it takes a long time to undo the cycle. Because of my experience, I am probably overly cautious about constipation. I just know how quckly for us, things started. I ignored my instincts that it was something to worry aobut, and I thought it would pass. It didn't take long for my ds to get into this cycle. I would just keep a very close eye on this, especially if she has a history of constipation problems. Hopefully, it is nothing, and she just had a stomach bug or something.