Child all backed up

[Infernal]

G'day all,
Recently (2 nights ago) I spent a night in hospital with my 5 year old son, he had been suffering belly pain to the point of tears (crying is not usually his style), his mother suspected his appendix, but I had a feeling this was not the case. Either way to err on the dude of caution I took him to the local hospital emergency department (who later transferred us to the pediatric ED).
It seems my boy had a fecal impaction, more or less constipation to the Nth degree. An ultrasound indicated fecal mater in his stomach and oxygen saturation in his blood down to 84% (pressure below was inhibiting movement of his diaphragm). Peristalsis had ceased in his GI Tract. My research here has indicated turmeric, red raspberry leaf tea and maybe a magnesium supplement could all be beneficial in assisting clearing him out. While using a junior laxative called movicol in the meantime, I was wondering if the afore mentioned natural remedies would be suitable for some one so young.
Any thoughts appreciated. Cheers.

 

[osher]

Listen to pediatrician, it's not easy situation to manage. I don't have kids but i can tell you what's worst for me: any form of potato - potato chips for example (very little amount) or little too much of fiber (like sauerkraut, not much either) causes complete block of intestines which then i'd need to unblock with enema (2liters) every other day for over a week at least, nothing laxative works then. Hope your kid gets well soon and easy.

 

[Infernal]

Cheers osher, I am paying attention to the pediatrician, I thought maybe I'd find some interesting and useful advice here to help supplement that standard medicine.
But Thank you all the same mate. I'll get my boy sorted out one way or another.

 

[daddycat]

In case you need this knowledge in the future. Your pediatrician should have the ability to admit patients directly into the emergency room so that you bypass any waiting in the emergency room. This might not help if you cannot contact the doctor during off hours.

My understanding is the condition your son has happens to many children. I wonder why your pediatrician did not provide some kind of suppository.

 

[Mountain Crown]

Cheers osher, I am paying attention to the pediatrician, I thought maybe I'd find some interesting and useful advice here to help supplement that standard medicine.
But Thank you all the same mate. I'll get my boy sorted out one way or another.

Hi Infernal,

This may be of help: Fiber Menace and Gut Sense

 

[Chu]

G'day all,
Recently (2 nights ago) I spent a night in hospital with my 5 year old son, he had been suffering belly pain to the point of tears (crying is not usually his style), his mother suspected his appendix, but I had a feeling this was not the case. Either way to err on the dude of caution I took him to the local hospital emergency department (who later transferred us to the pediatric ED).
It seems my boy had a fecal impaction, more or less constipation to the Nth degree. An ultrasound indicated fecal mater in his stomach and oxygen saturation in his blood down to 84% (pressure below was inhibiting movement of his diaphragm). Peristalsis had ceased in his GI Tract. My research here has indicated turmeric, red raspberry leaf tea and maybe a magnesium supplement could all be beneficial in assisting clearing him out. While using a junior laxative called movicol in the meantime, I was wondering if the afore mentioned natural remedies would be suitable for some one so young.

Well, first of all, I'm very sorry about your son having to suffer!

Second, the treatments you have in mind might be good for normal constipation, but in the case of fecal impaction, as far as I know the problem is that you have to find a way to loosen the fecal matter quickly. Is the laxative having any effect so far?

What is commonly used is magnesium citrate or salt-water flushes, or enemas. But again, the problem of loosening the stools may still be there, and your son is very young, so you'll need to proceed very carefully. There has to be a way to stimulate peristalsis again.

How come you or his mother didn't notice that he was so constipated? I don't mean to make you feel guilty, but did he have any bowel movements at all, and if not, for how long? That is something you'll need to watch carefully. And you may have to give him constant magnesium supplements until he normalizes. But check the doses for children.

Just looking at wikipedia (ignore the stuff about fiber!), they don't say anything about children in particular, but they do warn about the issue of having to loosen the fecal matter before: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fecal_impaction

Perhaps in this case, the laxative is the best solution as an emergency measure? I don't know. Please take all this with a grain of salt. I think you should see what the doctor says and ask him/her for more information. But after that, then you will have to be really careful and monitor your son's digestion and his diet. What does he normally eat?

Also, you may want to want for signs of emotional suppression. That is often associated with chronic constipation.

You may also want to check this study about enemas:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/124/6/e1108.full.pdf

and this:
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/constipation-in-children-leaflet
(again, the fiber myth is just that, a myth/lie)

I hope he recovers quickly!

 

[Chrissy]

Hi Infernal, I'm sorry to hear that your little boy is going through this. Seven years ago, my son had a similar issue starting when he was in 1st grade. I took him to the pediatrician thinking he had diarrhea, but he was severely constipated and started leaking around the impaction. I was able to have him seen by a pediatric gastroenterologist at the children's hospital. They did what they called a clean out, which was an entire bottle of Miralax in one day. It worked, but it was horrible. After that, they could offer me no help. They suggested we take him to a psychologist for what they thought was a refusal to toilet. For us, the only thing that made a difference was removing all gluten and dairy from his diet. It took a while to retrain his bowel, because when they are impacted like that for a while, they lose the sensation of when they have to go to the bathroom. If he's still on gluten and dairy, I would start with that.
I hope he's feeling better soon and please keep us updated. Take care.

 

[nicklebleu]

For us, the only thing that made a difference was removing all gluten and dairy from his diet. It took a while to retrain his bowel, because when they are impacted like that for a while, they lose the sensation of when they have to go to the bathroom. If he's still on gluten and dairy, I would start with that.

I can only second that - and upping the amount of healthy fats in his diet. A lot of fat has made a world of difference to my bowel movements.

 

[Infernal]

How come you or his mother didn't notice that he was so constipated? I don't mean to make you feel guilty, but did he have any bowel movements at all, and if not, for how long? That is something you'll need to watch carefully. And you may have to give him constant magnesium supplements until he normalizes. But check the doses for children.

You pose a perfectly fair and valid question Chu. Unfortunately, my son (or my daughter) do not live with me. Their mother is their primary carer, I get them coming to visit every second week.
While their mother and I get along fine, she subscribes to traditional methods in all things and has no faith in my 'weird unfounded BS views'. Alas, my children suffer due to that. Strangely though when she was at a loss to explain his condition I got called... Then trip to hospital etc.

 

[Infernal]

Update:

Thank you all for you best wishes and wonderful advice after laying down the law and pillaging their mothers pantry all the 'crap' I could fit in the bin, I explained the severity and possible fatal scenarios concerning our son. Shocked as she was she dealt with it well. For four weeks now my kids have had very different diets (their home diet now matches the diet I use - massive reduction in carbs, gluten & dairy).
Things seem to be going well, my boy is going to the toilet daily and moving his bowels well and without difficulty (yes I actually check), kids are happy healthy and even seem to have lost the slight cold they have had for nearly 2 months.

Thank you again all, from both me and my children.

 

[Magpie]

That is a wonderful start.
I can certainly sympathize with your situation. My 11 yr old passes between our home and her father's. Their diet is AWFUL...and she really suffers. We have found that when she comes home from her dad's, it is helpful for her to take two activated charcoals, and then follow with a good probiotic in the morning. It helps her little system regain balance.
Helping kids understand a keto diet when they've been bombarded with sugar and carbs is Tough. They are surrounded by commercials, fast food, and of course-their friends-who are gobbling it all up.
I hope their mother continues to understand the severity of his situation and supports a healthy diet for all of them.
We also supplement with magnesium for our little one, but as a few other's mentioned-the correct dosage would need to be addressed.

My heart goes out to your son. And I hope there are no repeats. Stay strong on that diet!! He is fortunate to have a dad that cares and "gets" it.
:)
Best,
Magpie

 

[Chu]

Thanks for the update! That's great news. Hopefully their mother understands now how important it is for the children to stay on this diet. And most of all, I'm glad to hear that your boy stopped having problems! :D

 

[nicklebleu]

As for the dosage in kids I think it is not too different to adults. Just start with a very small dose and increase it slowly until the desired effect is reached. Reduce the dose if diarrhea ensues.

 

[Ninas]

Hi Infernal,

I'm so sorry that your son had to go through that painful experience!

When my daughter gets constipated, I immediately boil Rolled Oats in water in a large pot. (A good brand is Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats). I let it cool down in the fridge and mix it with a little Stevia or organic Almond Vanilla Milk and give her a large cup. It really doesn't matter if you mix it with anything else as long as you have him drink it regularly. This will regulate this digestive system. Usually, when people become constipated, it means that the body is not hydrated enough and the waste tends to be too hard. Also Coconut Water is another great substitute if he likes it, it will keep his body hydrated and help with regular discharge....

Hope this helps...

Good luck! :)

 

[theos]

Hi Infernal,

I'm so sorry that your son had to go through that painful experience!

When my daughter gets constipated, I immediately boil Rolled Oats in water in a large pot. (A good brand is Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats). I let it cool down in the fridge and mix it with a little Stevia or organic Almond Vanilla Milk and give her a large cup. It really doesn't matter if you mix it with anything else as long as you have him drink it regularly. This will regulate this digestive system. Usually, when people become constipated, it means that the body is not hydrated enough and the waste tends to be too hard. Also Coconut Water is another great substitute if he likes it, it will keep his body hydrated and help with regular discharge....

Hope this helps...

Good luck! :)

You may want to rethink giving your child oats. I don't know if you've been following the diet and health threads like Life Without Bread, or the Ketogenic Diet threads. These will give you more information on why gluten (contained in oats) is harmful to the digestive tract. You should also check of the book, The Fiber Menace for more on how fiber is not all it is cracked up to be, causing distention of the colon over time and actually causing the constipation it is supposed to prevent. So, oats may "work" in the short term, but at what price in the long term?