holding in bowel movement

[McLisa]

My son is three in a half he has been diagnosed with pdd,we have been having problems with him moving his bowels for two years now, when he has to go he doesn't push he holds it in, sometimes he will go to sleep so he doesn't have to go through with it, this makes it even harder on him cause it's balling up inside him, the doc doesn't want us to use laxatives cause he'll depend on that,they wanted me to change his diet to more fiber,that didn't work, he already has a eaten pattern no meat or vegies and only soft texture foods,if he doesn't know what it is he won't touch it.If anybody can give me some suggestions i will appreciate it. thanks

[Lisa S]

Hi McLisa,
Since your son is only three and a half, he is not old enough to be diagnosed with encopresis, but his problem with withholding his bowel movements can lead to encopresis. You might find this website informative and helpful:

www.aboutencopresis.com

There is also a forum there with parents of children with encopresis and some people who have encopresis as well. They are very helpful and supportive.

You might want to take your son to see a pediatric gastroenterologist, because, in my opinion, the advice from his doctor to not use laxatives at all even when he becomes severely constipated because of fear of dependence is outdated. If his stool becomes backed up inside him, then it can cause him serious problems. Also if it gets too hard, it can hurt his bottom when it comes out and that can make his withholding behavior worse. An x-ray can tell how much stool is inside him. If there is a lot, then it needs to come out first and then he needs a plan to keep his stool soft and regular for some time, so he can learn a new pattern of behavior and stop withholding.
Lisa

[StrictNon-Confo]

Related to what Lisa has stated, it can be more than merely damaging: it can actually kill.

Several years ago (it was somewhere between mid 96-early 97) I had decided to get myself a feline companion. I found a calico kitten at a nearby petshop. Every day at lunch (I lived about 1/2 mile away from work there) I'd go and eat at home, and be greeted by a very happy kitten, which was a good way to get in some relaxation (purring is very relaxing to me). One day, at lunch time she wasn't quite as perky, but I didn't notice right away. When I got home at the end of the day, she was far from perky, and sounded very unhappy, and she was rather listless. I'd been giving her proper (to the best of my knowledge and experience) proper fresh food and water, but something went horribly wrong. I was puzzled to her behavior, and noticed that something wasn't quite right: she had a piece of poop that was rock hard, sticking part way out her rear. I made a little effort to remove it (no tools, though) and couldn't do anything, so I took her to a vet. Perhaps if I'd gotten her there several hours earlier, she might have survived, but instead, she died from a case of terminal constipation. :(

Now, another bit of personal experience I can relate is how horrible you feel when experiencing renal problems: you feel like sh!t, to put it nicely, and it would take someone without emotions to not be rather cranky when stuff is backed up inside like that. Also, if you can't get it out of your system, it causes sickness quite quickly, and it can quickly poison you into a horrible state. Been there, done that, have no desire to be there again. Get this checked out, pronto, because the longer it goes on, the shorter and crappier the life of your son will be.

Hi McLisa,
Since your son is only three and a half, he is not old enough to be diagnosed with encopresis, but his problem with withholding his bowel movements can lead to encopresis. You might find this website informative and helpful:

www.aboutencopresis.com

There is also a forum there with parents of children with encopresis and some people who have encopresis as well. They are very helpful and supportive.

You might want to take your son to see a pediatric gastroenterologist, because, in my opinion, the advice from his doctor to not use laxatives at all even when he becomes severely constipated because of fear of dependence is outdated. If his stool becomes backed up inside him, then it can cause him serious problems. Also if it gets too hard, it can hurt his bottom when it comes out and that can make his withholding behavior worse. An x-ray can tell how much stool is inside him. If there is a lot, then it needs to come out first and then he needs a plan to keep his stool soft and regular for some time, so he can learn a new pattern of behavior and stop withholding.
Lisa

[McLisa]

Thanks Lisa and StrictNon-Confo for the advice,I have never heard of encopresis,when I looked through the website I could not believe he has every sympton there is for encopresis, I will be looking further into it and see about getting him into a pediatric gastroenterologist.