Re: miralax and motor function

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Does your daughter have a diagnosis? Have you done

any therapies to address her low tone?

My daughter has spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, and

somewhat low tone in her trunk. I think things move

more slowly for her. She only needs to " go " every

other day, but backs up quickly if she doesn't go this

much. I'm trying to lower her magnesium intake right

now, so I'm upping the fiber and adding aloe vera

juice. It's so hard to get her to drink enough--I

think this is our biggest hurdle. Have you tried

alcohol free dandelion root drops? My dd takes two

dropperfuls a day. Dandelion root increases

peristalsis, and we have found it helpful.

Anyhow, I was just wondering if some kind of trunk

strengthening regimin would help your daughter push

things through. Hippotherapy is great for developing

trunk strength.

HTH,

--- Hudson wrote:

> Hi all,

> Well, we went off Miralax cold turkey about 2 weeks

> ago. I have to say I've seen my daughter

> making tiny bits of improvements although she is

> very constipated.

> She has severe motor issues (motor planning,

> hypotonia, motor imitation, low body awareness).

> I think Miralax has caused her motor function to

> either decrease or just stop altogether the last

> 6 years. I could be wrong on this but she seems to

> be having an increase in motor skills since we quit

> Miralax.

> I wonder if I haven't given her this over the years

> would she have made

> much more progress in the self-help areas, and

> possibly other areas as well?

> I really could kick myself over it but she just

> stays so constipated and has been impacted and

> miserable

> so many times and screaming, not coping at all, the

> miralax is the only thing that really works for her.

> I am not restarting it. I will look high and low

> for an answer. I think it will take a long time for

> her muscles

> to get used to not having the laxative in her

> system.

> I am giving her 2000 mg of vitamin C every night,

> lactulose in the afternoon and 400 mg of mag.

> citrate in the

> morning and she is still staying very constipated.

> I have had to do an enema once a week just to keep

> her

> cleaned out. Any other ideas? I know about the

> fiber and the oxypowder................doesn't work

> for her.

> What else is there?

> Any thoughts on my comments about miralax and motor

> function please respond.

> Have a great weekend.

> Kathy H.

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

--glad to hear your daughter may be making more improvements

in motor skills... I don't know as Owens is regularly on this

board but she may be able to give some insight--you could try

contacting her offlist. My thought is, if her theory surrounding

the raised levels of oxalates with miralax for some individuals is

correct, then the oxalates may have affected motor skills... you

could ask her if that is a possibility as she knows way more about

oxalates than I do.

If your child's biomedical doc has any way to test b vitamin levels,

or feels it is OK for you to try them, then that is what I would

look into next, as several on this board have commented about the

relationship and necessity of the b vitamins for their child

to " go " .

I also would continue to add in some type of fiber source ONLY to be

able to bulk it up! My dd, I don't think her stools would have come

very frequently at all had we not gotten the fiber into her... start

small though, and something that won't be so 'drying' if not enough

liquid is taken in, like the Fiber Sure or benefiber or fiber choice

or babyfood prunes...I'm sure there are other fibers that are

not 'sticky' in the GI tract. Keep trying to get some extra fiber

in there because I also think that fiber is something that helps to

stimulate the peristalsis (contractions) of the gi tract, too... so

maybe the b vitamins is the next avenue to investigate along with

getting some fiber in to get the bulk.

Also, are you doing any " sit time " on the toilet? Even though we

are in a good place right now with my dd, I do still find that she

does need me to schedule a 'sit time' on the toilet... e.g. I'll

have her go sit on the toilet after dinner for at least five

minutes. Initially, nothing was happening, but the past couple of

days she has started to " go " during this time. They call it bowel

retraining. I think it is really critical for these kids who have

other sensory issues because they may not always recognize their

urge, and those with executive function problems that are so typical

in autism, may even get a faint urge, but not have the wherewithall

to know what to do about it. I'm a school SLP and that's part of a

book discussion we've been having this week--executive dysfunction

and autism. It makes sense in that these are the kids who are

cognitively aware and can repeat back what is the right thing to do,

e.g. when I need to go bm, I go sit on the toilet, but if they are

lacking in the executive function skills, then they are not able to

actually execute this task independently. So while bowel retraining

is a critical component for any constipated adult or child, I now

feel that it is even MORE critical for an ASD (autism spectrum

disorder) child, due to the likelihood of having executive

functioning deficits. So if you haven't implemented a bowel

retraining plan on a daily basis, let's talk more about that and

what that could look like for her.

In looking at your regimen below, I'm thinking again, try adding in

the fiber to get some BULK in there... what I think was happening

for my dd is that her colon was squeezing the moisture out of her

stool so much that there was hardly anything left by the time it got

down to the rectum, and that's why, when I had started her on the

lactulose, still, nothing was happening. The lactulose that you've

got her on will help to put water in the stool, but I still do think

that getting the fiber in there will help create the bulk so that it

is coming through softer, throughout the gi tract. Let's hope so

anyway.

Also, I wish I had saved it, but even if I had, I am not sure anyone

could have followed it, but I used to have a step by step

instruction for a type of chinese therapeutic massage for children,

called Tuina. I know there are Tuina books on amazon. It involved

rubbing certain acupressure points on the body--near the crook of

the elbow, and below the knee on the outer part of the shin, as well

as some other points, and then we also had to rub the abdomen in a

circular motion, clockwise, following the same direction as the

intestinal tract. This had worked for my dd for several weeks. It

was done by a chinese medical doctor, who had moved to the US and

set up an acupuncture practice. We had stopped the massage when she

got a cold or some other illness, and then tried to resume it again

but it just didn't produce results like it had before she was sick.

Anyway, just wanted to say, I don't know if your daughter would let

you do it, but if you had some massage oil, a GENTLE clockwise

massage on her abdomen might help. I'll see if there is anything on

the internet about tuina pediatric massage and constipation.

W

>

> I am giving her 2000 mg of vitamin C every night, lactulose in the

afternoon and 400 mg of mag. citrate in the

> morning and she is still staying very constipated. I have had to

do an enema once a week just to keep her

> cleaned out. Any other ideas? I know about the fiber and the

oxypowder................doesn't work for her.

> What else is there?

> Any thoughts on my comments about miralax and motor function

please respond.

> Have a great weekend.

> Kathy H.

>

[Guest guest]

Yes, activities to help the trunk strength may help in that when we

first had our breakthrough with my daughter, we had been doing our

all-out-war regimen and I believe the first breakthrough bm on her

own was followed by a really physical activity. My kids are

generally not very active...they are talkers. They'll play but they

are drawn towards the computer or TV. Being physical has never been

their cup of tea, and I spend time with kids who are just springy

and bouncy and my kids are not coordinated like that. So anyway, my

point is, my dd doesn't get very " physical " and so on that day, my

husband had gotten a free trampoline from a friend, the small kind

that adults exercise on, and so she had been doing a lot of jumping

on it, with my husband holding her hands. THEN all of a sudden, she

announces she has to go bm! So then when she didn't go the next

day, then on the following day, I told my husband that he needed to

get her on the trampoline again and he did, and sure enough, she

went. So we did that for a couple of weeks...if she skipped a day

of going, it was 'honey, can you get her to do some jumping'... I do

think that the activity did help her, whether it was gravity shaking

the stuff down the gi tract (LOL!) or the trunk strengthening, who

knows, but it did do something for her.

Also, re: hippotherapy, some people do not know what that is--it is

basically horse riding therapy services, right--where kids with

disabilities get therapeutic horseback riding to help them develop

trunk strength, hand/eye coordination and other important skills. I

just wanted to mention that if you have local horse ranches in your

area, to call around--you may find one that has a volunteer

hippotherapy program that is low cost or no cost. We had done this

with our son when he was younger. It's not as good as having a real

OT there, but it is still good for them.

W

> Anyhow, I was just wondering if some kind of trunk

> strengthening regimin would help your daughter push

> things through. Hippotherapy is great for developing

> trunk strength.

>

> HTH,

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi , Yes, she was diagnosed with hypotonia at 10 months old and she's 11 years now.

She had PT for about 9 years !!! She had chronic diarrhea up until age 3, then when we went gluten/dairy

free she started with the constipation. I just think when she was younger she seemed to make more progress

and her motor progress hasn't increased much over the years. I am just thinking maybe the Miralax is partly

to blame. I think I will order the fruit-eze and see if that helps her, maybe try Milk of Magnesia too.

Thanks for the idea on the danelion root drops. I'll check with the HFS.

Kathy

Re: miralax and motor function

Hi ,Does your daughter have a diagnosis? Have you doneany therapies to address her low tone?My daughter has spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, andsomewhat low tone in her trunk. I think things movemore slowly for her. She only needs to "go" everyother day, but backs up quickly if she doesn't go thismuch. I'm trying to lower her magnesium intake rightnow, so I'm upping the fiber and adding aloe verajuice. It's so hard to get her to drink enough--Ithink this is our biggest hurdle. Have you triedalcohol free dandelion root drops? My dd takes twodropperfuls a day. Dandelion root increasesperistalsis, and we have found it helpful.Anyhow, I was just wondering if some kind of trunkstrengthening regimin would help your daughter pushthings through. Hippotherapy is great for developingtrunk strength.HTH,--- Hudson wrote:> Hi all,> Well, we went off Miralax cold turkey about 2 weeks> ago. I have to say I've seen my daughter> making tiny bits of improvements although she is> very constipated.> She has severe motor issues (motor planning,> hypotonia, motor imitation, low body awareness).> I think Miralax has caused her motor function to> either decrease or just stop altogether the last > 6 years. I could be wrong on this but she seems to> be having an increase in motor skills since we quit> Miralax.> I wonder if I haven't given her this over the years> would she have made> much more progress in the self-help areas, and> possibly other areas as well?> I really could kick myself over it but she just> stays so constipated and has been impacted and> miserable > so many times and screaming, not coping at all, the> miralax is the only thing that really works for her.> I am not restarting it. I will look high and low> for an answer. I think it will take a long time for> her muscles> to get used to not having the laxative in her> system. > I am giving her 2000 mg of vitamin C every night,> lactulose in the afternoon and 400 mg of mag.> citrate in the> morning and she is still staying very constipated. > I have had to do an enema once a week just to keep> her > cleaned out. Any other ideas? I know about the> fiber and the oxypowder................doesn't work> for her.> What else is there?> Any thoughts on my comments about miralax and motor> function please respond.> Have a great weekend.> Kathy H.> __________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hey , All your suggestions are great. Thanks a bunch. We do have a trampoline and will get her

jumping daily. Part of it too is that she's not too active either. She has foot spasms and a hard time getting

around. I'm going to get the book on massage too. I remember her OT in Atlanta used to talk to massage

for constipation also..........it does make sense. Anyone ever tried an acupuncturist with their child?

Abby rode horses in NC and now we live in PA, am looking into finding a place for her to ride here, it's really

fun for her as well. What do you think of Milk of Magnesia? Is that safe to use?

She drinks a ton of water and also pear juice, her diet is actually pretty good. Thank you for all the

suggestions, I know it will take quite a regimen to keep her off Miralax.

Kathy

Re: miralax and motor function

Yes, activities to help the trunk strength may help in that when we first had our breakthrough with my daughter, we had been doing our all-out-war regimen and I believe the first breakthrough bm on her own was followed by a really physical activity. My kids are generally not very active...they are talkers. They'll play but they are drawn towards the computer or TV. Being physical has never been their cup of tea, and I spend time with kids who are just springy and bouncy and my kids are not coordinated like that. So anyway, my point is, my dd doesn't get very "physical" and so on that day, my husband had gotten a free trampoline from a friend, the small kind that adults exercise on, and so she had been doing a lot of jumping on it, with my husband holding her hands. THEN all of a sudden, she announces she has to go bm! So then when she didn't go the next day, then on the following day, I told my husband that he needed to get her on the trampoline again and he did, and sure enough, she went. So we did that for a couple of weeks...if she skipped a day of going, it was 'honey, can you get her to do some jumping'... I do think that the activity did help her, whether it was gravity shaking the stuff down the gi tract (LOL!) or the trunk strengthening, who knows, but it did do something for her.Also, re: hippotherapy, some people do not know what that is--it is basically horse riding therapy services, right--where kids with disabilities get therapeutic horseback riding to help them develop trunk strength, hand/eye coordination and other important skills. I just wanted to mention that if you have local horse ranches in your area, to call around--you may find one that has a volunteer hippotherapy program that is low cost or no cost. We had done this with our son when he was younger. It's not as good as having a real OT there, but it is still good for them.W> Anyhow, I was just wondering if some kind of trunk> strengthening regimin would help your daughter push> things through. Hippotherapy is great for developing> trunk strength.> > HTH,> >

[Guest guest]

Also, maybe try mineral oil. This is an internal lube, well help get the hard stuff out. If she is on meds, be sure and do the meds in her a few hours befor mineral oil(nuero advice). Apparently the oil can interfere with absorbtion with medications. Try to get lots of extra water in her also. Our son is finally starting drink more WATER, he is playing with the clear water bottles and gets alot of extra water in him and we see a difference. Getting water in him befor was so hard and this is so vital for our little ones gi tracts. Also, damaged gi's can affect all the medical issues you mentioned. Our son has so many medical issues, once his gi started working better, all that has improved. He has even became more verbal. Also, as I mentioned in an earlier post, if she can tolerate garlic, try to get some in her. The less processed the better. It goes after that bad bacteria in the intestinal tract and well also help produce movements. We use an already

chopped garlic in a jar(find as natural/unprocessed as possible). Jennie wrote: Hi all, Well, we went off Miralax cold turkey about 2 weeks ago. I have to say I've seen my daughter making tiny bits of improvements although she is very constipated. She has severe motor issues (motor planning, hypotonia, motor imitation, low body awareness). I think Miralax has caused her motor function to either decrease or just stop altogether the last 6 years. I could be

wrong on this but she seems to be having an increase in motor skills since we quit Miralax. I wonder if I haven't given her this over the years would she have made much more progress in the self-help areas, and possibly other areas as well? I really could kick myself over it but she just stays so constipated and has been impacted and miserable so many times and screaming, not coping at all, the miralax is the only thing that really works for her. I am not restarting it. I will look high and low for an answer. I think it will take a long time for her muscles to get used to not having the laxative in her system. I am giving her 2000 mg of vitamin C every

night, lactulose in the afternoon and 400 mg of mag. citrate in the morning and she is still staying very constipated. I have had to do an enema once a week just to keep her cleaned out. Any other ideas? I know about the fiber and the oxypowder................doesn't work for her. What else is there? Any thoughts on my comments about miralax and motor function please respond. Have a great weekend. Kathy H.

Yahoo! Mail goes everywhere you do. Get it on your phone.

[Guest guest]

Hi-- if you want to get that Tuina for Constipation video--even

though it says " baby " I would guess that it can be used on older

children, too... we had done it when my dd was about 3 years old. I

did it on myself and it did produce a movement for me, so I think

they refer to it as tuina for the pediatric population only in that,

in China, when kids get to be a bit older, then they do start doing

the needles. So anyway, if you want to order that VHS tape, I would

bet we could find someone over in England that could order it and

ship it here, if that company does not ship to the US.

We had done acupuncture prior to the tuina for Elora, when she was a

young three, or old two... it did produce a bowel movement a couple

of times, which again, wasn't coincidence because this child NEVER

had a bowel movement on her own past about 7 or 8 months of age. So

I always knew when something was working with her and something

wasn't. The acupuncture could help but it isn't the most fun thing

for a child to do! Plus, the tuina can be done every day at home,

whereas with acupuncture you are going a couple of times a week

generally, so if the tuina did nothing, then I would consider

acupuncture alongside the tuina, but the massage alone may be

helpful.

I know in chinese medicine, they feel the spleen is very weak in

children in general, and that their problems originate from problems

with the spleen. Years ago, I had talked on an autism board about

how we always are talking about the liver, but never see any mention

of spleen supports and when you look at the spleen, even though

someone can survive if it is surgically removed, it sure does seem

to have an important role in the body even if it isn't mandatory-for-

living. So the tuina, and acupuncture, in children, is very

directed towards helping the spleen. In men, they really work on

the kidneys... not sure what they work on for women! LOL! I have

used acupuncture myself for heel pain, and also heavy menstrual

cycles... the heel pain I still have, but he told me that I would

still have it--he said it takes a very long time to get past heel

problems, but the heavy menstruation that I've had for a couple of

years now...gone after the first series of treatments for it. It's

been several months and it hasn't come back either.

Kathy, I just want to say that I really admire your stick-to-it

nature. I am hoping that it pays off for you soon!

As far as the milk of magnesia-- in the Files, I am pretty sure that

the What Is Helping file contains a post from a mom who does use the

MoM every few days with her child, per doc's instructions, and the

doc has said it is safe to use it this frequently. I also know

another mom on a board for apraxia whose son uses MoM on a regular

basis, a few times a week, too.

W

>

> Hey , All your suggestions are great. Thanks a bunch. We do

have a trampoline and will get her

> jumping daily. Part of it too is that she's not too active

either. She has foot spasms and a hard time getting

> around. I'm going to get the book on massage too. I remember her

OT in Atlanta used to talk to massage

> for constipation also..........it does make sense. Anyone ever

tried an acupuncturist with their child?

> Abby rode horses in NC and now we live in PA, am looking into

finding a place for her to ride here, it's really

> fun for her as well. What do you think of Milk of Magnesia? Is

that safe to use?

> She drinks a ton of water and also pear juice, her diet is

actually pretty good. Thank you for all the

> suggestions, I know it will take quite a regimen to keep her off

Miralax.

> Kathy

>

>

[Guest guest]

Kathy-- I had a thought about her last night... so when she was on

the miralax, was she going regularly without problems or was she

periodically constipated on miralax too?

My thought was, miralax is simply an osmotic laxative. It isn't a

stimulant laxative, just osmotic, meaning it is pulling

water/retaining water in the stool. So IF she was totally

successful while on miralax in terms of having bms on a fairly

regular and frequent basis, and they looked normal, then I am

wondering if Dr. DeMio can raise up her lactulose prescription in

that lactulose, too, is an osmotic laxative, no stimulant. So it

may take more lactulose to match the level of water-staying-in-stool

that you were getting with miralax.

Also, Fiber Choice chewables... they taste like orange candy and are

an easy way to get some grams of fiber into her, and I don't feel

they are the 'sticky' kind of fiber. My own use with them has been

that even if I eat a lot of them, i.e. pop them like they are candy,

then I don't feel like things come to a grinding halt because

there's suddenly too much fiber in me. Elora is 5 and I give her

one and a half wafers per day. Your dd is older and so perhaps two

wafers in addition to the other things you intend to work in, may be

helpful.

W

>

> I think I will order the fruit-eze and see if that helps her,

maybe try Milk of Magnesia too.

> Thanks for the idea on the danelion root drops. I'll check with

the HFS.

> Kathy

>

[Guest guest]

Yes, she is very successful on Miralax. Very soft, but not runny (sorry so graphic), she will go

daily on it as well. She is getting 2 tlbs. of the Enulose. I may go up to 3 (it's o.k. with him if I up it)

She has gained weight and is 102 lbs. now and can take an adult dose of things. The only issue with

Enulose/Lactulose is the gas !!!

I looked at the fiber choice, but noticed dyes in them. She is highly allergic to food dyes. Any other

kinds you may recommend that are natural?

It's also a relaxation thing too since when she is in the tub (sorry) she tends to want to go in there.

Guess it's the warm water. I think she will make more progress in the future off of Miralax but she also

needs to learn how to use those muscles again..............she tends to push and then stop.............sorry,

but this is a poop group !!

Thanks for thinking about Abby and for all the help. I am still going to get the fiber juice and the fruit-eze

to see if it helps.

Have a good day !

Kathy

Re: miralax and motor function

Kathy-- I had a thought about her last night... so when she was on the miralax, was she going regularly without problems or was she periodically constipated on miralax too?My thought was, miralax is simply an osmotic laxative. It isn't a stimulant laxative, just osmotic, meaning it is pulling water/retaining water in the stool. So IF she was totally successful while on miralax in terms of having bms on a fairly regular and frequent basis, and they looked normal, then I am wondering if Dr. DeMio can raise up her lactulose prescription in that lactulose, too, is an osmotic laxative, no stimulant. So it may take more lactulose to match the level of water-staying-in-stool that you were getting with miralax. Also, Fiber Choice chewables... they taste like orange candy and are an easy way to get some grams of fiber into her, and I don't feel they are the 'sticky' kind of fiber. My own use with them has been that even if I eat a lot of them, i.e. pop them like they are candy, then I don't feel like things come to a grinding halt because there's suddenly too much fiber in me. Elora is 5 and I give her one and a half wafers per day. Your dd is older and so perhaps two wafers in addition to the other things you intend to work in, may be helpful.W>> I think I will order the fruit-eze and see if that helps her, maybe try Milk of Magnesia too.> Thanks for the idea on the danelion root drops. I'll check with the HFS.> Kathy>

[Guest guest]

Thanks !!!!

Re: miralax and motor function

Hi-- if you want to get that Tuina for Constipation video--even though it says "baby" I would guess that it can be used on older children, too... we had done it when my dd was about 3 years old. I did it on myself and it did produce a movement for me, so I think they refer to it as tuina for the pediatric population only in that, in China, when kids get to be a bit older, then they do start doing the needles. So anyway, if you want to order that VHS tape, I would bet we could find someone over in England that could order it and ship it here, if that company does not ship to the US. We had done acupuncture prior to the tuina for Elora, when she was a young three, or old two... it did produce a bowel movement a couple of times, which again, wasn't coincidence because this child NEVER had a bowel movement on her own past about 7 or 8 months of age. So I always knew when something was working with her and something wasn't. The acupuncture could help but it isn't the most fun thing for a child to do! Plus, the tuina can be done every day at home, whereas with acupuncture you are going a couple of times a week generally, so if the tuina did nothing, then I would consider acupuncture alongside the tuina, but the massage alone may be helpful. I know in chinese medicine, they feel the spleen is very weak in children in general, and that their problems originate from problems with the spleen. Years ago, I had talked on an autism board about how we always are talking about the liver, but never see any mention of spleen supports and when you look at the spleen, even though someone can survive if it is surgically removed, it sure does seem to have an important role in the body even if it isn't mandatory-for-living. So the tuina, and acupuncture, in children, is very directed towards helping the spleen. In men, they really work on the kidneys... not sure what they work on for women! LOL! I have used acupuncture myself for heel pain, and also heavy menstrual cycles... the heel pain I still have, but he told me that I would still have it--he said it takes a very long time to get past heel problems, but the heavy menstruation that I've had for a couple of years now...gone after the first series of treatments for it. It's been several months and it hasn't come back either. Kathy, I just want to say that I really admire your stick-to-it nature. I am hoping that it pays off for you soon!As far as the milk of magnesia-- in the Files, I am pretty sure that the What Is Helping file contains a post from a mom who does use the MoM every few days with her child, per doc's instructions, and the doc has said it is safe to use it this frequently. I also know another mom on a board for apraxia whose son uses MoM on a regular basis, a few times a week, too. W>> Hey , All your suggestions are great. Thanks a bunch. We do have a trampoline and will get her> jumping daily. Part of it too is that she's not too active either. She has foot spasms and a hard time getting > around. I'm going to get the book on massage too. I remember her OT in Atlanta used to talk to massage > for constipation also..........it does make sense. Anyone ever tried an acupuncturist with their child?> Abby rode horses in NC and now we live in PA, am looking into finding a place for her to ride here, it's really > fun for her as well. What do you think of Milk of Magnesia? Is that safe to use?> She drinks a ton of water and also pear juice, her diet is actually pretty good. Thank you for all the > suggestions, I know it will take quite a regimen to keep her off Miralax.> Kathy> >

[Guest guest]

With the fiber juice, I have to tell you I really do not like the

apple flavor! We ordered it and I don't think Elora will drink it

and neither will I actually... so stick with the fruit punch or the

grape flavor--both of those tasted OK. The type of fiber in it is

acacia gum. You know, if there is a juice that she likes, then it

would certainly be cheaper to pre-mix some of the Fiber Sure into it-

-see below, or Benefiber, and just keep it in the fridge ready to

use when you need it. I've enjoyed the convenience of the juice

plus fiber boxes that's for sure, but I am not sure we will keep

ordering much longer... it is almost 50 dollars by the time you

figure shipping costs on top of the price of the carton (27 boxes).

I'm thinking of trying my pre-mixing idea once this is all used up.

Yes, the fiber choice had once been all-natural, no artificial

color, and then they ended up putting some artificial color and

flavor into it. I was mad. But my kids have done OK with it. The

new Fiber Sure is also inulin, the same thing as fiber choice,

except that it doesn't have any artificial colors or flavors--it

appears to be pure inulin from the bottle. I am really liking how

easily it mixes into liquid...it's going to give Benefiber a run for

it's money.

I have heard that the tub is relaxing for some kids... when we were

going to a GI doc with Ethan years ago, they had mentioned it, and

when he was backed up they had said to even let him go in the

water. Thankfully he never did that! Sheesh! But yes, they say

that the warm water is very relaxing... also, if she will drink

hottish/warmish water, that is what they do for a lot of the elderly

in nursing care facilities--give them a hot drink...wait a half hour

and they'll go!

That's why I do think the sit-time is a good thing to do because in

time, she will learn to relax on the toilet. Everyone has their own

way to relax and it's like our bowels do " know " when we can go and

when we can't... like when you are on vacation, there are toilets

everywhere, however, your body just doesn't feel quite right going,

so that's why a lot of people end up getting constipated when they

go on vacation. It takes time and routine for the body to get into

the habit of going, without much effort, and so work on that daily

sit time with her. The expectation is not to produce a bowel

movement, but to just sit. My dd asks that-- " what will happen if I

don't go bm? " and I say " no biggie, I'm not expecting you to go

anyway, I just want you to practice sitting and relaxing... if you

don't go today, maybe we'll try tomorrow " ... then she kind of

relaxes and ends up going. Or, if not, then I have her practice

sitting again a few hours later. Just five mins or so.

I know what you mean about needing to really learn to use those

muscles...Elora used to do that too, push and then stop (after

babylax even).

W

>

> Yes, she is very successful on Miralax. Very soft, but not runny

(sorry so graphic), she will go

> daily on it as well. She is getting 2 tlbs. of the Enulose. I

may go up to 3 (it's o.k. with him if I up it)

> She has gained weight and is 102 lbs. now and can take an adult

dose of things. The only issue with

> Enulose/Lactulose is the gas !!!

> I looked at the fiber choice, but noticed dyes in them. She is

highly allergic to food dyes. Any other

> kinds you may recommend that are natural?

> It's also a relaxation thing too since when she is in the tub

(sorry) she tends to want to go in there.

> Guess it's the warm water. I think she will make more progress in

the future off of Miralax but she also

> needs to learn how to use those muscles again..............she

tends to push and then stop.............sorry,

> but this is a poop group !!

> Thanks for thinking about Abby and for all the help. I am still

going to get the fiber juice and the fruit-eze

> to see if it helps.

> Have a good day !

> Kathy

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Your right about the juice, it is rather expensive. Good idea to just mix the fiber and keep it in the

fridge.

Your right about sitting time too, but she just wants to go and get up. She won't sit.

That's part of the problem too.

Want you to know I ordered the book from Amazon on Tui na. It was $12.97

Looking forward to reading it and trying it out.

Thanks again,

Kathy

Re: miralax and motor function

With the fiber juice, I have to tell you I really do not like the apple flavor! We ordered it and I don't think Elora will drink it and neither will I actually... so stick with the fruit punch or the grape flavor--both of those tasted OK. The type of fiber in it is acacia gum. You know, if there is a juice that she likes, then it would certainly be cheaper to pre-mix some of the Fiber Sure into it--see below, or Benefiber, and just keep it in the fridge ready to use when you need it. I've enjoyed the convenience of the juice plus fiber boxes that's for sure, but I am not sure we will keep ordering much longer... it is almost 50 dollars by the time you figure shipping costs on top of the price of the carton (27 boxes). I'm thinking of trying my pre-mixing idea once this is all used up.Yes, the fiber choice had once been all-natural, no artificial color, and then they ended up putting some artificial color and flavor into it. I was mad. But my kids have done OK with it. The new Fiber Sure is also inulin, the same thing as fiber choice, except that it doesn't have any artificial colors or flavors--it appears to be pure inulin from the bottle. I am really liking how easily it mixes into liquid...it's going to give Benefiber a run for it's money. I have heard that the tub is relaxing for some kids... when we were going to a GI doc with Ethan years ago, they had mentioned it, and when he was backed up they had said to even let him go in the water. Thankfully he never did that! Sheesh! But yes, they say that the warm water is very relaxing... also, if she will drink hottish/warmish water, that is what they do for a lot of the elderly in nursing care facilities--give them a hot drink...wait a half hour and they'll go! That's why I do think the sit-time is a good thing to do because in time, she will learn to relax on the toilet. Everyone has their own way to relax and it's like our bowels do "know" when we can go and when we can't... like when you are on vacation, there are toilets everywhere, however, your body just doesn't feel quite right going, so that's why a lot of people end up getting constipated when they go on vacation. It takes time and routine for the body to get into the habit of going, without much effort, and so work on that daily sit time with her. The expectation is not to produce a bowel movement, but to just sit. My dd asks that--"what will happen if I don't go bm?" and I say "no biggie, I'm not expecting you to go anyway, I just want you to practice sitting and relaxing... if you don't go today, maybe we'll try tomorrow"... then she kind of relaxes and ends up going. Or, if not, then I have her practice sitting again a few hours later. Just five mins or so.I know what you mean about needing to really learn to use those muscles...Elora used to do that too, push and then stop (after babylax even).W>> Yes, she is very successful on Miralax. Very soft, but not runny (sorry so graphic), she will go> daily on it as well. She is getting 2 tlbs. of the Enulose. I may go up to 3 (it's o.k. with him if I up it)> She has gained weight and is 102 lbs. now and can take an adult dose of things. The only issue with> Enulose/Lactulose is the gas !!!> I looked at the fiber choice, but noticed dyes in them. She is highly allergic to food dyes. Any other> kinds you may recommend that are natural?> It's also a relaxation thing too since when she is in the tub (sorry) she tends to want to go in there.> Guess it's the warm water. I think she will make more progress in the future off of Miralax but she also> needs to learn how to use those muscles again..............she tends to push and then stop.............sorry, > but this is a poop group !!> Thanks for thinking about Abby and for all the help. I am still going to get the fiber juice and the fruit-eze> to see if it helps. > Have a good day ! > Kathy>

[Guest guest]

Hi-- For the sit-time, try to get a silent timer... let her know

that it is expected that she just sit the full time. Try to work

out some type of reward system. It doesn't have to be elaborate--

" if you do your sit time, then when you are finished, I'll spend

some time doing ____ with you " . If you want it to be more

elaborate, it could be a chart with a place to keep a point for each

number of times she does the sit-time without complaining, and then

when it is filled up to a certain criteria, then she gets X. I'd

start with the least elaborate -- just giving an immediate reward of

doing something that she enjoys doing, afterward. I'd also use the

timer as a visual way to help her mark time. She may be getting

fussy about it because she doesn't have a good sense of time

passing. If she likes music, you could have a CD player playing and

tell her, when two songs are finished, you may get up. Again,

something to help her mark time.

W

>

> Hi ,

> Your right about the juice, it is rather expensive. Good idea to

just mix the fiber and keep it in the

> fridge.

> Your right about sitting time too, but she just wants to go and

get up. She won't sit.

> That's part of the problem too.

> Want you to know I ordered the book from Amazon on Tui na. It was

$12.97

> Looking forward to reading it and trying it out.

> Thanks again,

> Kathy

>

>