: Re: Re: New to Group!

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, Thanks so much for the speedy reply! We've only been doing daily morning suppositories with Owen for the last 3 days (before that it was when we thought he needed them). He did pass stool yesterday and today and it was a 'good' consistency. We feel we may be on the right track...but who knows since he's so on and off with his pooping! For now it seems to work. I found your email extremely helpful and informative. I didn't know that lactulose isn't absorbed (unless an individual has above average intestinal permeability). Good to know about the tests they offer as well. We do have to be referred to a GI specialist but if I pushed enough then I believe they would refer us. As for Owen's mood etc., he is great!! His health is great too as of late. He was diagnosed with infantile spasms (a very severe and rare form of epilespy that causes profound developmental delays)

about 9 months ago. The prognosis was grim but he has beat all odds thus far. Walking and beginning to talk and developmentally on track in every way. He has been med free for almost 2 months and is seizure free thus far (kow). Maybe it's all related...the constipation and the seizures...who knows?? Anyway, thanks again, you are a wealth of information. merrywbee wrote: So he takes lactulose twice per day and you use a glycerin suppository

once per day...when you do that, does he pass a stool? What does it look like--color (brown?), formed or unformed?, size relative to his body, i.e. is it too huge or very small and narrow?From your message, it sounds like even though you put in a suppository once a day, he still only goes once every three days, and it is causing him to scream--because of the size, right? But I just want to be clear on that.If that's the case, that you give this stuff everyday but he still only goes every third day or so, then I can't imagine that miralax will help him go with more frequency in that he is already on lactulose. It might help but I would be concerned that he would be absorbing too much miralax, i.e. lactulose is a substance that CAN pass through the gastrointestinal tract. They actually use it in a test to measure the degree of intestinal permeability. i.e. there are small tiny 'holes' so to speak, in the GI

tract...this is normal... it is how we get our nutrients absorbed. And this is referred to as intestinal permeability...it is when the holes are larger that it is called a 'higher than normal degree of intestinal permeability'. And so lactulose is a molecule size that can pass through the GI tract. They do the test for abnormal intestinal permeability with both lactulose and mannitol...they are both different molecular sizes, and so then they measure what passed through, and based on the ratio of what passed through, they can tell if someone has a higher than normal degree of intestinal permeability.Ordinarily, mannitol is easily absorbed but lactulose is not. If the lactulose is there in a high amount, then it means that the person does have a higher degree of intestinal permeability.I would ask the doctor to consider doing this type of test because to me, it could be a possible explanation for

why giving lactulose TWICE A DAY is NOT resulting in a daily stool, or even a stool that would be EASY to pass on the third day, know what I mean?? Think of it this way, IF the lactulose were staying IN THE GUT in order to work, the moisture would be staying in the gut, and staying in the stool, and creating a softer easier to push out stool. Since that is not happening, then I personally wonder if this test were to be done, perhaps it would indicate that a significant amount of the lactulose is making it's way out of the GI tract.Also consider whether or not a specific type of food group could be triggering the constipation... think back to when did the constipation first begin, and what had preceded it by a few months--the introduction of milk products? the intro of grains? How is his health and mood otherwise?Adverse reactions to miralax? Well, for my son, initially he was able to pass

movements but then he became toxic and could not pass them any longer without assistance. His mood changed, his skin went from normal healthy color to looking very pale with dark circles under his eyes, he became very jekyl and hyde in terms of behavior and mood, aggressive, impulsive, began having facial tics... this does not happen to ALL children on miralax but does happen to some.No one medicine in the world is free from causing adverse reactions to SOME individuals. Docs will say it's 100 percent safe and they are wrong... even advil can put a sensitive individual into the hospital... miralax is a chemical. It is polyethylene glycol. Some individuals may be sensitive to it.Either way though with an infant/toddler, I personally worry about the burden on the kidneys. If you go into the Files section of this board, you will find a study that shows that a very small amount of PEG is absorbed even in an normal

individual. Now, if someone had a higher than normal degree of intestinal permeability, they would absorb even more. Add this into a daily accumulation, for months and months on end, and so then the question is, can the kidneys keep up with it? Maybe so, but maybe trying to get to the underlying cause of the constipation would be worthwhile, too, rather than taking the attitude of some docs which is, just let them take it for the rest of their lives. If someone has to use it, that's one thing, but they can also seek out what could be causing the constipation, too. In the hopes that maybe they can get off of it someday.Within your insurance system, can you self-refer to any specialists or do you "need" the referral from them?W >> I am so glad to have found this

group...my son Owen is 14 months old > and has had pooping problems his entire life. Right now he is on > Lactulose twice per day and suppositories once a day. Doctors don't > seem to think it's a big deal that he screams when he poops (which is > about every three days). We're convinced he holds it in since we see > him clenching for a couple of days before the poop. > Anyway, we're thinking of trying the Miralax but wondered what the > adverse reactions were?? Also, are there any signs that will let us > know if there is something drastically wrong. I'm paranoid that he is > doing severe damage to his system and I won't know when to take > serious action (as my requests to see a specialist seem to be > outrageous to doctors). Any help would be great. Thanks so much and > I've already learned a lot from your posts!>

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