Constipation

[Guest guest]

> After 4 weeks on Pep, he's coped with infractions without regression but s

> getting bunged up again. Taking her some Mag tomorrow to sort it but she is

> thinking the enzymes aren;t working because of the constipation. I have said I

> think its the food not the enzymes but I'm not explaining it very well. He was

> doing rice and potatoes on the diet without issue, I rember Dana mentioning

> those before.

Common constipating foods are gluten, casein, rice, bananas, apples, and a few

other things. Several supplements can cause

constipation. Magnesium and vitamin C can help.

Dana

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Just wanted to post about Miralax. My son has had pretty serious

constipation since about 16 months of age. I recently put him on Miralax

(you need a scrip for it and it is rather expensive) and it has REALLY

helped. He is now very regular and quite happy. I can't keep him on it

forever, but I intend to use it periodically to keep him on track. I highly

recommend it when all else has failed.

Mom to Liam 33 months apraxic

and Elijah 13 months typical

[Guest guest]

did you see this archived post on what worked for our son

Tanner?! If so -did you try it? This was just amazing for us -you

have no idea how horrible this is....well I guess you do.

Many of our kids (sorry all the potty training stage people to break

this to you) that potty trained as a group a bit later (around 4)

due to the muscle control weakness from the low tone(it's not in

their control) then have constipation problems for the same reason -

constipation.

Based on how well and quick this worked -I'm guessing that there may

be some psychological fear aspects that are at play in our kids

too. They have a painful experience (you know what I mean if you

know what I mean) and then they are afraid to go so they hold it in.

This also may have to do with some signaling problem or motor

planning aspect. Not sure -but who cares when anyone just about

anywhere can pick up pear nectar or Dole papaya fruit and gel

bowls! This works -and we love Dr. !!

> Today I took Tanner to see pediatric gastroenterologist Lawrence

> MD from Palm Beach Florida for Tanner's problem with

> constipation which we have been trying to help him with now for

the

> past 5 years or more with various MDs (Tanner is now 7) Up till

now

> nobody has wanted to put Tanner on medications -and since we've

> moved we haven't taken Tanner to see his NJ/NY MDs. I highly

> recommend Dr. if you are in Florida in that he took over an

> hour with us -was excellent with Tanner (very funny) and was very

> open to discussing off the wall theories on constipation in

apraxic

> children -a best kept secret even though it's known for autism.

Dr.

> has many patients with special needs -some with severe CP

> whose parents have to blend fruits for their constipation that

they

> can put through their feeding tube.

>

> Here is a brief summery from the prescription he gave me:

>

> Diet: Nectars (fruit juices) Papaya, pear, apricot (if he can

> stand it -can mix with others but try plain nectar first)

> * prune juice -can be mixed with orange juice (since most kids

don't

> like it)

>

> exotic fruits- figs, dates, apricot, papaya (papaya underlined

> twice) (if he can stand it -like the nectars -these work wonders

he

> said)

>

> limit -banana, apple, rice, dairy

>

> Milk of Magnesia 2-3 tablespoons with glass of water any time he

> skips 1 day. Works 4-8 hours.

>

> Behavior Modification -10 minutes daily -no distractions. Use

> calendar stickers -every week reward for amount of BMs

> 2/ week something small

> 3-4 medium

> 5-7 large reward

>

> Dr. said that there is a chance that the problem could be

> motor planning -but he can't fix that -his goal is to get Tanner

on

> a schedule for a long period of time so that he starts going

> automatically. He doesn't want me to use the Nature's Tea due to

> the senna in it -said it can cause dependence in long term use,

and

> said that due to what I reported with Tanner's regression with too

> much fiber not to use high fiber either. He said it is possible

> that the fiber is cutting short the fatty acids in the gut.

>

> It's hard for me to stop the Nature's Tea -it's been a week of

> perfect no pain -no constipation -and not loose either. I bought

> the juice and Tanner drank it...I even added mango which wasn't on

> the list but I figure was also exotic -and he also liked that

flavor

> (yay!) We didn't use the Milk of Magnesia yet even though I

bought

> that too. At the health food store today -the new thing

recommended

> thing of the day for constipation was wheat grass therapy using

> wheat grass. I bought the wheat grass powder to add to the papaya

> juice drinks -anyone tried this?

>

> So you guys were right about the tea with senna in it -it's just

> hard to give up a sure thing...and I want to make sure that when

we

> do in the next few days -that this beautiful daily pattern doesn't

> end!

>

> Lawrence MD

> 5325 Greenwood Ave

> West Palm Beach Florida

> 561 840 1960

>

>

> =====

>

[Guest guest]

I highly recommend you read the label on the Miralax bottle. My daughter

was on it for over a year before I read that it should not be used for more

than seven days. Although the pediatrician said it was harmless, I don't

believe it says that without a reason. Who knows, 20 years down the road,

she might " mysteriously " contract colon cancer or something. I mean, they

couldn't tell me that either!

I have tried the jels recommended - she did not like them. Sensory

integration - doesn't like the jello thing, and she doesn't like the fruit

smoothies I tried to make using frozen fruit salad. She likes the actual

fruit so I bought a papaya - we will see what happens. I have also noticed

that my kids drink very little water so I increased water intake. That

seemed to work for the time being.

[Guest guest]

Yes, my son had a very BAD experience on Miralax. Bad enough that I

filed a complaint with the FDA. I won't go into detail but if anyone

wants to read his story, I can send you a link to read it.

Here are just some general constipation things that I recently sent

to a mom-friend of mine, and maybe something will help the original

post-er...

When you are dealing with childhood constipation issues, there are

several factors at play. The main thing to understand is that the GI

(gastrointestinal) tract is not just some simple tube that allows

food to be digested and then form stool from that, and the bile.

It's actually a very complex organ-- so complex that it is basically

it's own little nervous system-- it's known as the enteric nervous

system. They're finding that it seems to have a life of it's own,

and really isn't as regulated by the brain as what was previously

thought. So the idea that the constipation is just " mental " -- that

the child doesn't want to go, is lazy, is afraid-- all of that takes

a backseat. When a child CAN go, and pass formed bowel movements

easily, then they will go. Sometimes fear sets in if the movements

are very painful, but there are ways to overcome that.

So the first step is to get the bowel working well again. The

background is, that with our current american diet, our kids really

don't have enough of the right food and nutrients, and some of what

they eat actually works against the mechanisms of the colon. That

is, the artificial ingredients that are in the food, actually have a

slowing-down action on the gut. Even milk-- we pasteurize it and all

that to make it safer to drink, but by doing that we kill off a lot

of the " good bacteria " that our bodies need to help keep the gut

working and healthy. The gut is lined with mucosa that is the home

to good bacteria, and bad bacteria, and yeast. There is a balance of

all of these and that's OK. When there becomes an imbalance, then

things start happening that in a circumvential way, end up slowing

down the peristalsis of the gut. Peristalsis refers to the

contracting movements of the gut that help move the food and stool

along the colon. Oh, but even earlier than this, there is the issue

of digestive enzymes. They are what help break down the food. Some

of our processed foods that we eat actually work to slow down the

digestive enzyme production and process, and that is the first step

in this whole chain of events.

So, one of the first things is to look at the diet. I do not

recommend adding fiber initially for kids who have been constipated

for a long time. Their colons cannot handle it and it may make the

problem seem worse at first. I suggest though looking at reducing

foods that are constipating, such as milk products and rice.

Banana's, if they are on the green side or just turned yellow, are

constipating. When they are very yellow and have some brown spots on

them, then they are more of a laxative property. For some kids,

juice is constipating. I know they say when you go to the doc about

constipation, they say drink more juice, but for some kids, this is

the wrong thing to do. For some kids it helps but some it hurts--so

figure out if juice is a problem or if it is helping.

One of the first things to try is getting some more magnesium in

him. Magnesium deficiency results in constipation. There are many

links on the internet that support this idea. One of the things they

do before a colon exam is have the patient drink a large amount of

magnesium citrate--it gets the person to the diarrhea state and

empties the colon. So with kids, you can start them on magnesium.

Magnesium does have a toxicity level, however, you would not even be

CLOSE to reaching that with over the counter supplements. Someone

would be very sick before they even reached magnesium toxicity. When

I was using magnesium with my daughter, the daily amount in their

medical book when I asked her doctor was about FOUR TIMES what I was

trying with her. So I could have gone way over their amount and

still not even have had to worry about toxicity in the body. So I

only say that to reassure you that nothing I suggest here is going to

hurt him. I've researched things very thoroughly.

With magnesium, the idea is to " give to bowel tolerance " , which

means, you can keep giving magnesium until you reach the point of

diarrhea, and then you need to obviously, back off on the amount.

The amount varies with person to person. My husband can take only a

little magnesium, and then his stools are loose. My daughter would

need a lot more than him before her stools became looser. The idea

with magnesium, too is, not only does it make the stool softer, but

it also seems to help it get out faster.

If he will swallow tablets, Nature Made Magnesium which is sold at

rite-aid and probably other drug stores is about 250 mg's per tablet

and the tablets are fairly small. He could take one of these per day

and obviously, increase or more likely, decrease as time goes on to

get to the right amount. It is magnesium oxide, which is actually

not a very well " absorbed " form of magnesium. But it is inexpensive

and may be just enough to do the trick. If he doesn't swallow

tablets, he could chew it. If he doesn't like the taste, then Fred

Meyer does sell some liquid magnesium or calcium/magnesium

combinations that you could try. There are also powdered magnesium

citrates out there-- one company online is called Natural Calm and

another is Kirkman Labs. If you end up needing links for either of

these products, let me know and I will get them to you.

If the magnesium alone does not seem to work, then what he may need

is a one or two time use of a stimulant laxative to get the bowels

moving to " clean out " . This is something that I learned from a

gastroenterologist. When the colon has been retaining stool for a

long time, chronic constipation, then the walls of the colon become

flaccid and relaxed and stool builds up in large amounts. It takes a

clean out from the top down to help clear the colon so that the

things like magnesium and other things I will list can do their job!

So for clean out, I suggest either Traditional Medicinals Smooth Move

Tea, available at Fred Meyer or Children's Chocolate Senokot liquid,

available at any drugstore. The tea comes with directions to give it

at nighttime. If you are going to use the Children's senokot, I

would either give a dose on a Friday night at bedtime, knowing that

you won't be doing anything on Saturday, or give the first dose first

thing Saturday morning. With the children's senokot, you want to

look at the label and see what the maximum dose is-- that is what you

want to use. If there's no response then repeat another dose later

on, say, after lunch. This should produce results by evening. And

yes, it will be crampy-- any time you are moving out large amounts of

stool, the colon will cramp as it pushes things along and it will be

uncomfortable.

Once the clean out is done, the other products can work. Clean out

sometimes has to be repeated in a month or when you see things slow

down again. This is again, part of retraining the colon to work. It

has become very stretched out and over time, the muscle tone will

normalize. Use of stimulant laxatives in this infrequent manner is

not in any way going to adversely effect the colon or make

him " addicted " to it. Not at all!

If magnesium alone does not work, then I also suggest adding in some

vitamin C. Ideally, liquid vitamin C's are best absorbed, then comes

the kind you swallow, and then lastly, the chewable C. Vitamin C is

also something that has a long way to go before you even worry

about " too much " . Give it to bowel tolerance. Give a lot each day

and back off if diarrhea occurs. Find the right level.

If magnesium and vitamin C do not work, or if you even want to try

this early on, use Benefiber. Benefiber is an over the counter fiber

product that is NOT LIKE any other " bulk " fibers out there. Things

like metamucil and konsyl will just dry out in the colon of a

constipated child. With Benefiber, things seem to stay moist and

slick. Most all kids respond if given enough benefiber during the

day, and the bottle comes with mixing instructions. It will mix

clearly and virtually flavorless into all beverages, including

water. Go with the proportions on the bottle, and just get him to

drink a lot of it per day. It will help! I almost hate to call it a

fiber because it really is not like any other-- it is simply

hydrolyzed guar gum. It seems to have a " slicker " action than

regular fibers do.

Most everyone responds to these things fairly soon... if this

protocol doesn't work, then you may need to look at some other

supplements like " probiotics " . Probiotics are a nickname for the

good flora in the gut. Antibiotics wipe out the gut flora,

probiotics puts it back in! You can buy probiotics at any health

food store section. Again, if he swallows capsules--that is the best

route. One brand called Enzymatic Therapy Acidophilus Pearls are

enteric coated so they won't release until they get into the gut.

You can find them online at the best price-- Fred Meyer has them at

about 15 dollars a box, but I have found them for 8 dollars a box

online. The local stores also have chewable probiotics if he doesn't

swallow capsules. Even if the other things are working for him,

probiotics and the other things I will mention are still not a bad

idea, because they support overall health of the intestine.

Essential Fatty Acids, or EFA's. These are essential to the body and

brain development. PBS is even going to run a documentary on the use

of EFA's with learning disabilities and adhd. They are truly

essential. In the colon, they help provide a healthy environment and

also help the neurological connections that make the colon " work " .

Flax seed oil is one simple thing to do and it doesn't taste

terrible.

There is one product that I do not know if any local stores have it

but it is called FLora Bear by Renew Life. It contains N-acetyl-

glucosamine or NAG for short. This helps the colon... also

pantothenic acid (a b vitamin) helps, along with vitamin B12. You

can buy B vitamin complexes for getting these extra b's in.

I won't go on with more things because I really really DO think that

what I have listed so far WILL WORK for him and make him go daily.

IF he doesn't and you still want some help, I would be more than

happy to list out more options.

If you end up going the medical route someday, just know to avoid

Miralax. Before doing Miralax, which won't correct the underlying

problem in the first place, try Enulose or Lactulose instead. They

have a much longer safety record than Miralax, which has actually

harmed a select population of children.

AND lastly, no matter what you do-- treating these underlying issues

first or going the medical route, a VERY important part of this is to

have a " sit time " on the toilet. He needs to re-train his bowels and

body to respond to being in the bathroom. On weekends, he should

ideally sit for ten minutes following each meal. Once you see a

pattern establish, ex. if he is more of a late afternoon 'mover',

then obviously you don't need to have him sit at times when it is

unlikely he will go. But initially, ask him to sit after each meal.

No pressure whatsoever. Just tell him this is part of the plan to

help his body learn how to go. Tell him you don't expect that he'll

go, but just want him to sit and see what happens. Ultimately, kids

who do this, DO end up starting to go when they go into the

bathroom. My son -- some days he tells us he has to go and gets up

from playing or the dinner table and just goes. Other evenings, we

TELL him to go sit on the toilet and he does and he 95% of the time,

has a movement now. This kid is now such a PRO at this! This is a

kid who was on medication for constipation, and then we moved to

these more natural methods, and encorporated this " sit time " into

everything and now he goes every single day. The movements are

normal and formed and easy for him to push out because there is now a

balance to all of the gut flora, and the right minerals and

antioxidants are present for the gut to work... so it CAN be done.

So that's the end of the story... I hope that this provided some

things for you to consider trying. Just know that I am here if you

want any more help.

> I highly recommend you read the label on the Miralax bottle. My

daughter

> was on it for over a year before I read that it should not be used

for more

> than seven days. Although the pediatrician said it was harmless, I

don't

> believe it says that without a reason. Who knows, 20 years down

the road,

> she might " mysteriously " contract colon cancer or something. I

mean, they

> couldn't tell me that either!

>

[Guest guest]

I'm again offering FREE samples of Benefiber, which is a no taste, no smell

fiber supplement that you can mix with food or liquid. It's invisible, and

really undetectable. Safe for children over 2. Anyone with a constipation

issue, please email, I'll be happy to send you some to try.....it's a wonderful

product, and it's also senna, etc. free. 100% natural (it's made from guar

gum, which is found in foods like ice cream.....100% safe, no interactions

whatsoever.)

Anyone who would like to try some, email me at KissmeKaate@...

~Karyn

[ ] RE: constipation

I highly recommend you read the label on the Miralax bottle. My daughter

was on it for over a year before I read that it should not be used for more

than seven days. Although the pediatrician said it was harmless, I don't

believe it says that without a reason. Who knows, 20 years down the road,

she might " mysteriously " contract colon cancer or something. I mean, they

couldn't tell me that either!

I have tried the jels recommended - she did not like them. Sensory

integration - doesn't like the jello thing, and she doesn't like the fruit

smoothies I tried to make using frozen fruit salad. She likes the actual

fruit so I bought a papaya - we will see what happens. I have also noticed

that my kids drink very little water so I increased water intake. That

seemed to work for the time being.

[Guest guest]

Wow thanks for this comprehensive lesson about the gut!

I just wanted to add that in a nutshell -out of our couple of hour

appointment with pediatric gastroenterologist Lawrence MD from

Palm Beach Florida, we covered much of what you talked about.

I just want to clarify that Dr. did not recommend juice, and

that I can tell you that for Tanner juice did not work. Dr.

recommended the nectars -specifically papaya, pear, apricot etc.

> Here is a brief summery from the prescription he gave me:

>

> Diet: Nectars (fruit juices) Papaya, pear, apricot (if he can

> stand it -can mix with others but try plain nectar first)

> * prune juice -can be mixed with orange juice (since most kids

don't

> like it)

>

> exotic fruits- figs, dates, apricot, papaya (papaya underlined

> twice) (if he can stand it -like the nectars -these work wonders

he

> said)

>

> limit -banana, apple, rice, dairy

>

> Milk of Magnesia 2-3 tablespoons with glass of water any time he

> skips 1 day. Works 4-8 hours.

>

> Behavior Modification -10 minutes daily -no distractions. Use

> calendar stickers -every week reward for amount of BMs

> 2/ week something small

> 3-4 medium

> 5-7 large reward

About the brain play (or lack of)to this, I was talking to Sallie

Bernard who was talking to pediatric neurologist Xue Ming MD PhD

about this too common problem in our population of children for some

reason -who believes that with autistic (and apraxic) children

it 'may' be a brain signaling problem. I'm still in the school of

thought that we don't really know the brain enough to know all that

it's capable of doing or not doing. So I wouldn't disagree with the

theory that this has nothing to do with the brain -however I feel

more uncomfortable agreeing this has nothing to do with the brain based on the

fact that autism and

apraxia are on the rise in this country as specific multifaceted

communication impairments -and both are neurologically based- I

would just say let's stay open in theory still.

About the diet alone theory, good points but that I don't agree

with. I have about a zillion friends who have kids who eat all

kinds of crap. To them meat and potatoes? Potato chips and beef

jerky. Fruit means fruit flavored Hawaiian Punch (just kidding but

you get the point) and...none of my friend's kids have problems with

constipation, especially constipation that is ongoing for years! Just Tanner

who eats

what...healthy food and takes fish oil each day? So yes diet is

important -but it's not the main factor or we would be seeing

epidemics of constipation in the normal pediatric population as well.

(or more than 3%!)

" Constipation is the chief complaint in 3 percent of pediatric outpatient

visits "

http://www.healthscout.com/news/402/515479/main.html

About magnesia -as I have above -big time agree and found this

works. We however only use this on days that we don't get enough

nectar into Tanner. Dr. has us give Tanner Milk of Magnesia

(3 tablespoons) any time Tanner " misses " a day. I do notice that

Tanner will miss a day if he doesn't drink enough papaya and pear

nectar the day before. So to the mom that brought up the papaya and

jell bowls from Dole -they are not the most important, the nectar is.

Not sure about other kids, however I also now do in my gut believe

that there are psychological aspects (psychological meaning fear) at

play in Tanner's case which played together with the underlying

problem. He had trouble going, so by the time he did go it was

painful (understatement -the last time I was ready to call 911 -and

not kidding about that. If you have a child that suffers from this

you know what I mean how horrible this is!!) Each time Tanner had

to go to the bathroom (he would sit down and then stand up and say

he couldn't go as you know for years) he actually had a look of

utter fear and horror when " it's coming! " and the screams and

tears. I joked and compared it to giving birth when I explained it

to Dr. . That was a cue to Dr. that there are fear

factors at play as well.

and...may want to read this whole article:

" Children with functional constipation experience much more anxiety about

toileting behavior than other children, but don't display significant general

anxiety. "

http://www.healthscout.com/news/402/515479/main.html

So in other words -this is apparently triggered by 'something', but

then it is made worse of a problem due to fear of the pain of going.

On our last visit Dr. checked Tanner's award sticker calendar

(he got a sticker each time he went over a 2 month period) and let

us know there was no reason to see him again -all looked good and

Tanner does not need medication, surgery -or even any further

tests. He did warn us that at some point we will get lax about the

nectar and that Tanner will have a relapse of constipation and that

it will all start again -and he will start to withhold due to the

pain. He told me that psychological factors are one of the largest

things at play in children.

The fact that Tanner has cleared up and is going so regular on the

nectar tells me that there is something in the nectar that he

needs. I know that is obvious -but we need to know...what does the

papaya and pear nectars offer that the juice does not?

We use a mixture of pear, papaya and mango nectar -heavy on the

pear. Here is a bit about each:

" Fresh papaya is probably the finest healing food in the world. It

is anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, has enzymes which can decompose

toxic matter, and help digest foods eaten so as to get more

nutrients out of them for feeding the cells of the body. It is

literally the finest anti aging food known and can even help prevent

wrinkles...

The second most healing food is the mango. Although it does not have

the enzyme structure as the papaya, it still has remarkable healing

and detoxifying capabilities...

Pear nectar flushes the liver gallbladder, removes gout and other

acid accumulation and prevents constipation. Two 6 oz glasses a day

between meals is the appropriate amount for most individuals. "

http://www.timeforhealth.com/foods.html

And one last thing -I believe it's really wonderful that Karyn is

offering the Benefiber samples for free -and it is a really cool

powder that disappears -however a head's up to anyone who has a

child that does well and needs the EFAs. Tanner regressed on the

addition of any fiber supplements enough that my husband Glenn (who

is not always as observant as me) called it " scary " Dr. when

I spoke to him about this said that he is not sure why -but that

it's interesting and that it's possible that the long chain fatty

acids are being short chained in the gut.

So if you try fiber supplements and notice a regression -don't be

surprised.

=====

[Guest guest]

Please send me the link I thought it was very safe my pedi told me his son used

it. My son has been using on and off for over a year now. In the beginning we

had to use it often. We went and had a GI study done at a Children's hospital.

We tried everything my son was 14 months and would hold his stools. We tried

natural products all kinds of juices. He had been on endless bottles of prune

juices since he was 5 months old. His constipation was so severe he could not

get out on his own. We had to help. It was awful he was always cramping and was

suffering from poor weight gain. It was also effecting his development he could

not concentrate on anything b/c he was in so much pain. When we stared using the

Mira lax in daily at first he got regulated and for the first time since he was

about 4 months old he passed a BM with out any pain. the stool were regular and

a good consistency. He was able to eat more and play. He suddenly began to gain

weight and became an active little boy. By 2 we

were able to go for weeks at a time with out it.

Occasionally if we see an episode where he has gone more then a couple of days

and is straining we add it to his juice. And usually that one dose will regulate

him again.

Please share your link I do not want to continue to use something that could

harm my son. But up until now we have only heard positive results

Kim

merrywbee <merrywbee@...> wrote:

Yes, my son had a very BAD experience on Miralax. Bad enough that I

filed a complaint with the FDA. I won't go into detail but if anyone

wants to read his story, I can send you a link to read it.

Here are just some general constipation things that I recently sent

to a mom-friend of mine, and maybe something will help the original

post-er...

When you are dealing with childhood constipation issues, there are

several factors at play. The main thing to understand is that the GI

(gastrointestinal) tract is not just some simple tube that allows

food to be digested and then form stool from that, and the bile.

[Guest guest]

Kim, I think a common other problem with many kids is that the low muscle

tone makes it more difficult to get the poop out as well. I really have to

watch

my child's diet. Mangoes are a wonderful help. I found them much better

than prunes or prune juice. Also, she now likes salad with lots of olive oil in

it. My GI doctor said that proefa was also helpful. The more oil in there to

slip things out and break it up, the better. Sorry to be so descriptive this

early in the morning. Carolyn

[Guest guest]

About papaya, I found that for my child with constipation issues as well as

adults like myself, wow does it " unconstipate " you. We found it makes the poop

too loose but if you are really having a problem and diet so far hasn't

worked, I bet that papaya will do the trick! Carolyn

--- In , " kiddietalk " <kiddietalk@y...>

wrote:

> Wow thanks for this comprehensive lesson about the gut!

>

> I just wanted to add that in a nutshell -out of our couple of hour

> appointment with pediatric gastroenterologist Lawrence MD from

> Palm Beach Florida, we covered much of what you talked about.

>

> I just want to clarify that Dr. did not recommend juice, and

> that I can tell you that for Tanner juice did not work. Dr.

> recommended the nectars -specifically papaya, pear, apricot etc.

>

> > Here is a brief summery from the prescription he gave me:

> >

> > Diet: Nectars (fruit juices) Papaya, pear, apricot (if he can

> > stand it -can mix with others but try plain nectar first)

> > * prune juice -can be mixed with orange juice (since most kids

> don't

> > like it)

> >

> > exotic fruits- figs, dates, apricot, papaya (papaya underlined

> > twice) (if he can stand it -like the nectars -these work wonders

> he

> > said)

> >

> > limit -banana, apple, rice, dairy

> >

> > Milk of Magnesia 2-3 tablespoons with glass of water any time he

> > skips 1 day. Works 4-8 hours.

> >

> > Behavior Modification -10 minutes daily -no distractions. Use

> > calendar stickers -every week reward for amount of BMs

> > 2/ week something small

> > 3-4 medium

> > 5-7 large reward

>

[Guest guest]

We tried all the things that GPs and specialists suggested, except the

surgery that in desperation they said might help. Then we adopted the

GFCF diet, and now, one year in, his bowel works normally. No more

laxatives, no more boulders or soiled pants. No more strange smells.

It's taken NINE YEARS!. At last, he is growing, eating plenty and using

the lavatory in a normal manner. His relief is as great as ours. It

took about 7 months for his gut to heal, but now it is functioning as

anyone would expect!

When I first asked the dietician and paediatrician if going gluten free

would help, they were sceptical. The dietician said it was a hard diet

to follow and the paediatrician said that constipation was not a symptom

of gluten intolerance. Well, the former is delighted with us, and the

latter is happy to see the results, and is revising his views!

--

Sykes

[Guest guest]

I think that why most of the population doesn't have constipation

despite eating a horrid diet, like those kids you mentioned, is

because they have intact detoxification mechanisms that allow their

bodies to " deal with " this poor diet, whereas the kids who

genetically were more vulnerable to get apraxia, SID, and other

disorders are having more difficulty with these foods. So for this

population of kids, diet may be an answer to their constipation.

Also, within the gastrointestinal tract, it does make it's own

serotonin. Studies using medication that influences serotonin have

shown that how just a slight increase in serotonin can virtually stop

the GI tract altogether, and a slight decrease in serotonin can also

have the same effect! There's really a narrow window for how much

serotonin is " just right " in order to have normal peristalsis. So

that's why it is felt that the gut has more control over itself than

to receive signals from the brain. Anyone who has ever been

constipated knows that you can try to will yourself to have a bowel

movement, and it just ain't happenin'. The fluctuating balance of

serotonin within the gut may be responsible here.

The fear factor is a valid one, but it irks me when GI docs use this

to explain every single case of childhood constipation they see. The

way I view it is, IF the child could go, he/she WOULD go. The fear

factor only comes in AFTER the child's GI tract has already begun to

malfunction. It can then become a vicious circle with trying to

treat the constipation, fear sets in and thwarts the efforts, etc.

But the fear didn't come first-- the malfunction in the GI tract came

first. So while it helps to behaviorally work on getting over the

fears with doing things like reward charts and regular sitting time,

the underlying cause needs treatment in order for anything to " work " .

We also have to remember that chronic constipation despite efforts to

help otherwise can be related to heavy metal toxicity. I know that

Amy Holmes has done a study on baby hair of autistics vs. baby hair

of children who are normal, and even at that young age, the autistics

were showing a retention of mercury (as indicated by low/no levels of

mercury on the hairtest) whereas the normal population was showing

normal excretion rates. It would be very interesting to have a study

done on apraxic children's baby hair and a sample of normal

children's baby hair to see if they too, were demonstrating an at

risk factor for not being able to excrete the metals that we come

into contact with through daily life.

W

> > About the brain play (or lack of)to this, I was talking to Sallie

> Bernard who was talking to pediatric neurologist Xue Ming MD PhD

> about this too common problem in our population of children for

some

> reason -who believes that with autistic (and apraxic) children

> it 'may' be a brain signaling problem. I'm still in the school of

> thought that we don't really know the brain enough to know all that

> it's capable of doing or not doing. So I wouldn't disagree with

the

> theory that this has nothing to do with the brain -however I feel

> more uncomfortable agreeing this has nothing to do with the brain

based on the fact that autism and

> apraxia are on the rise in this country as specific multifaceted

> communication impairments -and both are neurologically based- I

> would just say let's stay open in theory still.

>

> About the diet alone theory, good points but that I don't agree

> with. I have about a zillion friends who have kids who eat all

> kinds of crap. To them meat and potatoes? Potato chips and beef

> jerky. Fruit means fruit flavored Hawaiian Punch (just kidding

but

> you get the point) and...none of my friend's kids have problems

with

> constipation, especially constipation that is ongoing for years!

[Guest guest]

Kim, if you've been using it that long and haven't noticed behavioral

or neurological changes in him, then chances are his body is not

retaining the polyethylene glycol the way that my son's body probably

was, and other children have. By now, you would know if he would

because he would not be acting like himself at all. So do not worry

too much about it, because for the vast majority of kids, their

bodies are not going to retain it. It's just that I really do not

like how it is being given out as the treatment-of-choice nowadays

because IF the child does retain it and absorb it, then wow... a lot

of damage can be done to their kidneys and liver. I just think it's

a risky " first choice " and many doctors are making it their first

choice. I just think they should use other things first and use

Miralax more as a last resort. (Again, sounds like you did try lots

of other things first).

W

> Please send me the link I thought it was very safe my pedi told me

his son used it. My son has been using on and off for over a year

now. In the beginning we had to use it often. We went and had a GI

study done at a Children's hospital. We tried everything my son was

14 months and would hold his stools. We tried natural products all

kinds of juices. He had been on endless bottles of prune juices since

he was 5 months old.

[Guest guest]

We never beat the constipation problem until we got the children off

gluten - despite doctors telling us it couldn't be gluten that was the

problem. Well, maybe not, but getting off it was the cure. It took us

nine years! In that time we used all sorts of laxatives in doses that

would purge a horse, as well as enemas, fruit juices, hypnotism, though

we drew the line at anal surgery.

Sara

--

Sykes

[Guest guest]

Hi -- those who know me from other boards know that I am not a

fan of miralax (my son had a terrible neurological reaction to it)

but if he's not experiencing any behavioral/neuro changes after a

year, chances are he is not absorbing it internally into the

bloodstream very much. So what I am thinking is, could he possibly

be on a rotation of miralax? Could he have 3 days off of miralax,

and one or two days " on " it? That would allow the body to have some

stool form into a normal shape, then give the miralax to then help

get the moisture to it to get it out.

When stool is chronically in the diarrhea type of state, mineral

levels in the body may be getting affected--meaning, his body may be

getting very low in minerals. So not to mention the fact that it is

embarrassing for him, troublesome for you-- this may have a serious

health impact if he goes long term like this.

I would consider playing around with the dosage until you find a very

small amount that is effective, or consider doing the rotation of

days on/days off, or consider a different product altogether.

Benefiber is an over the counter substance-- hydrolyzed guar gum--

and the nice thing about it is that it stirs into any beverage and

after letting the beverage sit for about a minute, then it is

invisible. It is virtually tasteless and odorless. So it has some

of the perks that miralax has-- easy to mix, tasteless, odorless, and

clear. However, unlike miralax, which is a chemical-- polyethylene

glycol-- the guar gum is more natural. You might be able to wean him

from the miralax slowly and transition more into the Benefiber and

get better results-- a firm, formed stool, rather than this loose

mush several times a day that you are getting with Miralax.

If you have been trying to lower the dose of miralax and still having

the loose mush, then consider the possibility that he may be allergic

to the miralax-- his body may be flushing the stool out quickly for

that reason. Because normally, when you lower the amount of miralax,

the loose mushy stuff should stop. If you are already down to a bare-

bones dosage, and still everything is loose, then I would consider

the possibility of an allergy to polyethylene glycol.

Something else that might help is that there are chewable tablets

called Fiber Choice at the stores now. I would not get the sugar

free one- just get the regular one. The tablets are actually wafer

sized and breakable so that you can give a child a fourth of a wafer

or a half a wafer... they taste really good. (Orange flavoring).

These, other than the benefiber, are the only bulk fiber products

that help me personally. All the things like metamucil, etc. are

very drying and make the problem worse for me. Benefiber seems to

make things slicker and lots of kids have good results with it... the

Fiber choice is something you can keep in mind if you need to bulk up

the stool, but it is not drying like other fiber laxatives unless you

eat too many wafers.

Anyway, HTH,

W

> Hi

> We seem to have so much in common.

>

> has had a constipation problem since he was born. He's been

on

> Miralax for over a year now and it's the same thing as you, it

makes it

> watery so he just has accidents all day long. It's very true that

their

> rectums get stretched out so it's better to keep them flowing than

let them

> get constipated. You don't want any stool to put pressure on the

rectum

> wall. My frustration is that he can't control it and has accidents

all day

> long. He tells me it just comes out too fast and he doesn't have

time to

> get to the bathroom.

>

> Good luck! I hope it goes well for you.

>

>

> formerly in NJ, now in MA

[Guest guest]

I have read that in Europe, doctors are more open to the idea that

problems are related to gluten. I have a friend whose child had the

same problem (well, actually I know of a lot of parents who have said

what you are saying)... her son's doctor couldn't believe it when she

said getting him off gluten resolved the constipation. If we can't

resolve it through other ways then I may pursue trying the SCD diet

with my dd this summer, to see if it will help. It probably will.

W

[Guest guest]

,

Are your sons constipation problems resolved? I have two kids with severe

constipation problems and was very impressed with some of your suggestions.

When I get to the store next time I plan on picking them up. Two of my

children leak urine from the pressure of the full bowel on the bladder. If

I can keep them cleaned out they do not leak or get UTI's.

I am trying to keep them fairly empty to let there colon go back to a normal

size. I wonder how long this can take . This has been years of frustration

for me. Unfortunately they both respond best to senna but I have my son off

of it and am trying to find a substitute for my daughter. The G.I specialist

says it is ok to continue with the senna because the problem is already

there and senna is not causing it. I can not help but be concerned though.

MOM makes her want to vomit, I prefer not to use the miralax. I am

interested in the Benefiber. I have tried high fiber but it also drys her

out and causes more problems.

I am also interested in the gluten free diet if all else fails. I dont know

how I would get my 11 year old to go for that though. Keeping her off of

the dairy has been a battle it self. The papaya gel bowls did help but

unfortuately she is getting tired of them. I can still get papaya nectar in

the whole fruit smoothies I make.

Has anyone tried any of the Noni Juice I have heard about? I know it is

very expensive.

Thanks for all of your great info and listening to my frustrations.

Co-founder CHERAB of OHIO

hugheslke@...

For more information visit our web site

www.cherabofohio.org

or e-mail info@...

>From: " merrywbee " <merrywbee@...>

>Reply-

>

>Subject: [ ] Re: constipation

>Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2003 07:21:18 -0000

>

>I have read that in Europe, doctors are more open to the idea that

>problems are related to gluten. I have a friend whose child had the

>same problem (well, actually I know of a lot of parents who have said

>what you are saying)... her son's doctor couldn't believe it when she

>said getting him off gluten resolved the constipation. If we can't

>resolve it through other ways then I may pursue trying the SCD diet

>with my dd this summer, to see if it will help. It probably will.

>

>W

>

>

>

_________________________________________________________________

Shop online for kids’ toys by age group, price range, and toy category at

MSN Shopping. No waiting for a clerk to help you! http://shopping.msn.com

[Guest guest]

Gluten, is that like Wheat??

had tons of tests because she was failing to thrive. They

didn't find she had a gluten issue. Is this something that would

show up in a test or do you just need to take them off it and see if

it helps.

Thanks, SOrry to be so dumb.

Heidi

[Guest guest]

Gluten is in wheat - but also in barley , oats and rye. As you observe,

it's in nearly everything! If you've had a test and it didn't show up,

I'd say you're in the clear.

Sara

--

Sykes

[Guest guest]

Hi Sara-- from the autism boards I learned though that there are many

kids who test negative for problems with gluten, and yet, when it is

removed from their diet, they do improve. What one manufacturer of

the test acknowledges is that there is a high rate of false

negatives. If the test comes back positive, you can be pretty

certain that gluten is an issue. If the test is negative, there is a

significant chance that it was a false negative.

I think what you said hits the nail on the head-- it *is* in nearly

everything. Which could be the reason why it is a " problem " for some

people-- I'm not sure we were designed to eat it in sooo many

processed foods. It's in almost every item that children consume--

probably a far cry from the past when it may have been in a more

natural form, and not in every single food item. I'm anxious to get

the book by Elaine Gottschall so that I can understand the issue some

more.

W

--- In , Sara e <sara@s...>

wrote:

> Gluten is in wheat - but also in barley , oats and rye. As you

observe,

> it's in nearly everything! If you've had a test and it didn't show

up,

> I'd say you're in the clear.

>

> Sara

> --

> Sykes

[Guest guest]

Hi Heidi-- see my post to Sara about how the test has a high rate of

false negatives. I put some SCD websites on one of the constipation

subject posts, and if she is still showing some digestive issues, you

may also want to look into digestive enzymes

www.enzymestuff.com

W

> Gluten, is that like Wheat??

> had tons of tests because she was failing to thrive. They

> didn't find she had a gluten issue. Is this something that would

> show up in a test or do you just need to take them off it and see

if

> it helps.

> Thanks, SOrry to be so dumb.

> Heidi

[Guest guest]

I've read recently that gluten is responsible for many problems in children with

sensitivities to it. And I also read, as said, that there is a high level

of false positive results. Anyone with great info on this, please forward it to

me......

~Karyn

[ ] Re: constipation

Hi Sara-- from the autism boards I learned though that there are many

kids who test negative for problems with gluten, and yet, when it is

removed from their diet, they do improve. What one manufacturer of

the test acknowledges is that there is a high rate of false

negatives. If the test comes back positive, you can be pretty

certain that gluten is an issue. If the test is negative, there is a

significant chance that it was a false negative.

I think what you said hits the nail on the head-- it *is* in nearly

everything. Which could be the reason why it is a " problem " for some

people-- I'm not sure we were designed to eat it in sooo many

processed foods. It's in almost every item that children consume--

probably a far cry from the past when it may have been in a more

natural form, and not in every single food item. I'm anxious to get

the book by Elaine Gottschall so that I can understand the issue some

more.

W

> Gluten is in wheat - but also in barley , oats and rye. As you

observe,

> it's in nearly everything! If you've had a test and it didn't show

up,

> I'd say you're in the clear.

>

> Sara

> --

> Sykes

[Guest guest]

Hi--when I googled gluten test false negatives, the following

websites came up with some info on that and also mention the pro's

and con's of the various tests (blood vs. stool, etc.).

http://www.kjsl.net/~imacmom/gluten-free/

http://www.celiac.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_main.html?p_catid=2

http://www.gfcfdiet.com/labs_and_testing.htm

HTH,

W

[Guest guest]

I would like to add that one of every 500 people in the US (including

myself) has a selective deficiency of IgA, and the tests based on IgA

will come up false negatives in these cases. Since as I mentioned

earlier there may be an association between autism and immune

deficiency, the number might be even higher in our group. In this case

an elimination diet or (yuck) a small bowel biopsy may be necessary for

diagnosis. For a small child the diet might be much less traumatic.

Peace,

Kathy E.

On Dec 12, 2003, at 8:48 PM, merrywbee wrote:

> Hi--when I googled gluten test false negatives, the following

> websites came up with some info on that and also mention the pro's

> and con's of the various tests (blood vs. stool, etc.).

>

>

> http://www.kjsl.net/~imacmom/gluten-free/

>

> http://www.celiac.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_main.html?p_catid=2

>

> http://www.gfcfdiet.com/labs_and_testing.htm

>

[Guest guest]

Hi !

Tanner is tired of the gels too. But I was told by Dr. that

we need to keep him on a daily regimen of going every day for at

least a few months to have the best possible chance of getting him

regular. Like Tanner -your children are old enough to have this

explained to them. So like it or not -Tanner is forced to drink the

nectars and eat the gel -and not just once a day either. He needs

nectar at least two to three times a day for it to work -and it's

working (so worth it).

Dr. told me " at some point you will get lax about it -and

he'll get constipated again -and once he does -it will start all

over. I'm just warning you because I see it happen. " I know why he

said this -most parents don't listen. Don't have to warn me twice -

there is no way in heck I want to be standing with a phone in my

hand wondering if I should call 911 while my son is crying and

screaming in extreme pain sitting on the toilet after I've tried all

I could think of to get it out and Glenn wasn't home. You don't

know until you know.

How do we keep him from getting bored? When you go to a restaurant -

ask them to make a fancy fruit mix drink for your child and put all

the fancy umbrellas and fruits in it like it's a mixed drink -they

don't use nectars -but they typically make them very sweet for the

kids. Then when you get home -buy a bunch of different nectars and

fruit juices and mix saying you will try to make the same thing for

them. This is what we did and it worked. Now I typically just give

Tanner the pear and papaya nectar mixed -heavy on the pear since he

likes the taste of that more (and it also works) Again -if Tanner

misses a day -he gets 3 tablespoons of Strawberry Flavored Milk of

Magnesia -like other kids he hated the mint -he loves the

strawberry -and I also saw they have chocolate -but didn't try it

since I know Tanner likes the one we have. Dr. told me " Don't

travel without the Milk of Magnesia, don't forget to bring it with

you if you are going on vacation " and we won't! Not every store

carries the Strawberry -the only flavor I know for sure Tanner likes.

For those of you that don't have pear or papaya nectar by you -I'd

call and see if you can order it online. I just checked net grocer

http://www.netgrocer.com and they carry pear and papaya nectar, but

not the brand we use -Looza. Tanner loves the Looza nectars -but we

also use the Kerns and Goya when we travel which they have. They

have the Dole fruit gels (I'd call and ask if they have papaya -

didn't see it but maybe they can get it? They also have the Milk of

Magnesia in chocolate and french vanilla -two flavors we haven't

tried - and they even had papaya babyfood! Hmm -I haven't tried

that one either -glad I looked for you guys!) Perhaps for variety?

Tanner too doesn't like fresh or dried papaya.

does this sound like it would be OK (Gerber papaya baby food)

" INGREDIENTS: WATER, PAPAYA FROM CONCENTRATE, SUGAR, TAPIOCA

STARCH, LIME JUICE CONCENTRATE, CITRIC ACID AND ASCORBIC ACID

(VITAMIN C) "

=====