Potty-training problems
Dear Readers:
Many of you suggested treatments for “Pooped Out and Sad in the South,” which was the letter from the grandmother who was concerned about her grandson’s difficulties in having bowel movements. I hope some of these suggestions help other parents and grandparents who face similar problems with their children and grandchildren.
This mother needs to seek the advice of a pediatric gastroenterologist. These are the same symptoms my son exhibited, much to my dismay. He is now in his 50s and has had terrible, terrible trouble with Crohn’s disease. He now has an ileostomy and is doing quite well. He is 6-foot-4 and at one point was down to 134 pounds. The pain level he has experienced cannot
Dear Annie:
ANNIE LANE
be imagined.
Just a suggestion from someone who wishes I had been told about this condition. Crohn’s is just one of the many autoimmune diseases that are inherited.
Dear Annie:
The letter from “Pooped Out and Sad” reminded me of my daughter, who is now almost 28. She had such a fear of bowel movements hurting that she would not “go” on her own. We also tried many things and were afraid this would prevent her from starting kindergarten (as kids had to be potty-trained to enroll). She would have movements when she slept or would be so impacted only an enema would help. As a last resort, our family doctor recommended using enemas for several days in a row. He felt that once she was completely cleaned out, and then had a normal bowel movement that did not hurt, she would finally decide on her own that she wanted to “go” normally, like the other kids. She did and was very proud of herself.
Dear Annie:
I am glad you advised the grandparents to seek advice from the child’s pediatrician. Constipation may be the culprit here. There are many approaches to this, and I would suggest seeing a pelvic floor physical therapist who specializes in children for management of this issue.
Dear Annie:
My little 5-year-old granddaughter had similar constipation issues. One weekend at my home with several servings of canned pears fixed the problem — and it has worked for well over a year now!