My Daughter is almost 3 and has been diagnosed with IBS. She has the constipation variety and I have the hardest time trying to potty train her because she has the pain cycle in full swing...It might hurt so I won't do it...holds it in...HURTS WORSE! We've had her off dairy for over a year and try to avoid other known triggers for her but are there other things to try for children??? Oh...also do accidophilous every day.
Does her tummy hurt when she needs a poo? If so, the acidophilis is a good idea to replace the good bacteria, but if she is constipated, then you need to give her fruit and veg and try and get her to drink plenty of fluid and maybe some prune juice. If it is really bad, then metamucil may help. If she knows that she will have tummyache when she sits on the potty, then it is not surprising. However, if you can give her these things and she does not have too much pain, then it may encourage her to sit and be able to go. You could also try rubbing her tummy to help the pain if it hurts her too much.
Yes, I've spent many nights since she was born rubbing her tummy and yes she does get constipated frequently. I just started a few days ago adding a fructan fiber suppliment to her diet. It's the only one I've found that will not obstruct the throat if not taken with enough fluid. My daughter drinks lots of fluids and loves fruit and veggies but she still gets constipated. I would really like to find some people who can relate to raising a child with ibs...not only for advice but also for companionship. It is so hard to explain the condition or reasons to people why she can't eat so many things and why she acts borderline crazy if she does happen to get something she shouldn't have. It's been so hard trying to find out what the problem was. I even had a pediatrician who told me that her sleeping problems were not gas but was a behavior problem and he could give me a sedative for her or send us to counseling!!! Nobody understands IBS in adults...let alone children :-( It is just heartbreaking at times. Thanks for your suggestions!
Hi, My daughter and myself both have IBS, she is 4, but we have the diarrhea extreme. I have tried wild yam root capsules and they work great for the pain on myself, just 1 a day...you can get them at health food stores. Sometimes she gets bound up but not often, we sit in the bathroom together, her on the toilet and me beside her on the floor and I read to her from a book she likes. It helps her to relax and not think about the pain too much. I have found it helps just enough to make a difference, and makes her feel good to know I am there with her to.
I read your article and the relaxation techniques are useful.
I found Qi Gong meditation very good for my stomach pains, when I was having them. This helps you to focus on emptying your mind, really relaxing and breathing from your belly rather than your chest. I found it really helpful in that I found that I stored an awful lot of tension in my belly and by doing this for 10 to 15 mins my bellyache would be gone afterwards. It really helped me, as I think that we all carry a lot of tension in our bellies and our minds and bellies are linked in a big way, by chemical neurotransmitters.
I do not have belly pains any more, but still practice Qi Gong and still find it helpful. Acupuncture is good also.
Sorry to hear about all your problems and it's really hard to watch them suffering like that.
Will your daughter tolerate anything round her tummy for about 30 mins? If so, have you ever considered trying heat pads? When she tells you that she needs a poo, gently strap the heat pads round her tummy and try to keep then on for about 5 mins before she has to sit on her potty/toilet. The heat from the pads should really help relax all her tummy muscles when opening her bowels and hopefully it may make her stools easier to pass and without pain. Also, if she has problems sleeping at night because of tummyache, put the pads back on for about 30 mins before she goes to sleep and this again my help her tummy relax.
I speak from personal experience. My little boy who is now 4 years was diagnosed with IBS at 3 years. He gets constipated regularly and has severe pain with bowel movements like your daughter. He has been toilet trained for about 4 months now, preferring to use the toilet. However, it was a job to do this, as he would not go because it hurt him so much. He would wake in the morning screaming sometimes and doubled up in pain, pooing in his nappy. For a few months we had to put a pullup on him when he needed a poo as it hurt so much and he would just scream and refuse to sit on the potty at all.
We went to see our Pediatrician who suggested that we cut out dairy and start him on Acidophilis caps and Metamucil. Luckily, this did start to work and he has improved a lot since a year ago, although he still does get constipated. The potty training was a battle of wills though and we had to force him sit on it until he did go, although once his tummy improved and he was not having as much pain, he seemed a lot happier to sit on it. Although some of his medicine was a little unpleasant to take, the Metamucil, when we told him that it would stop his tummy hurting, he was more than happy to take it.
Anyway, at 4 years old, the heat pads have been a revelation in helping my sons tummy relax and giving him ease of passing stools. Sometimes my wife or myself will do what the other lady suggested by sitting in the bathroom with him while he sits on the toilet. He likes this sometimes, as it takes him mind off his pain, but at other times he also quite likes his privacy.
