Toddler Bowel Issues

Updated on May 22, 2008
R.P. asks from Sartell, MN
6 answers

Hey There, looking for some input. My daughter, from the time she started on 'solid foods' was way constipated. She was on stool softeners for alost a year and finally by this past November, 21 months old, she didn't need it anymore. Less than 2 months later we all caught the stomach flu. She never seemed to recover! Since then, she gets these bouts of diarrhea that last several weeks at a time. We switched her to soy milk for drinking and on cereal and at first that seemd to work. Then it came back. We've been to her pediatrician 3 times due to it but because she's gaining weight and still growing and not having a single other symptom, they say not to worry. (they did stool samples as well as some blood work and found nothing,)She refuses to drink pedialyte - she would rather be thirsty (i tried forcing it 2 days and instead she almost dehydrated!) I give her sprite and gatorade and russian tea (watered down). Finally her doc said we could start doing tests next month if it continues but I'm concerned about the intrusive-ness of those kinds of tests on such a little one as well as the cost. Anybody out there have similar issues or heard of something like this? Chronic diarrhea doesn't seem to be an issue a toddler should have! And no, I don't let her drink juice on top of the gatorade or tea in a day. In fact, what little jucie she gets is ALWAYS half diluted with water. We don't eat a lot of one thing - I like variety, stay away from processed and pre-packaged foods as well as fast food. I cook just about everything we eat from scratch. I honestly don't know what else to do. The BRAT diet doesn't work. (BEsides, after about 3 days she's bored, and she likes variety too!) Any ideas or thoughts out there?

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So What Happened?

We finally saw the pediatrician this week & did xrays and blood work. Turns out, she had some blockage in her colon! A few pediatric suppositories later & she's right as rain! Also, it turns out she has a mild allergy to milk. Thanks for the help!

More Answers

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N.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

I know the tests sound like alot for a toddler, but its really important to do this. Diarrhea is serious business. Has the doctor checked for food allergies? People with gluten allergies, as well as other allergies often have chronic diarrhea as a symptom/result. And what about irritable bowel syndrome(Colitis) or Chron's disease? Has the doctor checked for these too? These types of disorders are hereditary and can go unnoticeable until one starts eating "trigger" foods.

One other possibility, but highly unlikely because you say she's had tons of blood tests etc that came back normal, but just in case you didn't know, there is a new strain of staph infection on the rise that affects the intestinal tract. This is a very serious form of MRSA, and from the recent article I read on www.abcnews.com, it often goes missed until the patient is severely ill because it is often mistaken for a severe stomach flu. I'm not certain, but I think this story ran about a month ago, and you might be able to pull it from their archives.

The story was about a woman who contracted it after delivering her baby in a particular hospital. For six weeks or more she had continuous diarreah. It wasn't until her electrolytes were totally messed up and she started having problems that doctors thought to test her for a bacterial infection and discovered she had MRSA. She's now being treated with super anti-biotics.

Hope this doesn't upset you, but it might help you think of things to talk with your doctor about.

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R.C.

answers from Sioux City on

Try giving her yogurt with active cultures every day for a while. She probably lost all the good bacteria she needs in her digestive tract, and this should help get them back.

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H.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

I agree with the yogurt and try mixing in some powdered acidopholus. Banannas are good too.

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J.G.

answers from Lincoln on

R.,
Both my little guys were constipated from the time they went on solids. The doctor recommended magnisium citrate(about 2.00 a bottle at Walmart). I just mixed about two ounces with their juice for the morning. I had to play with the amount so it was effective enough, but did not give them diarrea. It helped keep everything soft. The other things the doctor recommendede was increasing the amount of water I was giving them and add yogurt to their daily diet. I have tried to give them a cup of yogurt at least once a day. I also keep a cup of water in the fridge to encourage them to drink it instead of asking for juice or milk. All of this seemed to work for me. Now at the age of 3&5 they are doing great.

J.

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T.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

Hi R.
I would try giving her a chewable acidopholus everyday for a week or more and see if it helps. she may have lost all the good bactiria in her stomach and this will replace it. If this doesn't work then I would definatly have some of those test done. Good luck I will keep you in my thoughts. T.:)

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J.G.

answers from Milwaukee on

Hi R.,

I have a thing called crohns disease. I use this Florify that Melaleuca came out with a few years back. It has done wonders for my intestinal tract!!! Hence the diarreah stopped.

I have been using it for several years and my doctors are quite thrilled becasue I haven't any need for pres. meds.
(I have 17 allergies to meds) Your daughter might need more fiber in her diet. Have you tried bananas?

We also have VitaBears for kids (chewable supplements) that allow a 95% absorbtion rate to boost your little girl's immune system so her body can fight off what she might has.

Let me know if you want to learn more.

J.
____@____.com

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