GD afraid to poo

This is quite a common fear after the child has had a problem. As your doctor says ensure she has plenty of fruit, veg and water. Drinking plenty of fluids is important. Then hard as this may be try not to make a big issue out of it, the more you stress about it the more fearful she will become. Exercise is also important to keep the system moving.

"an absolute river of poo" - I hope GP has felt her tummy/rectum. Sometimes loose stool can be passed when someone is constipated and it is flowing past a large solid immovable chunk.

Maybe you need some "magic cream" - doesn't much matter what it is as long as it is suitable for mucous membranes. Let her put it on her bum herself when it is poo time, telling her that this will make it more comfortable if there is a hard poo there.

My dgs had this. The doctor gave him something stronger than lactulose which he took for quite a while before he got over his fear. He is ok now apparently.
Maybe your GD needs to go back to her GP or perhaps a more sympathetic one.
I hope she is better soon.

This is very common with young children. My son was severely constipated. We were sent to a "toilet training clinic". What we learned was to use a foot stall so that the body is in line and to bend over from the stomach. Blowing bubbles also helps while sat on the toilet.

Also rule out anything else that could be causing the pain. Don't just assume it is constipation. Does she have a fistula in the anal area? This can cause huge pain so resulting in not wanting to open bowels.

A friend's DGD had the same fear, the doctor arranged some child therapy, it took a little while but eventually she was able to overcome her fear and is now absolutely fine.

Both my eldest son and his eldest daughter suffered like this - she was so bad she was hospitalised on a couple of occasions after starting school. It's pretty common and although it's distressing they usually grow out of it. Patience is the key which your son seems to have in abundance with your granddaughter and plenty of fluids and foods containing roughage then lots of praise when they finally go.

I am afraid I remember doing this as a child. As far as I am aware no-one in my family noticed. I would sit on a wall on the way home from school so that I could keep it in. I seem to remember that the only place I could go was at home and so often the urge came when I was out so I held it in. I cannot remember when I got over it but I did all on my own.

Sometimes it's a good idea to have a stool chart in the bathroom with a star for each movement. It is best if the whole family fill one in. Your GC will then see most go every day or two and that is normal. Suggest a small surprise if she manages 5 times a week ( or 4 whatever is appropriate for her) Good luck. Encourage her to sit on the loo and have a story read to her to relax her.

Your GD might be amused by this video demonstrating the advantage of a squatty potty. The unicorn uses one to help her 'go' comfortably. Lots of them for sale on Ebay and elsewhere.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbYWhdLO43Q

Our DGS did this from when he was a toddler in nappies. When he did go it was quite a performance poor lamb. I've never seen the unicorn but someone suggested a footstool to rest his feet when on the toilet so that his feet weren't swinging around which seemed to help. He did eventually get over it.

we had this with our 2 yr old GD and it broke my heart to see her in so much pain. Dr also prescribed Lactulose but agree it is getting them to overcome the psychological barrier after experiencing the pain. We found a sticker reward chart helped, after 5 stickers she gets a smartie, she gets a sticker no matter how small the poo is, which she has sussed on to and makes sure she does lots of little ones, to get more stickers to get a smartie, we don't mind , it is better than watching her suffer!

Remove all foods from her diet which can clog her up like bread and sugary stuff for a while and, instead, give plenty of roughage and water and prune type fruit and veggie smoothies. She won't be able to stop herself going!

Luckygirl is absolutely right here - please ask the GP to check for an obstruction. The child of a friend was soiling herself at school eventually, after months of similar struggles, and you can imagine the problems that caused. She had a large blockage which must have been painful and it had to be shifted with specific medication. Happens without any obvious reason it seems in some children.

Dulcoease given with each meal would be better than lactulose, since lactulose forces water into the lower end of the colon and helps the current inhabitant out, but does nothing for its successor. Dulcoease will keep all its successors soft, too, as it helps to hold water in with the stool all through its journey. Also make sure of plenty of liquids of course. Lactulose is helpful when there is already a buildup to shift.

With all these things it's important to keep calm and avoid any unnecessary fuss. If the child thinks all the adults are really concerned and upset that will make it worse. Just work through logically and in a matter of fact way and she'll be ok.

Homeopathy can work well for that and similar fears

This is my 5-year-old DGD too. It has been going on for a while and she has seen the doctor who gave her lactulose. She has seen a specialist at the hospital and is awaiting another appointment. The trouble is it affects her behaviour in a negative way. You can tell when she needs to go as she gets very stroppy but her mood changes the instant she has been. Also, she has had accidents at school which is very upsetting for her.

sounds like you are doing all the right things.Unfortunately pooing hurts so she is resisting going for as long as possible! So keeping it soft is the way to go. Have you tried adding fresh mangoes to her diet, very high fibre and pleasant taste. Make sure the loo is nice and warm, let her rest her feet on a stool so that the pushing urge is helped. Reading a book with mum/dad all helps her to relax and think of it as an acceptable activity. Good luck.

I agree with the 'magic cream' - something like Savlon could be very soothing.

All my life I have found that if I eat eggs either boiled or in a omelette or drink too much milk, it makes my bowel movements harder the following day, so it might be a good idea to look hard at the child's diet. Remember that wholemeal bread contains more roughage than white bread made of refined wheat flour.

Would she be happier using a potty rather than the toilet? Probably not as she is five.

I work with children who have this problem. I agree Lactulose isn't always the answer. May be best to get a Hospital appointment with a specialist. Then at least you will be confident it's nothing more problematic. There are some brilliant suggestions on here but please be aware that stubborn poos can become psychological as well as physical. Good luck. X

This is indeed a very common problem!
During my nursing career, we found that gentle laxatives, combined with good diet would help the child’s constipation quite effectively, and the fear was managed by a visit from the ‘Poo Fairy’, who brought soothing cream and child-size glycerin suppositories to ease the discomfort.
This problem is horrid, but like the poo it soon passes !

Do you have a Continence Advisor in your area? It sounds as though he/she could help

Have a granddaughter with similar issues, can I recommend the ERIC website which gives lots of uptodate helpful advice for all sorts of issues like this- it is possible to get in touch with them directly.