Constipation Archives

bowel blockage in young children

I am a 37 year old female who had blockage as a child. My family and doctor thought that I was holding movements due to one that was painful. I went through the enemas, mineral oil, metamucel, etc...etc...etc for years. Unfortunately all was to no avail. The only results of all this stuff was a poor self esteem as I believed I was being punished for doing something wrong! The impactions would become so bad that I would lose my appetite and vomit and become ill enough to be hospitalized. Thus I spent 60 days of my kindergarten year ill and in the hospital. Not until my second child was born did I realize that the Doctors had all been wrong! My second child was a son and at the age of 2 he developed the same symptoms! His doctor recommended the same treatments that I had been through and thought I should take him to Riley Childrens Hospital as with him, and also myself, test reveiled nothing out of the ordinary.
He also would misbehave terribly when he needed to go and would just run around in circles and became overactive. Fortunately upon growing up I had learned to train myself how to get my bowels to move.... partly due to a Dr. in my later years who believed that my involuntary muscles did not work or were lazy. I began setting with my 2 year old in the bathroom and having him visualize in his mind the food going through his body and used relaxation techniques with him... ex.smooth talking and rubbing his hands etc. When I noticed him acting out I demanded that he go to the bathroom and concentrate. He is now 9 and knows how to relax his muscles and make his bowels move on his own without my help. I still have to watch for occassional misbehavior periods as he will suffer with this condition for the rest of his life just like I have, however he has eluded the self-esteem altering terror I was subjected to. I would suggest that when a child comes in to a Dr. with similar complaints and all medical test reveil nothing that you be aware of alternative therapies with out relying on methods that may do more harm psychologically than good. I have run into many others who have this same problem and I do believe it is hereditary! Hope this article helps other children!

Re: bowel blockage in young children ("The exception that proves the rule.") Archive