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My 3 yr old son has been doing the mineral oil and metamucil for 4 weeks now. Just 2 days ago I saw the oil in the toilet. Now my question is, when will he NOT be able to withold? He is still managing to keep things inside until,at least, bathtime (at night), which is when he finally feels safe to go (and he'll do it in the toilet.) I know that when he does go, he's only doing what he can't hold in, and not pushing out a full 100%. The next morning he's still complaining about his tummy hurting. What's my next step?
In Reply to: 3 yr. old and stool witholding posted by Kristen on September 16, 2001 at 20:18:12:
How long can he withhold at a time? Is he going every day at bathtime (even if he isn't letting it "all" out)?
Sounds like what you are doing is working but it will take time for him to overcome the fear of pain that probably started all this.
You COULD try increasing the Metamucil!
In Reply to: Re: 3 yr. old and stool witholding posted by kmd on September 17, 2001 at 12:46:34:
Thanks! I will try increasing the metamucil. He seems to go every other day, with an occasional everyday, but I am frustrated. He will tell me all day that his tummy hurts, but then when it comes to bath time, he will do everything he can to hold it in and ultimately succeeds on the odd days. My frustration increases because I know that the next day will be a difficult one, because he will be in pain. Thanks for your tip. (How about the Fiber Choice tablet as an addition. He struggles with the metamucil juice, but does get it down. Is the tablet okay instead of upping the metamucil intake?)
In Reply to: Re: 3 yr. old and stool witholding posted by Kristen on September 17, 2001 at 20:13:17:
My young son is a stool withholder also. Even though I've known what needed to be done to resolve this for a long time, I haven't been able to actually do it because he has autism and aversions to many different foods/textures. He has refused Metamucil outright for the last 2 years or more. FINALLY, now for some reason he is past that stage of refusal and is willing to drink the mixture. The Metamucil powder is the KEY in my experience and I'll tell you why.
Before when he wouldn't take the Metamucil powder, we would give all of the following: Lactulose every morning, high-dose vitamin C twice a day, 2 Fiber Choice tablets twice a day, Metamucil fiber cookies here and there(which he barely would eat much of) AND mineral oil every night, and he could STILL withhold up to 7 days!
Now that he WILL drink the Metamucil powder fiber, he is going every 1-2 days which is a HUGE improvement (shocking improvement) after over 2 years of this problem.
I still give him the other stuff, but now right after school I give him a heaping tablespoon of the Metamucil in half juice/half water mixture and make sure he drinks all of it. I follow that up with having him jump on the trampoline for 5 minutes. It's working!
Your son complains of a tummy ache whereas my son never has. You might want to try some trial eliminations of specific foods - especially dairy (anything with casein) and then wheat (anything with gluten). You can find more info on this if you search this site. Hope this helps!
In Reply to: 3 yr. old and stool witholding posted by Kristen on September 16, 2001 at 20:18:12:
Hi, Kristen.
I agree with kmd.
I would add that you need to also start ignoring him when he says his tummy hurts. Almost certainly this is only an attention getting mechanism.
Once you increase the fiber (ANY additional fiber will help.) you should also stop KNOWING when he has a BM since he will turn this into an attention getting mechanism if you let him. This is NORMAL behavior for some kids at this age. And you thought the "terrible twos" was bad!
Let us know how you do.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: 3 yr. old and stool witholding posted by kmd on September 17, 2001 at 21:42:16:
Thank you so much for your insight and glad to hear that your son has been improving! I have increased his metamucil and decided to give him the metamucil juice when he is thirsty and not at breakfast and dinner like I've been doing. He's now getting 3/4 tsp 2X/day and he's been drinking it. But, how do I know enough is enough on the metamucil? By the way, tonight was the first time,ever, that my son told me he needed to go poop (of course he was in the tub at the time)...my husband and I were thrilled. Another positive step. Thanks for seeing me through this!
In Reply to: Re: 3 yr. old and stool witholding posted by Kristen on September 18, 2001 at 20:07:39:
Thanks! It's so nice to know I actually helped somebody. Glad he initiated his first poop request!
You'll know it's too much Metamucil if the poop gets TOO soft. 3/4 tsp twice a day isn't very much - I probably give my son 5 times that much (a heaping tablespoon, which probably amounts to about 4 tsp) but only once a day so far. I hear we are all supposed to be passing soft stool twice a day - so I guess that would be the ultimate goal.
The only side-effect of too much Metamucil is loose stools so don't worry about overdose too much because it's not a drug and it's not habit forming - you'll figure out the perfect amount for him soon!
In Reply to: Re: 3 yr. old and stool witholding posted by kmd on September 18, 2001 at 23:28:44:
The Metamucil and mineral oil are great for fixing this. However, I would NOT say that it's not habit forming. I say this because I've found from experience that when you are on this therapy the body gets used to and expects this every day and there are constipation consequences if you suddenly cut it out. But it's not a problem as long as you don't stop this treatment suddenly. If you eventually feel that your child is cured of this and do cut it out all at once he'll go back to step one, so it's crucial to ease off of it as gradually as possible.
In Reply to: Re: 3 yr. old and stool witholding posted by One who's been there on October 18, 2001 at 09:54:47:
Hi - It's good to know that the Metamucil and MO must be gradually reduced. I'll be sure that my daughter does that if, and when, my granddaughter is having regular stools!
Thanks! Raisa
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