Constipation Archives

Testimonial Stool Withholding Protocol-Orange Stain Comment

Dr. Stoll's protocol re: stool withholding is excellent.

I strongly urge anyone who is having this problem with their child to give it a try. It requires a lot of patience and committment, but the results are worth it.

My son is 8. He had the problem since he was 3 or 4, but when I brought him into his pediatrician I was really made to feel like I was making a big deal out of nothing, and that he'd grow out of it. So, we just carried on as things got progressively worse.

Fast forward to age 8. Suddenly he was changing his underwear 3-4 times a day due to "smudges," and we started to worry that he had fecal incontinence. We brought him to another pediatrician who was extremely critical of us (even though we explained why we had waited so long). He went 180 in the other direction and wanted to do x-rays (barium enema)to rule out cancer or Hirschsprung's. We were very concerned about a boy so young having such a procedure.

So, before we went the radiation route (please note, our son didn't have the symptoms of Hirschsprung's or cancer, the doctor just wanted to rule out that possibility) we dedicated ourselves to Dr. Stoll's protocol. We used a big chart and exciting motivational prizes, too, for the end of each month.

After a week my son passed a huge amount of material, which was clearly fecal impaction, and gradually the BM's began to look normal. He regained sensation and is doing so well now. He has color in his cheeks again and just looks physically so much better. And psychologically this has just been wonderful for him.

One comment I would like to make, though. In the early stages of this treatment, there may be some fecal leakage. The orange drink Metamucil stains the underwear bright orange and the stains look terrible. They won't come out, even with bleach. This is hard, especially on an older child's ego. So, I strongly suggest buying the Metamucil cookies. There appears to be some orange coloring in the cookies, but it's not as bad as in that drink. Also, buying dark underpants helps, too.

We have another three months to go, plus the "phasing out" period to go, but I tell you, it's been worth it. I would strongly urge anyone with this problem to give this protocol a try.

Re: Testimonial Stool Withholding Protocol-Orange Stain Comment

Re: Testimonial Stool Withholding Protocol-Orange Stain Comment