Replies to '07/11 What’s Up, Doc?'

  Encopresis is a condition where the child has an enlarged colen.  The child becomes impacted and the "new waste" comes down around the impaction and leaks out.  It often begins around the age of 3 when the parents notice brown streakes in the childs underwear and we assume they didn't wipe good.  Many of the Pediatric Drs have no idea about Encopresis.

  I know about this because my 8yr old son was diagonesd last summer,  after 4 yrs of being told by his Dr that he would out-grow his problem.  This is not easy.  You need to sart by seeing a Pediatric Gastroentrologist.  You will need x-rays to see how bad the inpaction is, followed by a MRI to rule out other issues.  This will be followed by a strick "clean out".  The clean out consist of a mineral oil enema every night followed by a saline solution enema in the morning.  This needs to be repeated for 3 days before going back to the Dr for another x-ray to see how the impaction is improved.  This process can last for weeks.  At the same time the child needs to be put on a precription strength laxative.  The child MUST follow a strict bathroom schedule.  For my son we sit for 5 minutes every hour and blow up balloons.  When you blow up a balloon you relax the right muscles needed to have a BM.  This works.

   My son still has a lot of issues with the Encopresis.  It has been a hard road, but we have seen a light at the end of this tunnel.  As the child stays cleaned out, the colon will start to go back to the regular size and they will begin to reconize the feeling of having to go BM.  There are many set backs but Mom don' give up.  The child has no control, the nerves are so messed up in his colon he no longer has any sensation of needing to have a BM.  As crazy as it sounds I was happy to finally have a name to put with my childs problem. 

  My marraige almost didn't make it because my husband couldn't understand why our son could not stop messing himself.  We still dissagree on this issue.  I have lost a job I loved because I had to leave earily one too many times to pick up my son from Kindergarten because he had had an accident.  I will help my child anyway possible and i will FIGHT anyone who tells me he is just too lazy to stop playing to go to the bathroom.  I know what we are doing will work.  I know my son doesn't like it and I will continue to work with his Drs to do what is best for him.