Topic : 07/11 What’s Up, Doc?

Obviously those listeners who emailed in were not listening to the show or are not intelligent enough to understand what was being said. This disorder is not about being potty-trained, it is about having to live with a very distressing condition at an age when being laughed at is the worst thing that can happen to one. I have a grandson who suffers from this disorder & no one is more distressed by it than he is. His mother understands but his father takes the neandertal view that he is lazy or being disobedient. He is sometimes afraid to go to school because he is afraid of having an accident. He has to endure treatments with laxatives, suppositories, & sometimes enemas in order to try to clear his bowels. If his retention of stool were to go unnoticed long enough he could end up dying of a ruptured bowel or peritonitis. This is not a case of abuse or a psychological problem, this is a physical disability just as muscular dystrophy or asthma is. Fortunately it is not generally as physically disabling as many disabilities but a little understanding & sympathy for those suffering from this problem would be valuable. Too many people apparently have little minds that make sick jokes about very serious distressing situations & I wish everyone of those cretins would have to suffer this problem for at least one month. They wouldn't be laughing or jeering then.

I too have a child with bathroom troubles.  Most of the time it is urine, but we occassionally to have poop problems.  We have been to many specialist-with no solutions-wait it out.  She is 8 years old and we are still waiting. Anatomically there is not problems from all the tests, but daily pee accidents and occassional poop accidents aren't "normal".  What to do?

I feel for your grandson for I too have a child with potty issues.  My daughter is 8 and has pee accidents daily and poop couple times a week.  I haved taken her to several dr, with no luck as to what to do.  There solution is wait for maturity -her body and mind.  Lots of luck.

I have an 8 year old son who has encopresis. He was a micro-preemie and the theory is that he has a small section of his intestine in which the nerve endings didn't form. Things tend to stop at this point and don't move any further until it becomes...well...large, to say the least. We have been dealing with it since he was in the NICU...however once he was out our first ped. simply shrugged it off and said that as long as he ultimately went on his own he was fine. I disagreed, took him to another doctor. Ultimately he has actually been hospitalized twice for this problem,
as he gets so backed up despite a hefty (one and a half of an adult's dose) dosage of Miralax, and weekly enemas, that it presses up against his lungs and causes him difficulty in his breathing.

It is heartbreaking....you have no idea how traumatic this is...and how desperately these kids just want to be like everyone else. The "mentally-challenged" comments were uncalled for and couldn't have been further from the mark...I actually called my son over to correct the spelling on those posts.

Had you all watched the program or bothered to google encopresis you might actually gain a little knowledge....but I'm sure it's much easier to sit back in ignorance and hurl insults. As the mom of the boys said and I whole heartedly agree....I would much rather deal with the embarrassment of this problem than have my son be so mean and heartless....your kids may be potty-trained, but I'm wondering at the values you've taught them based on your own cruel and heartless remarks. 

Its very upsetting that someone such as yourself would comment in this way.  You are obviously not a parent or have never had difficulties in life.  I have two children, one 7 and one 5.  My five year old has no problems using the bathroom but unfortunatly my 7 year old has encopresis.  I know that it is a medical condition as I have potty trained both my children the same way.  Your comment is very bothersome because you have no clue what children such as my son has to go through on a daily basis.  For the last two years he has every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday has to drink two bottles of magnesium citrate, chew 80 milk of magnesium tablets and everyday of the week have to take two adult doses of Mirilax, yes my 7 year old son has to do this.  Til this day we still have not been able to get him completly cleaned out.  His potty muscle is still stretched out leaving him clueless to when his potty is coming out.  We see a Pediatrition Gastronoligist on a regular basis and he continues physical therapy to learn to use that muscle properly.  We have even had him see a pysciatrist that specializes in this situation. It is a struggle everyday not only for myself and my husband but I always think of what my child has to go through.  Having to keep my 7 year old who is starting 3rd grade in a pull up that barely fits him any more and picking him up from school, smelling what has happened and how it effects his life is such a challenge that maybe you should keep your negativity to yourself.  These children are not abused,  they have a challenging medical condition that I wouldn't wish on anyone and for your own good, I hope you never have to deal with this situation, because you will feel horrible for even making such a comment.

I think there are two issues here:
1)  the (often misunderstood) medical diagnosis of encopresis.  a valid condition that can be well-managed with the help of a medical professional.
2)   behavior of the two kids discussed on the show.  the fact that they do not clean the bathroom after themselves, sit in their excrement (even after being hounded by their parents), etc. suggests that there is more that needs to be addressed than just the diagnosis. 
while the boys are certainly not culpable for the disorder, they are certainly old enough to clean the bathroom after themselves.  likewise, they should certainly be involved in the laundering of their clothes.  because this affliction can be long-term, i would suggest the parents engage these boys in some self-management activities.  while the boys may not be able to feel the bowel movement coming, they are certainly able to excuse themselves politely to the restroom to clean up the result.  let's give them kids opportunities to exhibit control over some aspect of the disease.  train them on how to excuse themselves from different situations (when an accident has occured), train them on how to pre-spot and treat laundry stains, model proper nutrition and hygenic habits. 
it seems to me that the lack of bowel control these boys suffer has led to a certain level of apathy.  there is simply no excuse for sitting in their dirty clothes until their video game has ended.

 I would just like to say that all of you have no idea what these people are going through, and how dare you make remarks like keep them away from my daughter.  I do know what their feeling. Total dispair. My daughter has the same problem, but not as severe. I've continuously went to our pediatrician about my daughters "accidents" and I was just dismissed and told she would grow out of it. It is not the parents' fault, their children have a medical condition caused from difficulties with going to the bathroom at a young age. You shouldn't be so quick to judge if you haven't been through it.

You've made a very interesting point regarding the behavior of the two mentioned in the show.  First, let me say that I am extrememly understanding of this issue, so my point of view is both sympathetic and curious at the same time. 

 

My 7ry old daughter suffers from encopresis, which is so often totally misunderstood by family and friends.  However, she often takes care of cleaning herself up at school if there is a problem.  Fortunately, we've been blessed with some very understanding teachers who knew that if she had been in the bathroom longer than usual, that meant that she was having a problem.  In that case, they would send in a well-trusted peer or perhaps a teachers aide to see if she needed her backpack, which always contained extra underwear and wipes, along with baggies to put her "dirty" underwear in so there would not be any smell.  Additionally, if she goes to a friend's house and there is even a remote possibility there could be a problem, I always send with her, in either a small canvas tote bag or a small nylon carrying bag, a few changes of underwear and some wipes.

 

Bottom line is, I've tried my best to help her empower herself.  There will be accidents, and I will not always be there to help her.  She has to help herself, and she does.  Perhaps the boys featured on Dr. Phil have become so apathetic to the situation that they simply don't care about themselves anymore - I don't know.  I know for a fact that the medical community often dismisses encopresis, or only treat the physical aspect of it.  There is so much socially and mentally that a child must deal with that often falls to the parent to handle.  And if the parent is already stressed by the situation or doesn't have the tools to help their child, the social aftermath of the disorder is often left untreated.  But aside from being your child's soft place in the world, I feel that it is equally as important to teach them that this disorder is not their fault, and to build the child's self-esteem so that they care about themselves and want to be the best person they can be, which means making the best out of any situation they are given.   Again, this is all just my opinion.

Okay. I have a 10 year old son who has encopresis. I have read some post on here and it has me concerned and mad. Some say that the child is nasty, or been abused or just plain lazy. I know for a fact that he was never abused. He is a happy child. The most traumatic thing that he has ever been through is the divorce of me and his dad, which was very friendly. My son goes to the restroom at school regularly, but he is afraid of them. He is scared that he is going to have an accident and someone will find out, so he goes to the adult restrooms. The school has worked with him on this issue. Also, the doctors that we have taken him to are trying to find out what the cause is and help resolve it. It just angers me to listen to some ignorant people talk about the situation when they have not been there. My son was potty trained until about 2 years ago when this problem came up. We can not pinpoint the exact time that this came up. Please be adults and realize that these children have a real problem that needs to be helped, not criticized.

I want to thank you for your post. My son has the same problem. I have also been to the doctor many times. If you ever have a solution to this problem please let me know. Just keep praying that ignorant people will keep their mouths shut about things that they have no knowledge of.