I am so frustrated with my undiagnosed 4.5-year-old DS's bowel habits. He poops every three days or so, and this is an improvement; he's gone as long as a week without pooping. Whether it's three days or a week, though, I'm not sure if he's technically constipated. His poops aren't hard and they don't hurt him.
However, he is extremely resistant to pooping. I know when he has to poop, because he will put his hand on his abdomen, or sometimes it's just a look in his eyes. I'll ask him, "Do you need to poop?" He will say no. He will say it loud. He will escalate, he will cry, he will scream that he does not have to. I then have to pick him up and physically carry his pitifully crying self up the stairs to the bathroom, put him on the toilet, and then he poops. He's always quite happy then. He calls me in and tells me proudly that he did a poop. "I said yes!" he says. Well, no, actually, he said no, no, no, but apparently he meant yes.
His diet is not good. He refuses to eat any vegetables except potatoes and tomatoes (in the form of spaghettti sauce). He refuses to eat any fruit ("it's too sweet," he says, though he doesn't say that about candy!). I purée vegs and fruits and put them in other things, but if he so much as detects an imcompletely-puréed chunk of veg, all bets are off. I made some delicious butternut squash pasta sauce the other night, and he refused to eat it.
I give him flax seed oil every night and sometimes mineral oil if he hasn't pooped for a few days too long. He is un-dx'ed because we've been waiting for months for an appt. with a developmental pediatrician out of town. He's been fully eval'd and qualifies for OT and integrated Pre-K. He has severe sensory-seeking issues and I suspect he'll get an Asperger's dx.
I wish he would just go to the bathroom without all the drama, trauma, and grief each time; sometimes it reduces me to tears as well.
However, he is extremely resistant to pooping. I know when he has to poop, because he will put his hand on his abdomen, or sometimes it's just a look in his eyes. I'll ask him, "Do you need to poop?" He will say no. He will say it loud. He will escalate, he will cry, he will scream that he does not have to. I then have to pick him up and physically carry his pitifully crying self up the stairs to the bathroom, put him on the toilet, and then he poops. He's always quite happy then. He calls me in and tells me proudly that he did a poop. "I said yes!" he says. Well, no, actually, he said no, no, no, but apparently he meant yes.
His diet is not good. He refuses to eat any vegetables except potatoes and tomatoes (in the form of spaghettti sauce). He refuses to eat any fruit ("it's too sweet," he says, though he doesn't say that about candy!). I purée vegs and fruits and put them in other things, but if he so much as detects an imcompletely-puréed chunk of veg, all bets are off. I made some delicious butternut squash pasta sauce the other night, and he refused to eat it.
I give him flax seed oil every night and sometimes mineral oil if he hasn't pooped for a few days too long. He is un-dx'ed because we've been waiting for months for an appt. with a developmental pediatrician out of town. He's been fully eval'd and qualifies for OT and integrated Pre-K. He has severe sensory-seeking issues and I suspect he'll get an Asperger's dx.
I wish he would just go to the bathroom without all the drama, trauma, and grief each time; sometimes it reduces me to tears as well.
. The difference was HUGE! I hope you find what works for your little guy.
