Diarrhea and bed wetting!!

[ktarr]

my daughter is 12 and wets the bed every night. She usually soaks everything in pee and tries to hide it. On top of this she has uncontrolable bowels. She will go to poo whenever she feels like it. Too make things wose she always has diarrhea and it is explosive. It will go everywhere, eaning she is constantly being cleaned up at school. She is embarassed and hates it. her Diarrhea is watery, light brown, runny, smelly and sickening. She goes around 3 times a day. 
Her bed wetting does not continue during the day. 
Please help

[mtiger]

Have you spoken with her doctor? That would be my first step...

[ktarr]

yes i have - its not medical

[Super~Single~Mama]

Originally Posted by ktarr 

yes i have - its not medical

If she's having diarrhea to the point that she has to be cleaned up at school more than once per month, you need to seek a second opinion, third opinion, fourth....until you find a doctor that will listen to you and help you. That is not normal. Especially for a 12 year old. Especially if it is ongoing. Document how many times it happens for 2 weeks, then take the documentation with her to a doctor and insist they listen.

[LynnS6]

I second the second, third opinion. Explosive diarrhea 3x a day is a medical issue.

In addition, she needs counseling. If she's having to be cleaned up at school, what's going on there?  I cannot imagine being a 12 year old and having this happen. The embarrassment must be overwhelming. If it's not medical, what is it? Trauma?

[mtiger]

I have to agree - this IS a medical issue if there is diarrhea is involved on a regular/daily basis. That or a dietary issue - which would still morph into a medical one. I would get a second/third opinion, and consider speaking with a therapist, because there may be some emotional issues at play as well.

But this is NOT your kid's fault. IMO. There is something else going on.

[berry987]

Wow, yes, sounds very medical. Get a new doctor, IMO. Bedwetting is VERY often a sign of constipation. My 7.5 yo son was bedwetting nightly and we'd talked to his doctor about it and she basically said it was developmental and not physical. I found that odd since he is a very well-developed boy - just on or ahead of all of his milestones since birth. So why would he, in reality, have a developmental delay related to bedwetting? Anyway, I read a great article by a pediatric neurologist that said it is nearly always constipation. And your child can be going every day (and having diarrhea, in your daughters case) and still have impacted feces in their colon. Once we put my son on an intestinal cleanser (OxyPowder) his bedwetting stopped. Of course with your daughters diarrhea I'd hesitate just putting her on something. She needs to see someone asap and get some imaging done on her colon - it could be a much bigger problem causing the diarrhea. 

Poor girl, that sounds awful for her.

[crunchy_mommy]

That doesn't sound normal at all. My first though is a gluten or dairy intolerance, but it could be any number of things. My 3yo DS rarely wets the bed & only has diarreah if he's sick. I cannot imagine anyone having to clean him up at this age, never mind 12yo!! That sounds so incredibly traumatic for a preteen to deal with. Please get a second opinion & counseling. Poor kid.

[MariesMama]

It does sound like constipation - she could have impacted bowels and the diarrhea is leaking around the impaction.  She probably cannot feel when she has to pee or poo.  She needs a GI scan, or at the very least an x-ray.  NOBODY should be soiling themselves at school without a medical reason. 

[ktarr]

thanks so much if its medical do you have any idea what it could be. plus (im only 28) what should normal diarrhea ;look like - im lost

[MariesMama]

Google "megacolon" and "impacted feces".  It's just one thing of many that could be causing these issues.  Call TODAY and get her into your pediatrician or family physician.

Diarrhea is not normal in any situation, even if it were all making it into a toilet.  So, there is no "normal" for that.

[ktarr]

thanks, but what should diarrhea look like?

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by ktarr 

her Diarrhea is watery, light brown, runny, smelly and sickening.

That is exactly what diarrhea looks like.

Normal bowel movements are usually firm (but not dry & hard), dark brown, smooth & uniform, long and round. Most people with normal bowel movements will go once or twice a day, at the same time every day, with no straining.

Constipation often looks like small hard dry balls, or it can appear as very thin watery pieces (whatever can get around the mass that has formed in the intestines). Sometimes there is straining to get it out (which may cause small amounts of bright red blood), a feeling of fullness or pain in the belly, back, or bowels, inability to go regularly.

Diarrhea is usually very watery, often lighter in color, not well-formed (can appear mushy). It tends to happen more frequently & it may be hard to control -- think running frantically to the bathroom. The belly may hurt the way it does if you get food poisoning or a stomach bug. My DS describes it as "vomiting from the butt" and, sorry to be graphic, but I find that to be an accurate description.

Sometimes constipation can look like diarrhea (or vice-versa). Some of the same triggers will lead to constipation in some people or diarrhea in others. People with healthy bowels will not usually experience either diarrhea or constipation unless they are sick, or have changed their diet (i.e. drastically more fiber), or consumed contaminated food/water, or eaten something they are intolerant of (dairy, gluten, etc.)

Bottom line is, given what you've described, your DD needs to be seen by a doctor ASAP, because what she is experiencing is not normal. If her doctor believes it is not medical, you need to bring her to a different doctor or a specialist to get a second opinion. She also needs to be seen by a counselor or therapist. Do you have insurance and access to doctors?

[crunchy_mommy]

A few more thoughts/questions for you to think about & present to the doc...

How long has this been going on for? And is it every day, or more erratic?

What kind of tests did her doc run to evaluate this?

Does she have any other medical conditions or social/emotional/behavioral issues?

Has she ever used or is she currently using laxatives for any reason? Maybe a medical reason, or weight loss (hate to think of bulimia in a 12 year old but it happens far too often these days)... Frequent or prolonged laxative use could cause some of these issues, even long after laxative use is stopped. It doesn't even have to be a medication, but could be reliance on prunes or prune juice, etc. as a laxative.

I did just read an article about almost all cases of pee accidents being cured by removing a mass of poop that had built up in the bowels. It had been putting pressure on the bladder and made it hard or impossible for the kids to know they needed to go or to be able to control it. Wish I could find the article now... but I think that is what some of the previous posters are talking about.

[pianojazzgirl]

I agree that this does not at all sound "normal".  Whatever the cause (and it needs to be investigated!) having watery stool several times a day is not normal.  However there can be many causes.  If your dr has said that this is normal you need to get a 2nd opinion.

Diet might be a good first place to start investigating.  A dairy or gluten intolerance might well be at the root of things.  You could start an elimination diet today, while you're working on finding another dr and getting testing done, etc.

[D_McG]

I can't be the only person who thinks this is a nasty troll?

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[earthgirl]

Originally Posted by D_McG 

I can't be the only person who thinks this is a nasty troll?
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk

You definitely are not. 

[Super~Single~Mama]

Originally Posted by D_McG 

I can't be the only person who thinks this is a nasty troll?

I'm sure it is. But just in case there really IS a 28yo who doesn't realize her 12yo dd should be exploding poop everywhere multiple times a day....well, anyway I hope it's a troll.

[ktarr]

I am not a troll. I had a bad education and need help. Stop it

[ktarr]

Plese help she is not well