two year old and very smelly gas/constipation

[cmmst87]

Hi, All...

Sorry this post is a little long! Over the past two weeks or so, my 2 year old son has been having an issue with terrible smelling gas and constipation. He still moves his bowels once a day (so technically not "constipation" in its strictest sense), but his stool is suddenly harder, drier, and less frequent. He's always been *incredibly* regular--I can't remember a day when he didn't have a BM. The gas and hard stool issues are new. He's also been *very* fussy--screaming, tantruming, night waking.

Anyway, I'm baffled as to the cause. I first suspected gluten. He has a long list of food allergies and intolerances, and he has NOT been eating any dairy, soy, corn, egg, tomatoes, or green beans...or any of their derivatives. We were trialing gluten (in the form of sprouted spelt bread, one piece per day) and things seemed fine. When the fussiness/stinky gas started, we suspected gluten and immediately pulled it. He had only been eating small amounts for one month. He's had NO gluten now for two weeks, but it seems like the problem is only getting worse!! He's had so many food issues since he was tiny, and so I immediately look to blame food and pull the likely culprit. But even after pulling gluten, there's been no change.

No "new" foods. Absolutely NO processed foods--since there are absolutely none that avoid all his allergens! No dairy (the usual suspect) since he was six weeks old. He eats more fiber than any toddler I know, drinks only water and does so very frequently (doesn't seem at all dehydrated). He's not yet toilet training, and so I don't think he's "holding" it at all. I should add that, due to all of his food allergies and intolerances, he has really only begun to eat solid foods like a normal toddler--it's only been about three or four months that he's gotten the majority of his nutrition from "real" food as opposed to medical formula (Neocate Jr).

He's clearly having belly pain. He's been unbearable mood-wise, and I think it's clear (to me) that it's all caused by whatever is going on in his little body. Any suggestions, wisdom, or insight? Am not looking for medical advice, just looking for some ideas we could try at home. Too much fiber? Just a normal stage? I'm lost and frustrated with our ped's lack of concern. Searching online just yields the same old answers--too much dairy or gluten, for instance--and these don't seem to fit what's going on here??

Thanks in advance!

[RJ11]

Wow it sounds like all the usual suspects have already been pulled. Perhaps it's yeast overgrowth. Apples, grapes, vinegar, and anything fermented can make that worse. Also with sprouted grains you can be ingesting a lot of mold so I would continue to avoid that. "Feast without Yeast" is a useful book if you think this might be the right track. My only other thought is a rotation diet - make sure he isn't eat the same things everyday - I know it's hard with his limited diet! Good luck.
 

[cmmst87]

Hmmm. Thanks for this. I forgot to add: He's had yeast issues in the past (no surprise, I guess), and he's been on Diflucan for a month now at the advice of our functionalist med dr. (This is his second round--this all started after antibiotics to treat a sinus infection.) Anyway, could this be die-off? I hadn't honestly considered that, since he's been on the med for a month and otherwise seemed fine. During his first round of Diflucan this spring, he did experience die-off, but never constipation (some looser stools, mood swings, some yeasty diaper rashes). Thanks so much for your reply!
 

[cmmst87]

After another *tough* night (screaming from pain, smelly gas, and continued constipation despite a glycerin suppository), am still trying to figure out what might be the culprit here. My son LOVES dried apricots and has a few (maybe three?) a day as a snack. He's only been eating them this regularly for about a month (before, he'd have one here or there), which would coincide with the start of our problems. Anyone know if this might be our suspect food? I've pulled all apricots and nuts (his other favorite food) for the time being while we figure things out. Any thoughts or experience with these kinds of problems?

It's SO HARD finding foods that he can and will eat... :(

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by cmmst87 

After another *tough* night (screaming from pain, smelly gas, and continued constipation despite a glycerin suppository), am still trying to figure out what might be the culprit here. My son LOVES dried apricots and has a few (maybe three?) a day as a snack. He's only been eating them this regularly for about a month (before, he'd have one here or there), which would coincide with the start of our problems. Anyone know if this might be our suspect food? I've pulled all apricots and nuts (his other favorite food) for the time being while we figure things out. Any thoughts or experience with these kinds of problems?

It's SO HARD finding foods that he can and will eat... :(

I know I get painful gas when I eat dried apricots!

[cmmst87]

thanks so much!! hopefully removing them gets us back on track...

[JudiAU]

How much water does he drink? If solids are a bigger part of his diet he needs more water to process them. Lack of water could really slow down his digestion.

Also, sometimes too much fiber can be a problem. My kdis have a pretty high fiber diet most of the time but too much will tip the scale to tummy troubles.

[cmmst87]

He's honestly pretty good at drinking water throughout the day. But since solid foods (or at least this MUCH) are "new" in a lot of ways, maybe I need to push water and scale back a little on the fiber. Fiber-rich foods are his favorite, and maybe he's really overdoing it. I hope so...it's a lot easier to make these kinds of adjustments than it is to eliminate yet another food. Thanks for your feedback here--we'll play with his fiber and water intake and see if this will fix the problem.

[colsxjack]

Maybe cut out for a bit and then just scale down the apricots. I know my DD has a threshold of amounts of certain foods she can tolerate. She doesn't have as near as many food issues as your DS.

But she can easily handle a small handful of blueberries a couple of times a week. If she has too many at one time, or a small handful too many times a week, she will get gassy, bloated, loose stools, etc. There are other foods she can handle is small moderation but not in larger amounts as well. Maybe your DS can handle small bits of dried apricots a couple of times a week and just not too many too often.

Also, we try to make sure our DD has a good probiotic twice a day. It has really helped with the smelly gas and stools. When we get lax, the smelly gas and stools come back.

[cmmst87]

Thanks so much for this! Am glad to hear from other parents with similar issues. You're right--moderation is key.

And yes--the poor kid could not live without our daily probiotic regimen. We're quite careful about this! But thanks so much for the tip!

I really think too much fiber may be our culprit here. We've scaled back entirely and will introduce small amounts much more slowly. He's had MUCH less stinky gas. We've actually had to use glycerin suppositories to get things moving again. But there is a huge difference with his temperament since we've started this. (DH and I were thinking--PLEASE tell us that this isn't what the "terrible twos" are like, because we really may not survive!) 

[RJ11]

Didn't have time to read all but wanted to add that my pediatrician told me once that dried fruit is notorious for causing stinky gas!