Snow_Queen Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Hello. I am a long time lurker and first time poster. It seems there is always good advice given on this site so I am hoping someone can shed some light on my own problem. I have a 5 year old who will be starting school this fall and she is not fully potty trained. She will use the restroom at home and when we are out by herself. She will just get up, go to the bathroom, wash her hands, and even turn out the light without any help. However, she will not poop in the potty. I have tried everything from reward systems, making her clean up her messes, talking to her, letting her choose underwear, and talking to professionals. Nothing seems to work and with school coming up, I am very worried! I asked her pediatrician but I receive the same answer...she'll grow out of it. She recently had to go to the hospital due to stomach pains because of her "refusal". The last time she was in the ER they ran tests, scans, etc. to determine if she had a medical problem. Thankfully, she has a healthy digestive system. Each doctor/nurse just told me she will grow out of it and it's common. No one had any suggestions other than more fiber (she takes a kid's supplement for this). I even tried Miralax but it does not really help. I have asked family, friends, medical professionals, read articles with suggestions....nothing has worked. Someone please tell me I am not alone. I am at a loss as to what more I can do. Link to post Share on other sites
jellybean89 Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 that's a tough one. I don't have any suggestions besides what you have done - talked to the doctor. Link to post Share on other sites
optomistic_nonsense Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Hi there! My son just turned five at the end of June and he too is not a fan of going #2. Recently, it got so bad to the point where five, almost SIX days had gone by. I was at my wits end. So, i told him it was time to see the doctor. Like you, I tried all of the above. I drew a warm bath, plopped him in it, and within 5 mins, he was freaking out that he had to go. So, although its still in the trial phase, I am thinking a super warm bath helps relax the muscles and....voila! Link to post Share on other sites
Art_Critic Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Withholding their stool is common.. Miralax... if you tried it are you sure you gave the proper amount and gave it time to work.. My son used to withhold it and create world record size poops every couple of days.. now it's once a day and his body doesn't have to fight it anymore. It took a month or 2 for my son to become regular as the colon swells in size when they withhold it, the Miralax helps with that and allows it to shrink back to normal size but it takes time.. We give him Miralax and Fiber Gummies each day.. 2 Fiber Gummies and a full heaping teaspoon of Miralax mixed into his milk in the morning cereal. Link to post Share on other sites
Art_Critic Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Somewhere around the age of 5 the fiber they need sky rockets and they just don't get enough from a normal diet.. it's my understanding by the age of 7-8 it self corrects and the foods they eat at that age are better at providing the proper amount of fiber. Link to post Share on other sites
Hope Shimmers Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 You aren't alone. My daughter, who is now 13, had this problem for a number of years, where she would deliberately 'hold it in'. A couple of times we ended up in the ER after giving her an enema didn't work. Last time was at age 11 and after that we have been okay. I know you said miralax didn't work, but you need to use it routinely (every day) and you absolutely NEED to make sure you give enough fluid with it. If you give miralax and not enough fluid it just makes the problem worse. You need to keep a conscious watch on this, because they don't always "grow out of it". I'm a physician by the way. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
amakgf Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Have you tried to find a child therapist to help figure out the root of the problem? It sounds like a phobia of sorts, whether she created it in her own mind or something happened that caused it to be scary for her. My oldest suffered such painful constipation that it took years of careful monitoring to keep her from holding it and making it worse. I'm so sorry you guys are going through this! It's unfortunate your doctor has not been more helpful. I would agree that it's probably not a totally rare problem, however, it doesn't seem "normal" per se. There's got to be something underneath that needs to be figured out so she can move on from the problem. I definitely think its a problem best approached with love and compassion without punishment. Link to post Share on other sites
Lurkeraspect Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 Hello. I am a long time lurker and first time poster. It seems there is always good advice given on this site so I am hoping someone can shed some light on my own problem. I have a 5 year old who will be starting school this fall and she is not fully potty trained. She will use the restroom at home and when we are out by herself. She will just get up, go to the bathroom, wash her hands, and even turn out the light without any help. However, she will not poop in the potty. I have tried everything from reward systems, making her clean up her messes, talking to her, letting her choose underwear, and talking to professionals. Nothing seems to work and with school coming up, I am very worried! I asked her pediatrician but I receive the same answer...she'll grow out of it. She recently had to go to the hospital due to stomach pains because of her "refusal". The last time she was in the ER they ran tests, scans, etc. to determine if she had a medical problem. Thankfully, she has a healthy digestive system. Each doctor/nurse just told me she will grow out of it and it's common. No one had any suggestions other than more fiber (she takes a kid's supplement for this). I even tried Miralax but it does not really help. I have asked family, friends, medical professionals, read articles with suggestions....nothing has worked. Someone please tell me I am not alone. I am at a loss as to what more I can do. Dear Snow Queen, You are NOT alone. Your daughter is not a freak, this will pass. She's young, and really, the best thing for her will probably be being in an environment with other kids who are her age and she can observe using the toilet, doing their business. It's normal. I have two kids (decades apart) and my son, I bribed. I tacked matchbox cars on the wall of the bathroom. When he went, he got a car. Easy. My daughter was a bit more complex. She was a pleaser, wanted to make me happy in all things. But truthfully, it was seeing the other kids doing the potty thing successfully. It didn't take long. Hang in there, she'll get there. Just a blip, though, when you're living it, seems longer. She'll be fine. Link to post Share on other sites
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