My 3 year old has not been diagnosed with reflux, but by cruising the boards I see that he did have a lot of the symptoms. He was 9lbs, 9 oz at birth and developed normally, in some cases really fast (walking at 9 months, talking like a 3 year old when he was 2, etc.) He was always our "high maintenance child" as he always wanted to be held and would screach if put down, always needing movement. He ate like a champion and was off the charts for weight and height.

Just before he turned 2, he started to get sick with many viruses, seemingly one after the other then 5 ear infections in a row. He started with the absolutely most disgusting diapers that I have ever seen and the ped said not to worry as it was virus related. That was in November of 2003 and he turned 2 at the end of that November. The diapers continued and actually managed to get worse. He was thought to have a low gag threshold as he would gag and wretch at odd times, sometimes vomiting for no apparent reason. Then he started projectiling at the table when eating. Our caregiver at the time thought that he was gagging himself. We saw him gag and projectile for no reason as food was placed in front of him. We thought we should call Guiness to see what the record was for distance on vomit as it came out of him with a force that made you thankfull you were not in front of him when it came out. Frequent trips to the ped yeilded taking him off milk. The diapers were still disgusting and progressed to liquidy green stinky things that would travel up his back and down his legs. He developed more diaper rashes than my other two children combined. Then yeast infections started. It was not until the middle of January when I brought in one teaspoon of his vile poop double bagged to the ped and stunk up the room that his stool was tested. He was fine. Since the stools progressed she decided to test him for celiac as we were finding a sticky sandy component to them. The sticky part was like grains of rice and it would take quite a bit of cleaning to gently get it off of his raw behind. It was akin to moving mercury around as it would just keep sticking to him. Finally, we went in for allergy testing and he tested positive for peanut and tree nuts, so we were issued an epipen. He really never did have many nuts in his diet at that point, so we were surprised. The diapers continued despite being on soy and doing changes to banana and rice to bind him.

Finally in August we were sent to a pediatric gastroenterologist. He looked at all the tests (bloodwork and the celiac test which was negative) and said that he had the answers to our problems. Curran was constipated. It was a bit much to take in considering the liquid that would pour out of the child. His projectiling was because he was a stool holder and packed end to end with poop. He gave me an incredibly non-child friendly diet to follow and we started it for the whole family. The good news is that my husband has never been so regular, but Curran still had poop issues.

By January of this year he was not pooping for days on end so the doc put us on mineral oil daily. It started out as 1 tbsp in the morning and 1 at night. Then 2 and 2, 3 and 3, and so on. At one point he was on 8 tbsp of mineral oil a day and still no poop for 7, nearly 8 days! Curran was absolutely miserable. We all were. He would want to snuggle and then hit you and writhe on the floor. The smell of his breath was awful and he smelled like something had crawled inside of him and died when he was flatulent or finally did poop. The doc said that he was being stubborn and to allow it to go for 10 days. Easy to say when you are not watching your own child in excruciating pain.

In February he had a particularly painful evening. As the pain was all over the tummy and not just in his large intestine I dragged him off to the hospital. With his fever at 103 and his pain radiating they took 2 x-rays of his tummy and told me that they had never seen such a squeeky clean bowel. I was shocked as he is supposed to be packed end to end. I had just seen the doc the week before. So, I stopped the mineral oil (he was on 1 and 1 at the time). His fever went to 104 and he looked like death so I went to his regular ped who diagnosed pneumonia. Since then he has had gastro-enteritis and another virus.

I have only used the mineral oil once since Feb as he had no stool for 3 days. His stool is alternating between a grainy, sticky stool which is very soft, to just very soft stools. I experimented with some milk products last weekend and gave him some ice cream and had 5 super icky soft stools for payment the next day. The doc does not believe him when I tell him that he seems to react to certain foods. Milk is not too good, so he is on soy and I worry that he is not getting enough from it. His behaviour is awful when I give him juices, so that leaves water. I am feeling rather limited.

He is the sweetest and most intelligent little guy, usually quite snuggly. However, he turns into a beast at times just screaming for no apparent reason and then he is fine. I know that it could just be the terrible 3s (he started this when he started the diaper issues, by the way), but I doubt it. He HATES to lie down. He hates to be spun around (as in roughousing play) He is still in diapers as I can not seem to get a handle on this poop thing and he is to start school in September. He does still gag and wretch at times, but we get very little vomiting. He was crawling into bed with us for the longest time, but we now have him sleeping in his own bed. He was always a light sleeper.

Just before this all started he was at 34.5 pounds, not fat, just solid and very tall. He dropped weight and then would slowly gain it back and repeated this several times. It exactly one year after it started he was 34 pounds and only 1 inch taller. He is now about 37 pounds and looks thin, but not dangerously so. He was a champion eater as a baby and often as a young toddler he would finish his food and start eating off of your plate in addition. He now either eats like a teenager or as in the last 2 nights refuses to eat and prefers to live off of air. I find that his behaviour on the nights that he does not eat dinner is awful.

He did start down the path of asthma as well, but never got too far. He has a lot of nasal drainage and lots of cold symptoms. He does some weird clucking or roar like noises from time to time.

Does it sound like reflux? I wonder if he might have a problem with it and is being labelled a stool holder for no reason. What if I were to ask the pediatrician to prescribe some zantac for him and see if he improves? What would you suggest?

Leigh

Yikes Leigh! The poor little guy!!! With Evan I have only seen the nosal drainage/cold-like symptoms. He is the type of kids who has bms 3-4 times per day on average. There's obviously something bothering his bowels. I seriously doubt that a 3-year-old could hold his stool in for that many days just by being stubborn, but that's just my opinion. Hopefully someone else will have some ideas. (((HUGS!)))

I rather doubt that children can hold that long, either, especially with so much mineral oil swirling around in his guts. Today we have had 3 yucky poops and it is only mid afternoon. We usually get a poop at least a day, but before some major diet changes it would be days.

Has anyone ever had a child with icky soft, sometimes liquidy stools diagnosed as constipation? The gastro enterologist states that the stools we are seeing are "old stools" and once they pass we shall have lovely soft but formed stools. I am waiting, but not holding my breath (except for when I change his diaper! :shock: )

It seems rather bizarre to me that they have not checked for something else other than celiac. Children seem to know when things cause them pain and Curran should long ago have made the connection if he was stool holding. He is indeed stubborn, not masochistic.

How would I determine if he has a reflux problem? I am assuming that if Iain is diagnosed as a positive for it that I will have some credence with the GE. Could he be a refluxer at age 3?

Are Evan's poops "normal"?

Leigh

Okay, Leigh...Am I missing something here? Icky soft, sometimes liquidy stools being diagnosed as constipation? Isn't constipation just the hard stuff? I agree that they should be considering more than just celiac disease. Is there any chance of you convincing the doctors to run more tests? As for reflux tests, the first one that's usually done is the upper GI, but it only comes back positive if the child happens to reflux during the test. Evan didn't throw up until we were done and back in the waiting room. There's a list of diagnostic tests at www.infantrefluxdisease.com/tests.htm . I too would think that if Iain tests positive for reflux, that the doctors will at least consider it for Curran. Yes, he could be a refluxer at 3 years. Evan is still, and many people do develop reflux or get diagnosed later.

Are Evan's poops "normal"?Leigh
Sorry...I forgot to answer that! They are pretty normal, soft and formed. He's one of the lucky ones who doesn't have to deal with daily constipation or diarrhea.

Are Evan's poops "normal"?Leigh
Sorry...I forgot to answer that! They are pretty normal, soft and formed. He's one of the lucky ones who doesn't have to deal with daily constipation or diarrhea.

Yes, you read correctly. The GE says that the ugly, nasty, smelly (I mean clear the room and get that diaper out of the house now kind of smelly), liquidy, sticky, sandy, yucky poops that Curran is having is as a result of constipation. Apparently, stools that are held for long periods of time begin to liquify and look like Curran's (the GE has never seen one, so maybe I should bring one along next time just to clear the room... :twisted: ) and then they can no longer be held and begin to leak out. From what I have seen, we do not have leakage as we have heard the blast coming from accross the room when he lets one of these super duper ones go. I think the same way you do: that constipation denotes hard stools, but he says differently.

Curran has "megacolon" as well from the stool holding. He has "pockets of poop" that have to empty out before we will get the lovely soft and formed stools. Yeah. I am rather doubtful of all this thanks to our last trip to CHEO due to astronomical stomach pain that was not in his large intestine area. They x-rayed him and said that his bowel was squeeky clean. How could he be "blocked end to end" the week before and empty the next week? It did not make sense to me so I stopped his mineral oil and am questionning his diagnosis. I see him again on May 10th.

By the way, Curran had pneumonia and that is what caused the abdominal pain. Our ped said that it presents like that instead of in the back or chest for toddlers and CHEO should have done a chest x-ray when he had the abdominal pain, a light cough (he really did not start coughing much until 2 days into the antibiotics when it finally started to come loose), and he had a fever of 103 to 104.

So, has anyone else ever been told that their diahrea is actually due to constipation???? Or am I "special? " LOL

Leigh

Hi Leigh...
(((HUGS))) You are going through so much and your poor son.... he must be so miserable with it all.
It is true that when you are constipated badly (like end to end poo or being "impatced") you can have "run off" poo- like the diarrhea kind. Somtimes they call this "overflow"- it means the hard poo is still there and this just kind of flows around and out. Also, the hard poop does degrade and become very offensive diarhhea. I am not a doctor, but I learnt this working as Occupational Therpaist in General Medicine. I have to say, though, that this was a common complaint in older people whose bowel motility was not so good anymore. Makes you wonder if he has a bowel problem. Has he had any other types of tests like a colonoscopy?? It's a bit invasive but he would be under a GA and it may help give some clues.
You have to get this sorted out before the wee guy starts school. It will not be much fun for him going to school if he is still in a nappy. Does he have bowel accidents??? I really think you need to push for a 2nd opinion or more tests, as this just does not sound right.
Again (((hugs))) to you...it must be so heartbreaking seeing your son go through this.

Also, I forgot to add...... does his breath still smell?? Does it smell likes poop- as this is a sure sign of constipation.

The only tests that he had done was celiac (they took a stool sample for that one and we had to wait months for the result), bloodwork, and just general checking of the stool for parasites, etc. Nothing invasive has ever been done.

I really am worried about the potty training. He really is not able to control the poop part at all. We have started the pee training even though the GE said to wait awhile. He has 5 months before school. No pressure, no pressure at all... !

He really gets out of sorts easily and out of the blue. Our family and friends view him as high maintenance and stubborn (we do too, but we also see how terrific, loving, and great this kid is when he is "on" and feeling fine). Yesterday everything was fine as we had a busy and active day. He ate breakfast fine and then a smaller lunch and absolutely had a near meltdown and refused to eat dinner. We had 4 yucky poops. Today he is off again, so I know something is likely perculating.

His breath does not smell great, but I would not say it smells like poop. I have complained that it reeks at times, but nobody has picked up on it. Oh, in the past when this is at its worst he would get little blisters in his mouth. They looked like a nettlerash at first. When he complains and I check his mouth I usually find these blisters and he has a sore throat.

So, does this sound like a "stool holding" situation? I agree that he needs more tests as I am questioning his squeeky clean bowel x-ray less than a week after seeing the GE who said he was end to end packed.

Leigh

Oh Leigh,
I really don't know about the stool holding thing. I would definitely push for more tests though.....this is just not right. ANd if he doesn't have much control over the poop... poor wee chap. I would look for a 2nd opinion if it were me. No harm in that at all. A fresh approcah might be needed.

Thanks, Sarahh. Because of encouragement I brought up Curran's situation to the allergist who is testing Iain for GERD and she agrees there is a problem. She saw him last year for allergy testing and he tested positive for peanut and tree nut allergy. As she did not have the information about his gagging and projectiling, she never thought anything more about it. I now have a series of tests she is doing on him regarding immunization (to check and see if he is immune deficient) and many other things.

She wrote me a note to give to my pediatric gastroenterologist next time we are there suggesting that he might benefit from reflux meds and consider it a possibility as he was very classic of the symptoms and still "has a weak constitution". She added that he may have gut allergies and sensitivities that need to be looked at as well. If the GE does not think that he needs to consider GERD, then she will refer me to another GE instead! YAY! I see her with Curran at the end of May.

She did tell me that the chernobyl diapers are likely not due to GERD, but the gut sensitivities. However, his aversion to food at times, his gagging, his behaviour and tummy troubles at present coupled with his past history warrant a check for GERD. She actually said that she will have him cleared up in time for school as he should not be suffering with this then.

I am doing the happy dance!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D

Leigh

I might learn what a normal stool is yet!

Wow Leigh! I'm glad you had such a great appointment. Is there any chance of you being able to get an earlier appt. with the GE?

I have Curran's regular appointment for May 10th. She wants me to go to that one and give him the note. As I now have an appointment with her on May 31 I can let her know how it went then.

He is a very nice GE, but it always is a fast visit and the same each time. He has never done any tests on him and says the same thing "give me 6 months". I have, so my end of the bargain is fulfilled. Now, I hope that he will listen to me and do the mental math regarding a kid going to JK in diapers and clearing the room the first time he goes poop.

I have a good feeling that we will have a good handle on it by the time he starts school.

Leigh

sounds positive Leigh...... and don't leave that GE appointment without an action plan!!!! Be persistent!!!! You are your son's voice!

Thanks, Sarah. I hope that the note from the ped will help.

By the way, I do not think that I have said it before, but Matthew and Stephen are soooooo cute! Iain is still very small, but there is something about the picture of one (or two!) sleeping babies that tugs at your heart strings....

My family is complete, but I can still gush over all the cute and adorable babies and kidlets on this site!

Leigh