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failure to thrive, refusal to eat, constipation

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MedHelp Member's Question

failure to thrive, refusal to eat, constipation

by Julie, Dec 16, 2000 12:00AM

Tags: thrive, constipation, bone, failure to thrive, daughter

My 21 month old daughter has been refusing to eat since 1 year old. Prior to that, she nursed and took bottles well. She has not gained weight since she was 11 months. She weighs 21 lbs. She has had chronic constipation since approx. 4 mos. old and has been using lactulose to manage. She takes 3-4 packets daily. Her endoscopy/sigmoidoscopy showed irritated stomach, inflamed colon and bowel with an enlarged bowel. Tests for allergies, absorption problems, cystic fibrosis have been negative. Her blood work has been normal with no anemia. Aside from her poor growth, her development has been normal. We don't know what else to look for. Can anyone help?

Member Comments

by Russell, Dec 17, 2000 12:00AM

Hi Julie

Have you had your daughter checked for a possible thyroid problem.Low thyroid hormone levels can stunt growth severely in children and also can cause retardation.Might be worth checking into if you have not already.

Sincerely

Russell

by joanna hanna, Jan 01, 2001 12:00AM

my daughter is simulare but we have never had her to a gi doctor. she had a tethered spinal cord which can cause bowla nd bladder problems, have you considered going to a urologist and have some urodynamics done, or maybe a spinal mri it cant hurt to be shure, katelynn also refuses to eat much and we give her 3can of pedia sure per day which has helped she willbe 3 on jan 29 and weighs only 24 1\2 pounds. have you had metabolic panel done on her to check thyroid functiom? this could also affect growth . good luck with you ltittle girl.

by Lena, Jan 13, 2001 12:00AM

Instead of using medication like lactulose to manage constipation, try natural alternatives such as bananas, sweet potatoes, prune, prune juice. They are all rich in fibre and very effective for little ones to old folks, esp. the smaller bananas with thin skins.

by Sara, Feb 06, 2001 12:00AM

Bananas are constipating - don't overdo them. I'm assuming that they have already ruled out pyloric stenosis. Have any tests been performed to study possible biliary (gallbladder) or liver dysfuntion??

by kriste (kmerwin@stny.rr.com), Feb 11, 2001 12:00AM

My 21 month old nephew was born with gastroschisis. At this point we are having the same problems with failure to thrive and lack of appetite. We continue to try different foods; however, he will only take a few bites at a time. His weight is approximately 21 pounds. We will try some pediasure to see if e can put some weight on him. If we come up with any other solutions, we will write in.

by Kelly B, Mar 14, 2001 12:00AM

To: julie

Ask the doctors about Celiac disease.

by judi, Apr 18, 2001 12:00AM

my son who is going to be 4 in October is suffering form failure to thrive as well. He also has constipation problems. The only thing the is diffrent is he eats like a horse. For the constipation I use berries. Such as blue berries, raspberries, and strawberries. I have joint custody and when he comes back from his fathers he can not poop to save hi soul, so the first thing I do it pop him in front of a small case of each of the berries and with in 4 to 5 hours he is pooping up a storm and does not have any more troubles till his next visit with dad. For the failure to thrive area you may want to ask your dr about getting a bone age test done. My 3 yo is only 25 lbs and is only 26 inches tall. So trust me I know about small :) I am waiting on results of his bone age test as I type this. I do know though that when I was younger I ahd to have bone age tests done myself. It is not a bad test. The dr will have an x-ray taken of the childs hand and wrist and from that they can determin if the childs bones are behind in growth. If they are it is not a big deal. I was 18 months behind when I had mine done. The dr sugested that I be put on a homone and stariod therapy to catch me up to where I should be. I didnt want it and didnt do it. I am fine without it. That just ment I ahd 18 months longer to growh than I would if my bone age was fine. I hope this helps you a bit and I hope everything turns out ok for you and your little angel. :)

by chinaboy, May 02, 2001 12:00AM

To: julie

I wish I had an answer to explain from what you rchild suffers. However, I had exactly the same symtoms 56 years ago and still have related ones. Our family doc returned from the war to find me at four barely the size of a one year old. The treatment? One tablespoon of cod liver oil a day plus one tablespoon of black strap molasses. The reason? Cod liver oil is high in usable iron and omega 3 oil which supports many digestive functions and molasses in high in absorbable iron necessary in absorbtion of nutrients, as I understand it. None the less, by the time I was 16 I was one of the largest - unfortunately not tallest- boys in high school. You know the best thing...nothing bad with your child. Now do some research and you will find answers. Good luck.

by sarabear, May 07, 2001 12:00AM

To: Julie

Has your daughter been tested for Hirschsprung's Disease (also called magacolon)? I just read about it on the internet - it sounds like her symptoms might be similar. Do a search and see if it's worth looking into. Also, try removing milk and milk products from her diet (with pediatrician's ok, of course) and possibly cereals/grains for a while.

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